Dieper Dinge Deeper Things

“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.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:3-12

What do you make of this? Does it mean that you have to strive to be poor in many respects? To be sad, shy, avoid conflict, keep quiet when you are abused and just endure being treated poorly? Is this a description of what you have to be like and how you have to behave before Jesus will bless you?

No. Remember, Jesus was speaking to a specific group of people in particular circumstances at a particular time in history. Before jumping to conclusions about what He meant when He said something, and what those words mean for you personally, you should first consider the historical context.

The crowd that followed Jesus around and to whom the words above are directed were mainly ordinary Jews, but there were usually also a few Pharisees who were listening. The ordinary Jews had two powerful forces to contend with:

First, their country was occupied by Roman troops. They were not free to govern themselves and were powerless against the Romans. Second, the religious leaders in the Jewish community (the Pharisees) had a lot of power. The synagogues were under their control and they have compiled a long list of rules that they regarded as just as important for the Jews as the written Torah (the Jewish Scripture).

The Pharisees thought a lot of themselves and their knowledge of God’s law. They saw themselves as God’s favourites. As a result, the message that the ordinary folk heard when they went to the synagogues to serve God was that they were not nearly good enough. They had to follow all the rules that the Pharisees have made up and make a lot of sacrificial offerings before God would bless them.

Jesus was in constant conflict with the Pharisees over this and they were ultimately the ones who brought the accusations against Him that led to his crucifixion. Jesus called them hypocrites, blind fools, full of greed and self-indulgence and whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean (Matthew 23:15-27).

When talking to the ordinary people, Jesus said that what the religious leaders have taught them were not right. In the passage above, he said that it was not the learned, powerful Pharisees that were in God’s favour, it was the ordinary people who are and will be blessed by God. Those who were being oppressed, who had no voice, who do not have all this religious knowledge to brag about, who are not impressive or successful in the eyes of the world, are the ones who God looks upon with favour.

Jesus spoke these words to encourage the weak and poor who are listening to Him by assuring them that his gospel did not make only those happy that were important because of their gifts, graces, wealth, and usefulness. No, even the most unimportant person on earth, who had the right attitude towards God in his heart, enjoys the blessings and privileges of the kingdom of God.