The Good News in Jesus’s Beatitudes

The New Testament is full of commands for us to obey. Full of them. The Sermon on the Mount is no exception. By my count there are at least sixty-six commands that echo across the mountain to Jesus' disciples. 

Jesus is calling his people to live a life in step with the gospel.

And that is for us too. 

We aren't told to obey things for the sake of obeying them, but we are called to live a life that reflects the wonder, amazement, and absolute freedom Christ has given us.

Live a life that shows you aren't dead anymore.


That's what living out the Gospel truly looks like.

The Beatitudes, Jesus’s introduction to the Sermon on the Mount, however are a different story entirely. You will not find a single imperative.

And anyone who says otherwise couldn't be further from the truth...

Because right there in the beginning of Matthew we don't see "Thou shall...", "I tell you...", "Don't do..." But rather descriptions of people.

Descriptions of people who are blessed... and the reason they are blessed... and what their blessings are.

• Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
• Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
• Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
• Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
• Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
• Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I love the word "are". It isn't what they are becoming, nor is it what they were, nor is it what they should be... They already are.

No Commands Here

Jesus never tells us to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness. His beatitudes never demand that we be merciful, pure in heart, or peacemakers. And, of course, we aren’t commanded to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake. 

I mean does that even make sense?

You can’t control whether or not people will raise their eyebrows, or their fists, at you for your faith.

And I don't know anybody who goes around looking for that...

And if you are the one person who is going around looking to stir up some persecution for yourself, chances are you aren't being merciful or a peacemaker.

There are no commands here, just declarations — declarations of who the blessed people are and where that blessedness leads them.

But these aren't just declarations... these are rather radical and surprising declarations.

If anyone was raising their eyebrows in this situation it was the poor in spirit, the persecuted, the mourners... because they sure wouldn't feel blessed.

I mean... when you are mourning a loss, do you feel blessed?

Most likely not.

So then, what is Jesus doing as he introduces the greatest sermon ever given? If he’s not giving us a checklist to complete that will lead to a blessed life, if he’s not giving us the rungs on the ladder we ascend to true satisfaction with God, if he’s not telling us what we must do in order to experience life in the kingdom — then what on earth is he doing?

This just just doesn't make sense!

What Happens When Grace Works

The context makes it clear that Jesus is describing what happens in a person’s life when they come to understand God’s grace in the gospel (Matt. 4:23).

• God’s grace in the gospel shows you your moral and spiritual bankruptcy. You must be spirit-poor if the cross is what it took to rescue you.
• God’s grace in the gospel makes you mourn. To know that your sin nailed Jesus to the cross breaks your heart.
• God’s grace in the gospel makes you meek. How can you be touchy and defensive now that you’ve seen Jesus dying for you? There’s nothing in you worth defending.
• God’s grace in the gospel lets you see how hungry and thirsty you are for a righteousness that will open the door to God’s acceptance. Jesus is that righteousness given to you freely as a gift.
• God’s grace in the gospel makes you merciful. How can you choke your neighbor over what they owe you when both hands are already occupied receiving the mercy of Jesus Christ?
• God’s grace in the gospel makes you pure in heart. Knowing that God has accepted you on the basis of Jesus’s blood and righteousness frees you to live honestly before God and people, admitting who you really are and how desperate you are for Christ.
• God’s grace in the gospel leads you to be a peacemaker. Your experience of God’s grace puts so much joy in your heart that you cannot help but tell others how they can be at peace with God.
• And finally, your experience of God’s grace in the gospel will get you persecuted. There is something simultaneously beautiful and repulsive about a gospel-centered life. In the fallen human heart, there is a deep aversion to salvation not based on our own resume — if we didn’t have to earn a seat at the table, it’s not worth much. So when non-Christians hear that all their efforts to make themselves acceptable to God are a galactic waste of time, they’re going to get angry, and we will be the object of that anger.

The grace of God produces two responses: infatuation or infuriation. Those who are infatuated by God’s grace display the beauty of the Beatitudes. Those who are infuriated with it, lash out at those whose very existence represents the futility of their project of self-salvation.

What kind of response will you live out today? 

*Background information from R.W. Glenn.

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Nathan Bryant

Is a student of Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri. Majoring in Biblical leadership and Missiology, he has a combined passion for church unity and discipleship in the global church. Nate is a crazed sports fan, he enjoys fantasy football and watching baseball with friends. He works as an Admissions Counselor at Ozark as well as assistant to the staff at River Run Christian Church. Nate is also a Starbucks addict. Yay Coffee!

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our causes.

Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our boundaries.
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