#true blessedness

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

1 Now it came to pass that as He was praying in a certain place, when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us how to pray, as John also taught his disciples."

2 And He said to them, "When you pray, say, 'Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also upon the earth.

3 Give us our bread as needed day by day;

4 And forgive us our sins, as we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation but rescue us from the evil one.'"

5 Then He said to them, "Who among you has a friend that he shall go to at midnight, and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I do not have anything to set before him'; 7 And from within he shall answer, saying, 'Do not disturb me. The door has already been shut, and my children are in bed with me. I cannot get up to give to you. ' 8 I say to you, even if he will not rise to give to him on account of being his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as much as he needs.

9 And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; and the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, it shall be opened. 11 But which of you who is a father, if a son shall ask for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he shall ask for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 Therefore if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father Who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

14 Now He was casting out a demon, and it was dumb; but it came to pass that when the demon had gone out, the one who had been dumb spoke. And the multitudes were amazed. 15 But some of them said, "He is casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, prince of the demons." 16 And others, tempting Him, were seeking a sign from heaven. 17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Consider now, because you are saying that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Because of this, they shall be your judges. 20 But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man who is armed guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe. 22 But when a stronger man than he comes upon him, he overcomes him, and takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoil. 23 The one who is not with Me is against Me, and the one who does not gather with Me scatters.

24 When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it goes through waterless places, seeking rest; and when it does not find any, it says, 'I will return to the house from which I came out. ' 25 And when it comes, it finds it swept and adorned. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

27 And it came to pass that as He spoke these things, a certain woman lifted up her voice from the multitude and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that You sucked." 28 And He said, "Yes, rather, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it."

29 Now when the multitudes had crowded around even more, He began to say, "This is an evil generation, seeking after a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, in the same way also shall the Son of man be a sign to this generation. 31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, because they repented at Jonah's proclamation; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.

33 Now no one who lights a lamp sets it in a secret place or under a bushelbasket, but on a lampstand, so that those who are entering may see the light. 34 The light of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is without guile, your whole body is light; but when your eye is evil, your body also is dark. 35 Therefore, beware that the light that is in you is not darkness. 36 Now then, if your whole body is light, not having any part dark, it shall be full of light, as when a lamp shining brightly gives you light."

37 Now while He was speaking, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him; and He went in and sat down. 38 But the Pharisee, seeing this, wondered why He had not first washed before dinner. 39 Then the Lord said to him, "Now, you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are full of greediness and wickedness. 40 Fools, did not He Who made the outside also make the inside? 41 Rather, give alms from the things that are within; and behold, all things are clean to you.

42 But woe to you, Pharisees! For you pay tithes of mint and rue and every herb, but you pass over the judgment and the love of God. It is obligatory for you to do these things, and not to set aside those lesser things. 43 Woe to you, Pharisees! For you love the chief seat in the synagogues and the salutations in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are as unseen tombs, and men who walk over them do not know it."

45 And one of the doctors of the law answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You are also insulting us." 46 And He said, "Woe to you also, doctors of the law! For you weigh men down with burdens heavy to bear, but you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, whom your fathers killed. 48 Therefore, you are bearing witness and consenting to the works of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send prophets and apostles to them; and some of them they shall kill, and others they shall drive out 50 So that the blood of all the prophets, poured out from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation 51 From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias, who perished between the altar and the house of God. ' Yes, I tell you, it shall be required of this generation. 52 Woe to you, doctors of the law! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you prevented those who were entering."

53 And as He was saying these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began vehemently to press and provoke Him to speak about many things, 54 While they kept a close watch on Him, seeking to catch something out of His mouth so that they might accuse Him. — Luke 11 | A Faithful Version (AFV) A Faithful Version Copyright © 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 York Publishing Company. Cross References: Genesis 4:8-10; Genesis 8:21; Genesis 18:2-8; Exodus 8:19; Exodus 17:2; 1 Kings 19:10; Job 6:14; Psalm 51:1-2; Psalm 59:3; Psalm 107:4-7; Proverbs 1:20-23; Isaiah 49:25-25; Jeremiah 26:20-23; Jonah 3:4-10; Matthew 6:5-8; Matthew 6:11; Matthew 7:9-11; Matthew 12:22; Matthew 12:45-50; Matthew 15:7-9; Matthew 15:12; Matthew 23:13; Mark 1:35; Mark 3:6; Mark 3:23-24; Mark 3:27; Mark 5:35; Mark 7:2-5; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 6:8; Luke 8:4; Luke 12:1; John 10:20; John 14:13-14; Acts 12:13-16; Acts 19:13-16; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Galatians 3:1; Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 5:8; Ephesians 5:15; James 2:2-3; 2 Peter 2:20-22; 1 John 2:23; 1 John 3:22; Revelation 1:12

by J.R. Miller

True Blessedness (Matthew 5:1-16)

Emerson’s advice to Lincoln about hitching his wagon to a star is the lesson Jesus sets for us in the Beatitudes. These blesseds shine like stars far above us, in their brightness and heavenliness. We may say that we never can reach them and that therefore there is no use in our trying to reach them. But the Master would have us strive after the highest attainments.

It has been noted, that if the world would make a set of beatitudes, they would be just the reverse of those that Jesus spoke. None of the classes pronounced blessed by Him would be called happy by the world. The poor in spirit, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and holiness are not the world’s favorites. These are not the qualities natural men consider most worthy of quest.

The first beatitude is for the humble ones. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” This beatitude is not for the poor in an earthly sense, for one may be very poor and yet proud ; and one may be rich in worldly goods and yet be lowly in spirit, in disposition. The Bible everywhere praises humility. God dwells with the humble. Christ refers only once in the Gospels to His own heart, and through the window He opens, it is this picture that we see, “I am gentle and humble in heart” (11:29). To be poor in spirit is to be rich toward God; while pride of heart is spiritual poverty. Humility is the key that opens the gate of prayer; while to the loud knocking of pride, there comes no answer. The kingdom of heaven belongs to the humble. They may wear no earthly crown but a crown of glory, unseen by men, rests upon their heads even here in this world.

The second beatitude is for those who mourn. We do not usually regard mourners as blessed. We pity them and think their condition unenviable. Christ, however, has a special beatitude for those who are sorrowful. Probably He means particularly penitent mourners, those who are sorrowful on account of their sins. In all this world there is nothing so precious in the sight of God as the tear of contrition. No diamonds or pearls shine with such brilliance, in His sight. It was Jesus Himself who said there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents (Luke 15:10). Truly blessed, therefore, are those who mourn over their sins. They are comforted with the comfort of God’s pardon and peace.

But the beatitude refers also to those who are in sorrow. Blessing never is nearer to us, than when we are in affliction, if we submit ourselves to God in love and trust. Someday we shall understand that we have received our best things from heaven, not in the days of our joy and gladness but in the time of trial and affliction. Tears are lenses through which our eyes see more deeply into heaven and look more clearly upon God’s face than in any other way. Sorrow cleanses our hearts of earthliness, and fertilizes our lives. We grow the best when clouds hang over us, because clouds bear rain and rain refreshes. Then God’s comfort is such a rich blessed experience, that it is well worthwhile to endure any sorrow in order to receive it.

The third beatitude is for the meek. Meekness is not a popular quality. The world calls it a cowardly spirit, which leads a man to remain quiet under insult, to endure wrong without resentment, to be treated unkindly and then to give kindness in return. Men of the world say that the disposition of meekness is unmanly, that it shows weakness, cowardice, a lack of strength. So it might be if we looked to the world for our ideal of manhood. But we have a truer, a diviner example for our model of manliness, than any that this world has set up. Jesus Christ is the only perfect man who ever lived in this world, and when we turn to His life we see that meekness was one of the most marked qualities of His character. He was gentle of disposition, never provoked, patient under wrong, silent under reproach. When He was reviled, He reviled not again. When He suffered, He threatened not. Possessing all power, He never lifted a finger to avenge a personal injury. He answered with tender love, all men’s wrath, and on His cross, when the blood was flowing from His wounds He prayed for His murderers. Meekness is then no cowardly spirit, since in Christ it shone so luminously. Then it is not an impoverishing virtue but an enriching grace. The meek shall inherit the earth.

The fourth beatitude is for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. This, strangely, is a beatitude for dissatisfaction. We know that peace is promised to the Christian, and peace is calm repose and satisfied restfulness. The words hunger and thirst appear to suggest experiences incompatible with rest and peace. But when we think more deeply we see that spiritual hunger must form a part of all true Christian experience. Hunger is mark of health. It is so in physical life; the loss of appetite indicates disease. So a healthy mind is a hungry one; when one becomes satisfied with one’s attainments, one ceases to learn. In spiritual life, too, hunger is health. If we become satisfied with our condition of faith, love, obedience and consecration, we are in an unhappy condition. There is not growth after that. Often invalids die amid plenty, die of starvation; not because they can get no food but because they have no appetite. There are many professing Christians who are starving their souls in the midst of spiritual provision, because they have no hunger. There is nothing for which we should pray more earnestly, than for spiritual longing and desire.

The fifth beatitude is for the merciful. Cruelty is opposed to everything Divine and heavenly. All that is unloving is condemned in the Scriptures. Blessing cannot come to the resentful, the unforgiving, the vindictive, to those who have no sympathy with distress, no hand to help human need. In our Lord’s picture of the last judgment, in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew, those on the right hand are those who have been kind, gentle, patient, thoughtful, ministering to suffering and need. Jesus Himself set an example of mercifulness. His miracles were for the relief of those who were suffering.

We must note in this beatitude also, that we receive in life what we give the merciful shall obtain mercy. The unmerciful shall find the gates closed upon them, when they cry for help. A boy stood before a perpendicular crag, and when he began to shout he heard the echo of his own voice. When he spoke gently, a gentle voice responded. When he spoke angrily ; he was answered back in angry tones. It is so in life. Those who show kindness to others, receive kindness in return. Those who are bitter, selfish and cruel find this a loveless world to live in.

The sixth beatitude is for the pure in heart. There is no beatitude for anything unholy. There is no room with God for anything that defiles. If we would enter heaven, we must prepare for heaven here. To a child who expressed a wonder how he could get up to heaven, because it was so far away a wise mother’s reply was, “Heaven must first come down to you; heaven must first come into your heart.” Heaven must really be in us before we can enter heaven. Just was we become pure in heart, are we made ready for the heavenly life.

But what is heart purity? It is not sinlessness, for none are sinless. A pure heart must be a penitent heart, one that has been forgiven by Christ, cleansed by His grace. It is one also that is kept pure by obedient living, and close communion with Christ. An essential part of true religion before God is, to keep one’s self unspotted from the world. It is an evil world in which we live but if we carefully follow our Master, doing His will, keeping our hearts ever open to the influences of the Holy Spirit, we shall be kept, Divinely kept, from the corruption about us. As the lily grows up pure and unstained amid the soiled waters of the bog so does the lowly, loving, and patient heart of a Christian, remain pure in the midst of all this world’s evil.

The seventh beatitude is for the peacemakers. Too many people are not peacemakers. Some people seem to delight in finding differences between neighbors or friends which they try not to heal but to widen. Christ’s beatitude is for those who seek always to make peace. When we find two people in danger of being estranged by some misunderstanding, we should seek to get them together and prevent their falling apart. If we would be true peacemakers, we must never be quarrelsome or easily offended. Paul says that love is not easily provoked, that is, it does not take account of little or great hurts but is patient and forbearing (see 1 Corinthians 13). It is a great thing to be a peacemaker. Of the peacemakers it is said, “They shall be called sons of God.”

The eighth beatitude is for those who are “ persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” Some people avoid persecution by conforming to the world, by being very careful never to offend the world. But Christ wants us to be loyal and true to Him, whatever the cost may be. Blessing comes upon those who suffer persecution for Christ’s sake. Paul spoke of the wounds and scars he had received in persecution, as marks of Jesus, honorable decorations. We must notice, however, that is it when we are persecuted for righteousness sake that we get this beatitude. Sometimes people suffer for being ill-natured, but the blessing cannot be claimed in this case. It is when we do the will of God and suffer for it that we can claim the Divine blessing.

We are commanded to rejoice and be exceeding glad when called to suffer reproach and injury for Christ’s sake. It is not easy to do this, although many Christians have actually rejoiced in pain and trial, so strong was their faith. Ignatius, on his way to Rome to be thrown to wild beasts, wrote exultantly, “Now I am beginning to be a disciple!”

In two striking figures Jesus showed His disciples what they were to be in the world, how they were to bless it by the influence of their lives. “You are the salt of the earth.” You are, by living your new life in the world to preserve it from rotting. This seemed a strange thing to say that day to a little handful of fishermen but these men and their successors have done just that for the world through the centuries. We know what salt is and what its influence is. We are to be the salt of the earth, not merely in the words we speak but especially in the influence of our lives. We must take heed therefore that the salt we are does not lose its savor, its power to bless. We must make sure that the world is purified, sweetened and made better in every way by our living in it.

The People God Blesses

27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman with the people there called out to him, “Blessings from God belong to the woman who gave birth to you and fed you!”

28 But Jesus said, “The people who hear the teaching of God and obey it—they are the ones who have God’s blessing.”

Some People Doubt Jesus’ Authority

29 The crowd grew larger and larger. Jesus said, “The people who live today are evil. They ask for a miracle as a sign from God. But no miracle will be done to prove anything to them. The only sign will be the miracle that happened to Jonah. 30 Jonah was a sign for those who lived in Nineveh. It is the same with the Son of Man. He will be a sign for the people of this time.

31 “On the judgment day, you people who live now will be compared with the queen of the South, and she will be a witness who shows how guilty you are. Why do I say this? Because she traveled from far, far away to listen to Solomon’s wise teaching. And I tell you that someone greater than Solomon is right here, but you won’t listen!

32 “On the judgment day, you people who live now will also be compared with the people from Nineveh, and they will be witnesses who show how guilty you are. I say this because when Jonah preached to those people, they changed their hearts and lives. And you are listening to someone greater than Jonah, but you refuse to change!

Be a Light for the World