Prayer Request
From KK Allen “So, BCISD is officially back on high alert. Local businesses received our sixth threat against the students in four weeks. Please keep those prayers coming!”
This is also the school system that Jay Johnson’s son Dillon is in so we have a double connection to Bay City. Please keep them in your prayers.
Scripture
Matthew 5:1-12 (ESV)
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
[2] And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
[3] "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[4] "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
[5] "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
[6] "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
[7] "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
[8] "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
[9] "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
[10] "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[11] "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
This passage from the Gospel of Matthew is known commonly as The Beatitudes. They are fondly heard , and treasured as words of comfort to the afflicted and distressed. But like many popular passages in Scripture, they need to be placed in the context of their original hearers, and then brought into the world we live in for their full impact. Matthew is not precise about whether Jesus is speaking to the Disciples or the crowd gathered to hear him. But we know Matthew wrote his Gospel for early Christians, so we can assume the Disciples were the primary audience.
We also know Matthew wrote his Gospel from the point of view that “God is with us!” The people were hearing the son of the living God speak to them these gracious words, but they were words of the future—of the end time when the Kingdom would be fully present. These words of Jesus do not describe the way things are, but the way they will be. The Beatitudes are not statements about morality; rather, they are ethical principles that describe how things will be reversed in the Kingdom. Those who mourn will be comforted, those who thirst for righteousness will be filled, the merciful will also receive mercy, and so on.
Questions to Reflect Upon
1. What are some ways people typically try to find happiness or fulfillment in life?
2. How does it pay in the present to walk with God?
3. What do you think it means to be poor in spirit?
4. How would a person behave if he or she were hungering and thirsting after righteousness?
5. What are some examples of showing mercy?
6. How does society’s list of admirable virtues compare and contrast with these kingdom virtues?
