The Chosen Path of the Beatitudes
In possibly the most powerful sermon ever given, Jesus addressed the common people on the mountainside. His declarations in what we now call the Sermon on the Mount were so compelling and unique; the people must have been awestruck. Jesus stood in stark contrast to the corrupt, self-serving leadership of the day: a leadership that was actually driving people away from God. The existing religious system of the day had degenerated into a system built on individual accomplishments and it ignored the true condition of the heart. The outward attention to behavioral detail only served to mask an inner depravity of the soul. This is not so different from many people and churches today.
Contrary to the teaching of his day, Jesus taught that salvation was not something to be earned by outward good behavior. In fact, so that there would not be any confusion whatsoever, Jesus set forth the startling truth “that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). This staggering declaration showed that salvation was not to be found in our achievements, but oddly enough, it begins with the recognition of our failures. The people who longed for personal righteousness, and who were burdened concerning their guilt when they found themselves not measuring up to the standards of the Pharisees, could now come to a Savior who promised deliverance.
The beatitudes present us with a progression towards a deeper relationship with the Lord, and they also paint a series of pictures that can represent our current spiritual condition at any one moment in time. Jesus begins with the radical claim that the people who are “poor in spirit” are actually “blessed” (Matthew 5:3). How right He was. This is the first crucial step in the chosen path of the beatitudes. Without it, we will simply be striving under our own power, trying to please God in ways that He did not prescribe. Having realized our sinfulness (being “poor in spirit”) we can then “mourn” for our inadequacies before a holy God. This mourning creates a “meek” spirit where we realize our utter dependence upon the Lord. God then gives us a “hunger and thirst for righteousness” that can only be divinely inspired. With His empowerment we can be “merciful” because we ourselves now understand how we have been fully embraced by God’s mercy. Finally we are “pure in heart” and we can fulfill our duties as “peacemakers” to a world that desperately needs to find the peace of God. The path of the Beatitudes is prescribed for all by God, but must be chosen by each individual. God does not coerce; He calls. And the journey He calls us to is certainly one worth taking. Honest seekers of truth pack up your gear; we’re leaving with Jesus down the path of the Beatitudes.