The Heart is the Matter

In studying and contemplating the Beatitudes, I’ve become aware that they’re all based on a drastic “change of heart”. Why’s that? Because “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure…” (Jeremiah 17:9). Understand, when Jesus presented Beatitude #6, it wasn’t for those who believe they’re sufficiently religious already. Nope. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God“ (Matthew 5:8) is aimed at those who don’t feel pure at all.

Considering what the prophet Jeremiah indicated, possessing a pure heart would seem impossible. And, without the indwelling Holy Spirit, it is. That’s why Jesus’ qualifier of “You must be born again“ (John 3:7) describes the miraculous event that has to happen before one’s heart becomes purified.

Spurgeon wrote, “The inner nature must be divinely renewed. Else you can’t enter or even see the kingdom Christ came to set up in this world. If your actions should appear to be pure, yet, if the motive at the back of those actions should be impure, that’ll nullify them all. If your language should be chaste, yet, if your heart’s reveling in foul imaginations, you stand before God not according to your words, but according to your desires.” The Bible affirms: “God doesn’t view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart“ (1 Samuel 16:7).

Many say, “I can’t believe in an invisible God.” However, God told Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live“ (Exodus 33:20). Therefore, when Jesus spoke of “seeing” God, He was obviously referring to spiritual vision. He told the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, “God is spirit, and the people who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth“ (John 4:24).

Those with an unregenerated heart won’t and never will “see” God. Therefore, getting them to accept they aren’t “good”, that their heart’s been corrupted and thoroughly soiled by sin, and that only by repenting and believing Christ conquered the grave do they have any hope of salvation is often an insurmountable challenge.

Of all the problems that abound in this world, so many folks refusing to think they have any need of a “savior” may be the most problematic. Trouble is, they’ve been indoctrinated by humanism. R.C. Sproul wrote, “The idea of mankind’s basic goodness is a cardinal tenet of humanistic philosophy. We like to think we have more moral power than we do. We think our will is utterly unaffected by original sin.”

The Bible states otherwise. It affirms that sin has rendered the unsaved blind. Spurgeon wrote, “They wouldn’t be living as they are if they could see themselves as God sees them; they wouldn’t be able to continue in their filthiness, corrupting others as well as ruining themselves if they could really see. But as evil things get into the heart, they’re certain to blind the eyes.”

You may be wondering who the “pure in heart“ are. Jesus clearly identified them. They’re the “poor in spirit“ who acknowledge their lack of holiness. They’re those who “mourn“ their sinful nature. They’re the “meek“ who’ve been humbled by their unworthiness to be numbered among God’s chosen. They’re the ones who “hunger and thirst after righteousness“ and those who are “merciful“ to others in response to the mercy they’ve been shown by God the Father.

They’re the men and women who’ve kneeled and prayed for God to reveal His truth to them, who’ve openly confessed their sins and begged – in the name of His only begotten Son who suffered and died on the cross for the sake of their soul – for forgiveness. They’re the blessed ones who “see God“ and observe in amazement as He continues to literally transform their life.

So, what distinguishes those whose heart has been rendered pure from those whose heart is still corrupted? They’re the people who “see God“ in everything around them and gratefully praise Him accordingly. They’re those who treasure God’s Holy Word and love exploring the divine revelations He’s revealed to them in the Scriptures. They’re the folks for whom Christ’s church is their sacred refuge from this fallen world, where they can join with other believers in sincere worship of God’s ineffable goodness.

Those with purified hearts possess a peace beyond understanding. They know what David meant when he wrote, “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty“ (Psalm 91:1).

Their trust in God is unshakable. Paul proclaimed, “For I’m convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord“ (Romans 8:39).

Concerning the most exciting promise of all, Spurgeon preached, “The time will come when those who’ve thus seen God on earth will see Him face to face in heaven. Oh, the splendor of that vision! Soon some of us will know more about it than all the theologians on earth could tell us. It’s but a thin veil that parts us from the glory world; it may split apart at any moment, and then at once the pure in heart will fully understand what it is to see God!”

In a sense, humanity has seen God. “The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw His glory – the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father“ (John 1:14). Jesus is God. He confirmed that to the apostles, saying, “The person who’s seen me has seen the Father“ (John 14:9).

Sinclair Ferguson wrote, “In Jesus, God makes Himself visible. But His identity remains hidden to those with hardened hearts. Only those whose hearts are purified by faith ‘see’ Him as He really is.” Do you want God to open your eyes to see the truth? “Ask and you’ll receive“ (Matthew 7:7).

Striving for Righteousness

Jesus began His Sermon on the Mount by identifying those He came to ransom – the poor in spirit who mourn their sinful nature and are humbled knowing that, despite their sad condition, they’re blessed. He then delivered Beatitude #4, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled“ (Matthew 5:6).

The people who came to hear Christ preach were already aware that the things of this fallen world never satisfy permanently. That even an abundance of money, influence, material possessions, etc. aren’t enough. We inherently always want more. Our Lord proclaimed that only by striving for righteousness will we experience fulfillment.

Notice Jesus didn’t say we’re to merely want righteousness. On the contrary, it’s to be our principal goal in life. Every Christian should be desperate to attain it. It’s why He used the words hunger and thirst. No human can survive without food or water for long. To be totally deprived of them eventually leads to suffering an agonizing death. The same applies to the necessity of acquiring righteousness in the spiritual realm. Referring to heaven, David wrote, “This is the LORD’s gate – the righteous enter through it“ (Psalm 118:20).

Our Savior emphasized righteousness several times in His sermon. He taught that His followers may suffer persecution for it; that our righteousness must exceed that of hypocritical religious “showoffs”; that Christians should gladly perform righteous deeds and, most importantly, we’re to fervently seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness so as to receive everything we need. (Matthew 5:10,20;6:1,33).

This subject raises some questions. The foremost being “What is righteousness?” Simply put, it’s thinking and acting the way God thinks and acts. It’s followed by “How can a lowly sinner become righteous in God’s sight?” Understand it’s only possible because God graciously sacrificed His only begotten Son for us. “He [God] is the reason you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption“ (1 Corinthians 1:30).

In other words, we can’t become righteous by ourselves any more than we can become holy like God. “No one is holy like the LORD!“ (1 Samuel 2:2). The truth is righteousness is a gift from God, “…namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe“ (Romans 3:22). Plus, it’s an astronomically expensive gift. “God made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we’d become the righteousness of God“ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Sinclair Ferguson wrote, “This is the center of the gospel. We lack righteousness, but God provides it for us.” Spurgeon explained, “When a sinner comprehends that Christ has worked out a perfect righteousness, not for Himself, but for the unrighteous, he comprehends how, by imputation, he’s made righteous in God’s eyes through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.”

Calvin expanded upon this miraculous news: “Provided with this righteousness, we constantly obtain the remission of sins through faith. Our imperfections and impurities aren’t imputed but are as if buried, so as not to come under judgment until the hour when we’ll be translated to the glory of the heavenly kingdom.”

Once a believer gets a taste of the “bread of life“ and the “living water“ (John 6:35) only our Lord can offer, their hunger and thirst for righteousness increases. They strive daily to better imitate the grace, mercy, and kindness of their Savior. They develop an overwhelming yearning to rid themselves of all inclinations to sin. Yet this hunger and thirst for righteousness extends beyond themselves, out into the world around them.

Ferguson wrote, “The work of evangelism, missions and the task of social reformation aren’t to be thought of as alternatives for the Christian. They go together. Each is an application of our desire to see righteousness prevail. That’s what we mean when we pray, ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven‘ (Matthew 6:10).”

Righteousness is the opposite of selfishness. Idly watching civilization crumble into lawlessness and rampant immorality without feeling profound sadness is far from being Christlike. We’re to do all we can to encourage others to seek the righteousness of God. Spurgeon said a true Christian’s soul is “…all on fire with this one desire – righteousness – righteousness for himself, righteousness before God, righteousness between persons. For this he hungers and thirsts, and in this Jesus says he is blessed.”

Understand that not everyone craves righteousness. The spiritually dead see no urgent need to achieve it. There are many on the planet who covet attention, notoriety and/or accolades so their pride-driven, self-assessed “goodness” and “generosity” will be noticed and heralded by the public. Jesus said of them, “I tell you the truth, they have their reward“ (Matthew 6:2).

I’m saying there’ll be some individuals who, despite your most sincere efforts, you just can’t reach. The best you can do is pray that God will open their eyes and ears to see and hear the truth that’ll cause them to repent and believe. However, don’t let them rob you of the joy Peter and Paul proclaimed so exuberantly.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled and unfading“ (1 Peter 1:3-4) and “If Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness” (Romans 8:10).

Spurgeon wrote, “If we’re hungering and thirsting for righteousness, we’re on the winning side. The battle may go against us. Evils our forefathers routed may come back with superior strength and cunning. For a little while the courage of the saints may waver. But the Lord still lives, and as the Lord lives, righteousness alone will triumph, and all sin be trampled underfoot. Fight on, for you’ll ultimately be victors. You can’t be beaten unless the Eternal Himself could be overthrown, and that can never be.”

It’s Not Easy Being Meek

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth“ (Matthew 5:5). Jesus’ third Beatitude presents a challenge because a meek demeanor doesn’t come easily in a world where aggressive people dominate. Previously I described a meek person as humble, gentle and patient. Add to those traits forgiving and content.

In the Celebrate Recovery ministry we’ve found convincing some folks they must forgive those who’ve done them great harm (physically and/or emotionally) to be tough sledding. They feel God’s asking too much of them. However, forgiveness isn’t optional. Christ made that clear: “If you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins“ (Matthew 6:14-15).

Those words were spoken right after He delivered what’s known as “The Lord’s Prayer” wherein we ask God to, “…forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors“ (Matthew 6:12). Sinclair Ferguson wrote, “The man who mouths the phrase ‘forgive us our debts,’ but won’t forgive others their debts, hasn’t begun to understand the weight of his own sin. If he did, in light of it being forgiven, he’d be prepared to forgive his brother ‘seventy-seven times‘ (Matthew 18:22).

J.I. Packer commented, “Those who hope for God’s forgiveness must be able to tell Him they’ve forgiven their debtors. This isn’t a matter of earning forgiveness by works, but of qualifying for it by repentance. Repentance – change of mind – makes mercy and forbearance central to one’s new lifestyle… One whose only hope is that God won’t hold his faults against him forfeits his right to hold others’ faults against them.”

To forgive is to love like Christ. James S. Stewart wrote, “What Jesus meant by love was a spirit that never harbors a grudge, because it’s much too big for that kind of pettiness. It always discovers the best in men, because it can see underground; full of understanding, because it’s been through hard places itself; wonderfully patient, because it has a great hope at its heart; utterly pure, because it knows God.”

Calvin recommended taking the high road: “To love those that hate us, to render good for evil, and blessings for cursing, remembering that we’re not to reflect on the wickedness of men, but look to the image of God in them, an image which, covering and obliterating their faults, should by its beauty and dignity allure us to love and embrace them.”

The meek are content. Spurgeon wrote, “The meek-spirited man isn’t ambitious; he’s satisfied with what God provides for him. He’s content with what he has. Whatever happens to him, seeing that his times are in God’s hand, it’s well with him in the best and most emphatic sense.”

Paul’s attitude should be that of all Christians: “I’ve learned to be content in any circumstance. I’ve experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I’ve learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing“ (Philippians 4:11-12).

It’s definitely not easy being meek. Spurgeon preached, “There are some people who are very gentle and meek as long as nobody tries them. We’re all quite good-tempered while we have our own way, but true meekness, which is a work of grace, will stand the fire of persecution and endure the test of enmity, cruelty, and wrong, even as the meekness of Christ did upon the cross of Calvary.”

Each Beatitude has a promise attached. As for the meek, “…they shall inherit the earth.” For the longest time I wondered why anybody would deem inheriting this fallen planet God has cursed a blessing. But I finally realized Jesus was looking ahead to when there’ll be “…a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist…” (Revelation 21:1). In other words, faithful believers are destined to dwell in a fully restored Eden eternally.

David wrote, “The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace“ (Psalm 37:11). Spurgeon commented, “After this earth has been purified by fire, after God has burned the works of men to ashes, and after every trace of corrupt humanity has been consumed by fervent heat, then this earth will be fitted up again, angels will descend with new songs to sing, and the New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven from God in all her glory.”

Stewart wrote, “When man has done everything man can do to build the everlasting Kingdom, it’s God, and God alone, who can make that Kingdom perfect; that somehow and somewhere, in ways beyond our present comprehension, God’s going to come breaking in triumphantly.”

Now that’s a future worth waiting patiently for. Imagine a world without sin! It’s coming – soon. Ferguson wrote, “One day the sovereign rule of Jesus will be seen publicly. For the moment, it’s seen only through the eyes of faith. But because it is seen by the eyes of faith, the people of God already have the assurance that this earth belongs to Christ; He’s won it back for His own.”

On that glorious day when our Lord returns the meek will no longer be regarded as the misguided doormats of the world. On the contrary, the meek will be its conquerors as well as the new earth’s grateful stewards. We’ll enjoy everything, including the literal presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. “He’ll live among them, and they’ll be His people, and God Himself will be with them“ (Revelation 21:3).

This doesn’t mean we’re to stop spreading the gospel in the meantime. Heaven forbid! Souls are at stake. John MacArthur preached, “The future of the unrighteous and the righteous could hardly be more starkly different. The time to prepare for judgment is now. The day of salvation is now. Those who wait until Christ returns will find it’s already too late. We don’t know the day or hour of His return. But the time is fast approaching. It’s time to get ready.”

Meek, Not Weak

The first two Beatitudes point inwardly. Once a Christian admits they’re spiritually empty a sacred grief over their sinfulness arises in their soul. After they concede their inability to please the God who graciously adopted them into His eternal family, their sorrow over that inability increases. However, Jesus declared that those who experience both conditions are blessed. That alleviates the guilt and shame that would otherwise rob them of the joy that comes with being redeemed.

The third Beatitude is aimed outwardly. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth“ (Matthew 5:5). Accordingly, it’s of a higher order than the two preceding it. Spurgeon explained, “The man mourns; that is, he laments over his state of spiritual poverty. But now there’s something given to him by the grace of God – not a negative quality, but a positive proof of the work of the Holy Spirit within his soul. He has become meek.”

Meek doesn’t mean weak. Sinclair Ferguson wrote, “The word meekness is notoriously difficult to define. It’s certainly not a lack of backbone. Rather, it’s the humble strength that belongs to the man who’s learned to submit to difficulties (difficult experiences and difficult people), knowing that in everything God is working for his good. He’s learned to submit himself to the Lord and to be gentle with sinners.”

Our Savior demonstrated repeatedly what meekness looks like. He’s asked all His followers to “…learn from me, because I’m gentle and humble in heart…” (Matthew 11:29). Christ was no spineless pushover. He boldly spoke the truth to everyone, even to His enemies. Yet in His personal interactions He never treated anybody rudely or without compassion. Indeed, it was his meekness that endeared Him to thousands.

The meek remain submissive to God’s will and His Holy Word. In other words, they don’t quarrel with God. Even when they’re being harassed or suffering severe health issues, they don’t accuse God of being unfair. Despite his many hardships Paul wrote, “I’m content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I’m weak, then I’m strong“ (2 Corinthians 10).

There’s an all-too common complaint heard nowadays. Some confused people accuse God of goofing up when He created them and they’re struggling to correct His supposed “mistake” by pretending to be something they aren’t. The Scriptures confront that mindset directly. “Who indeed are you – a mere human being – to talk back to God? Does what’s molded say to the molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’“ (Romans 9:20). The meek don’t gripe about their lot in life. Nor do they call themselves “victims.”

The meek subdue their personal preferences. Spurgeon wrote, “They don’t imagine what the truth ought to be and then come to the Bible for texts to prove what they think should be there. Rather they go to the inspired Book with a candid mind, and they pray, with the psalmist, “Open my eyes so I can truly see the marvelous things in your law!“ (Psalm 119:18). When, in searching the Scriptures, they find deep mysteries they can’t comprehend, they believe where they can’t understand.”

The most noticeable trait of Christians should be their humble attitude. A true disciple never considers themselves better than anyone. They openly confess they’re “less than the least of all saints“ (Ephesians 3:8). Paul wrote, “For since I’m free from all I can make myself a slave to all, in order to gain even more people. To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews… To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I’ve become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some“ (1 Corinthians 9:19-20, 22). Telling everybody about our Savior was his only goal.

The meek display a gentleness of spirit. “Hold on,” some will say, “Didn’t Jesus lash out sometimes?” Dane Ortlund wrote, “Yes. For example, Jesus pronounced searing denunciations on those who cause children to sin, saying it’d be a better fate if they were drowned, not because He gleefully enjoys torturing the wicked but most deeply because He loves little children. It’s His heart of love, not a gleeful exacting of justice, that rises up from His soul to elicit such a fearsome pronouncement of woe.”

Spurgeon wrote, “The meek-spirited man may be naturally very hot and fiery, but he’s had grace given to him to keep his temper in subjection. He doesn’t say, ‘That’s my constitution, and I can’t help it,’ as so many do. God will never excuse us because of our constitutions. His grace is given to us to cure our evil constitutions and to kill our corruptions.”

I doubt there’s any characteristic less respected by the unsaved than meekness. It’s why so many of them ridicule Christianity. I wonder how many scoffed, chuckled and rolled their eyes in disbelief when they heard our Lord preach, “I say to you, don’t resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, give him your coat also. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two… Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you“ (Matthew 5:39-41, 44).

They thought Jesus was a fool. Many still do. His teachings contradict everything society insists individuals must be in order to not only survive but to succeed. Yet throughout His earthly life Christ was the meekest person in history. He didn’t incite riots against the Romans. He didn’t assault his accusers. He took the worst humiliation His adversaries could heap upon Him but never cursed them in retaliation.

When they unjustly condemned our Lord to death and shouted insults while He suffocated on the cross His response wasn’t soaked in vitriol. On the contrary, He prayed aloud, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing“ (Luke 23:34). Fact is, through meekness Christ triumphed and conquered the world.

Grieving Our Sinfulness

Like the first Beatitude, the second can be a head-scratcher. But once we identify with its predecessor, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven“ (Matthew 5:3), we discover the Beatitudes were presented in a specific order so as to help us grow spiritually. Each provides the all-important context for incorporating the one that follows. i.e., “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted“ (5:4).

There are inevitable losses everyone experiences in life. The deep sorrow that accompanies death of loved ones, devastating disasters, getting fired from a job, divorces, a betrayal by a trusted friend, etc. comes naturally. Yet they’re “worldly sorrows.” They’re not what Jesus was talking about.

Our Lord certainly wasn’t downplaying the hardship of grief. He wasn’t saying, “You’ll get over it eventually” or “time heals all wounds.” Those sentiments are often superficial and/or cruelly patronizing. Christ was never that way. Remember, “Jesus wept“ (John 11:35) as He approached the tomb of Lazarus.

The mourning referred to in this Beatitude is spiritually beneficial. Paul wrote, “For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death“ (2 Corinthians 7:10). Calvin explained, “By godly sorrow he means we not only tremble at the punishment but hate and abhor our sin because we know it’s displeasing to God.”

Therein lies the gist. Sinclair Ferguson wrote, “The grief Jesus describes is man’s mourning over his own sinfulness; it’s regret that he’s proved a disappointment to the Lord. Numbed by the discovery of his poverty of spirit, he learns to grieve because of it.”

The spiritually poor cry over their unworthiness. Their eyes tear up due to knowing they don’t deserve “the kingdom of heaven.” As did Paul, they grieve the fact they fall short daily. “Wretched man that I am! Who’ll rescue me from this body of death?“ Still, Paul felt blessed and comforted, adding, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!“ Why? Because “There’s therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus“ (Romans 7:24,25 & 8:1).

Ferguson wrote, “The man who genuinely mourns because of his sin has been drawn out of himself to see God in His holiness and grace. It is this – his sight of God – that has made him mourn. Paradoxically, it’s the same sight of God that will bring him comfort. The God against whom he has sinned is the one who forgives sinners!”

David confessed to God, “Against You – You above all – I’ve sinned; I’ve done what is evil in Your sight. So You’re just when You confront me; You’re right when You condemn me.” (Psalm 51:4). He knew how guilty he was. “If You, O LORD, were to keep track of sins, O LORD who could stand before You?“ Yet he praises God’s mercifulness. “But You are willing to forgive so that You might be honored“ (Psalm 130:3-4).

While breaking God’s laws convicts our conscience, it’s God’s grace that causes us to weep over our sins. At the same time, the comfort our Savior promises in this Beatitude is the assurance that all our sins are forgiven.

Spurgeon wrote, “O you believers, think of this, for the ‘all’ is no little thing. It includes sins against a holy God, sins against His loving Son, sins against gospel as well as against law, sins against man as well as against God, sins of the body as well as sins of the mind, sins as numerous as the sands on the seashore and as great as the sea itself, and all are removed from us as far as the east is from the west!”

Don’t misconstrue the message this Beatitude conveys. It’d be a mistake to isolate it from the others. Yes, Christians are to grieve their sinfulness, but that mustn’t cause them to become sad, depressed, joyless people that fail to be “the light of the world“ (Matthew 5:14). On the contrary, the redeemed should be the happiest and most thankful of all human beings.

Ferguson commented, “A rounded spiritual experience involves stretching our emotional response to the gospel, not narrowing it. The child of the kingdom knows higher joys as well as deeper sorrows, more sensitive mourning but also more profound comfort now that they are the Lord’s.”

Obviously, mourning our sinfulness goes against the grain of a lot of 21st century preaching. Dallas Willard wrote, “Much of what’s called Christian profession today involves no remorse or sorrow at all over who one is or even for what one has done… It’s common to hear Christians talk of their ‘brokenness.’ But when you listen closely, you may discover that they’re talking about their wounds, the things they’ve suffered, not about the evil that’s in them.”

True believers don’t intentionally do evil things. But some fool themselves into pretending keeping their immoral thoughts private either conceals them from God or at least lessens their severity. Not so. “The LORD knows people’s thoughts are morally bankrupt“ (Psalm 94:11). Calvin opined, “The natural man cannot bear to recognize diseases in his lust… Depraved desires, in which the mind can quietly indulge, they regard as nothing.”

It’s not easy to own up to being inherently iniquitous. It injures our pride most of all. Ferguson wrote, “Being spiritually stretched involves pain – the pain of discovering the effects of our sin, the shame and grief of knowing how twisted we’ve been.” But in this second Beatitude Jesus once again delivers the best news one could possibly hear – that we’ll be comforted.

In Nazareth’s synagogue Christ revealed His mission by quoting one of the well-known prophets: “The spirit of the sovereign LORD is upon me… He’s commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives, and the freeing of prisoners… to console all who mourn…” (Isaiah 61:1-2).

In the first two Beatitudes Jesus made it clear who He came for – the spiritually impoverished who genuinely grieve their sinfulness. May our tears flow accordingly.

Spiritual Bankruptcy

Jesus didn’t begin His Sermon on the Mount cracking a joke. Nor did He proclaim, “God loves those who do everything right.” On the contrary, He immediately grabbed the crowd’s attention by declaring “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them“ (Matthew 5:3).

Christ knew His audience. He wasn’t addressing the frowning Pharisees standing on the sidelines with their noses in the air and arms folded. He spoke specifically to the barely-getting-by folks in attendance who felt beaten down and discouraged by life in general. He told them, “If you feel like you’re spiritually bankrupt I’ve got great news for you. You’re in the perfect frame of mind to receive the blessing I’m here to give you.”

Spurgeon wrote, “It’s worthy of grateful note that this gospel blessing reaches down to the exact spot where the law leaves us when it has done for us the very best within its power or design. The utmost the law can accomplish for our fallen humanity is to lay bare our spiritual poverty and convince us of it.”

Since the Beatitudes are figuratively a “ladder of light” there’s no more appropriate bottom rung than spiritual bankruptcy. It’s where most Christians start. “Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. God chose what’s low and despised in the world, what’s regarded as nothing, to set aside what’s regarded as something, so that no one can boast in His presence“ (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).

The wealthy don’t usually think they’re in need of encouragement. Frederick Buechner commented, “The poor, on the other hand, are under no such delusion. When Jesus says, ‘Come unto me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I’ll give you rest‘ (Matthew 11:28), the poor stand a better chance than most of knowing what He’s talking about and knowing that He’s talking to them. In desperation they may even be willing to consider the possibility of accepting His offer.”

That all of us are born spiritually bankrupt wasn’t a revelation then and still isn’t now. Those listening to Jesus’s sermon had been raised on verses like “Everyone rejects God; they’re all morally corrupt. None of them does what’s right, not even one!“ (Psalm 14:3) and “For there’s not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins“ (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The blessing Jesus was bestowing upon the throng that afternoon was that it’s not only okay to be poor in spirit but it’s to one’s advantage!

Our Savior knows all too well what original sin has done to humankind. It has rendered us literally “…dead in our trespasses and sins“ (Ephesians 2:1). R.C. Sproul explained, “To be dead in sin is to be in a state of moral and spiritual bondage. By nature, we’re slaves to sin. This doesn’t mean the fall has destroyed or eradicated the human will. Fallen man still has all the faculties to make choices. We make choices all the time. The problem is that we make sinful choices. We make these choices freely. We sin precisely because we want to sin, and we’re capable of choosing exactly what we want to choose.”

It wasn’t until my marriage was in serious trouble 14 years ago that I became acutely aware of my spiritual poverty. I wasn’t spiritual at all. I was a selfish, lustful, carnal mess of a man. Jesus was talking about my ilk when He preached, “…People loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed“ (John 3:19-20).

In other words, I was finally in the proper state of mind to “die to myself” and surrender all to Christ. What did I gain from it? Nothing less than the kingdom of heaven. It was miraculous! Brennan Manning wrote, “The Good News means we can stop lying to ourselves. The sweet sound of amazing grace saves us from the necessity of self-deception… When I go to church, I can leave my white hat at home and admit I’ve failed. God not only loves me as I am, but also knows me as I am. Because of this I don’t need to apply spiritual cosmetics to make myself presentable to Him. I can accept ownership of my poverty, powerlessness and neediness.”

The blessing of being spiritually bankrupt can only be granted by Jesus. No Jesus, no blessing. He’s the only remedy for that condition. As our very forgiving high priest, “He’s able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring…” (Hebrews 5:2). Dane Ortlund wrote, “The point is that Jesus deals gently and only gently with all sinners who come to Him, irrespective of their particular offense and just how heinous it is. What elicits tenderness from Jesus isn’t the severity of the sin but whether the sinner comes to Him. Whatever our offense, He deals gently with us.”

Sinclair Ferguson opined, “The sad truth is that we know so little of the blessing of which Christ speaks (and which He gives) because we’re all too often full of ourselves and our own means of blessing. In fact, there’s no sadder commentary on our lack of this spiritual poverty than the readiness so many of us have to let others know what we think. But the man who’s poor in spirit is the man who’s been silenced by God and seeks only to speak what he’s learned in humility from Him. If you would be rich and possess a kingdom, you must first lose all – including yourself and your self-centeredness – and become poor in spirit.”

Feeling spiritually bankrupt? For heaven’s sake, come to Christ and be blessed.

The Beatitudes

“When He saw the crowds, He went up the mountain. After He sat down His disciples came to Him. Then He began to teach them…” (Matthew 5:1-2). What follows is Jesus’ first sermon recorded in the gospels. It’s the most poignant sermon in history, starting with the Beatitudes wherein He identified those who are saved.

I’ve seen many depictions of Christ during my lifetime. As have many believers, I’ve found The Chosen to be one of the finest. A writer myself, I don’t mind the creators of the series taking reasonable liberties with the storyline as long as they don’t venture too far from the biblical truth. But I do have reservations about how they presented the Sermon on the Mount.

I doubt the Son of God had to arrange a pre-announced and purposely staged appearance to deliver His message. I’m inclined to think it was a spontaneous event that required no preparation aforehand. Being God incarnate, Christ was more than ready at any moment to tell folks about the kingdom of God. I understand why the producers presented the scene the way they did but in my opinion it wasn’t authentic.

The sermon’s a masterpiece in that Jesus covered every aspect of what’s entailed in becoming one of His followers. He instructs us on how we’re to conduct ourselves, how to honorably please God, how to pray, the importance of self-discipline, how to not worry ourselves to death, how to avoid becoming judgmental jerks, etc. Matthew 5 through 7 tells us everything we need to know.

Sinclair Ferguson wrote, “If you’re not seeking to live out the Sermon on the Mount, you lack the fundamental evidence that Jesus Christ is your Savior, because the sermon is simply a description of the life of salvation… It’s not a sermon about an ideal life in an ideal world, but about kingdom life in a fallen world.”

There’s a lot of information disclosed in the verse I cited above. Jesus “saw the crowds“ and no doubt He felt their pain. They weren’t from the upper class. Far from it. They were downtrodden commoners, desperate to hear the unfiltered truth for a change. Recognizing this, our Savior stopped what He was doing and seized the moment. By doing so He gave them what they needed most – hope.

He “went up the mountain.” This was not only practical but symbolic. Mountains have always been associated with distinct eras in Israel’s history. Moses received the old covenant commandments on Mount Sinai. It was only fitting that Christ would present the new covenant from one.

In The Chosen version, Jesus directs His disciples to relay his words to those who were situated too far away to hear Him clearly. But the Scriptures don’t imply their help was necessary. I prefer to assume everyone in the multitude miraculously heard every word Christ uttered. At Pentecost everybody understood in their own language what the Spirit-filled apostles were preaching so to surmise an aural miracle occurred this day isn’t absurd.

Next our Lord “sat down.” It was a kingly gesture. Spurgeon commented, “He sat in His place as Rabbi of the church, the authoritative Legislator of the kingdom of heaven, the Monarch in the midst of His people, the Divine Lawgiver, delivering not the Ten Commandments but the Beatitudes of His blessed kingdom.” Jesus was calm and collected, despite knowing that what He was about to say would change forever how human beings should obey, approach and worship God.

“Then He began to teach them…” O, to have been there! Spurgeon wrote, “Jesus Christ spoke like a man in earnest. He enunciated clearly and spoke loudly. He lifted up His voice like a trumpet and published salvation far and wide like a man who had something to say that He desired His audience to hear and feel.”

However, this series of essays won’t be about the Sermon on the Mount per se. I intend to focus on examining the Beatitudes one by one. There’s so much for Christians to learn in them. We could spend months studying them and still not absorb all the wisdom they contain.

In a nutshell, there are seven that pertain to how we’re to behave in a way that befits our calling. The eighth describes how we can expect the world to perceive and treat us if we do.

They aren’t given to us randomly. Each Beatitude is directly related to the one that precedes it. Some theologians have called it a “ladder of light.” Yet none of the Beatitudes describe something in the future. Jesus doesn’t say “You will be blessed,” but “Blessed are you.”

What truly establishes the Beatitudes as unique, though, is their paradoxical nature. Spurgeon wrote, “Poverty is the opposite of riches, and yet how rich are those who possess a kingdom! Persecution is supposed to destroy enjoyment, and yet it’s here made a subject of rejoicing. See the sacred art of Him who spoke as never man spoke. At the same time, He can make His words both simple and paradoxical, and thereby win our attention and instruct our intellects.”

The throng sensed Jesus was different. They’d witnessed Him performing miracles and furthermore “He taught them like one who had authority…” (Matthew 7:29). James S. Stewart wrote, “The teaching of Jesus, even though great multitudes throughout the world are still outside its sphere, even though many of His own followers have never cared or dared to put it fully into practice, has had a power and an effect with which the influence of no other teacher can even for a moment be compared.”

Stewart continued: “Jesus knew once He’d planted His words in human hearts, He could confidently leave them there; they’d haunt men down the years and would live forever. No need for Him to write His teaching down; that teaching, once let loose upon the earth, would make its way by its own inherent power and march deathlessly across the ages.”

Our task? As God instructed, “…listen to Him“ (Mark 9:35).