What Are the Beatitudes and Why Do They Matter?
Everyone wants to know the secret to true happiness, but Jesus surprised everyone with his answer to this secret in the famous “Beatitudes”. But what are the Beatitudes and why are they important for Christians? This powerful teaching in Matthew 5 turns common expectations upside down and reveals a deeper kind of blessing. Rather than offering quick fixes or surface-level advice, Jesus pointed to a way of life that challenged people and invited them into something far greater. These were not the words that many were expecting when they came to hear the Sermon on the Mount.
An Unexpected Lesson
Picture this. A super popular, charismatic (although sometimes controversial) speaker has invited you to a special event where he will be presenting the keys to happiness! Others who have heard him have said his words have changed their lives completely. And he invited you to hear him!
You make the trip and settle in with a crowd of thousands. You sit on the edge of your seat anxiously awaiting the keys to life! Will he tell you which stocks to buy? The perfect place to live? Where to find the fountain of youth?
“You’ll be poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hungry, need to extend mercy when the culprit doesn’t deserve it. I’m telling you to be pure in heart and peacemakers for every argument. But the best gift comes when you’re persecuted because of me.”
Wait. What? That doesn’t sound like the keys to happiness. Why would anyone follow a leader who asks you to take a back seat to everyone else, over and over? Yet, that is what Jesus said on the hillside when the multitudes came to hear Him.
Let’s dig a little into what Jesus was really talking about.
So…What Are the Beatitudes?
Matthew records this sermon in chapter 5, starting at verse 3 and continuing to verse 12. Each verse in the KJV begins with “Blessed is.” This is Jesus pointing to lifestyle choices that we can make to be blessed, to walk in favor with him, and to find real joy.
The Challenges
The phrases after each “blessed” are real life challenges that will come to everyone at some point:
Sometimes we are poor in spirit, meaning that we are at the end of our resources, without any idea of the next step to take.
Other times we will mourn the loss of someone we have loved.
Pride will look like a deserved reward, but Jesus asks us to be meek.
To be hungry and thirsty for his path for our life may require some decisions that will look out of place to others.
We will have opportunities to show mercy when vengeance seems logical and just.
In a world full of sin, Jesus asks us to keep our heart pure.
When anger rises in us, Jesus tells us make peace.
The Rewards
However, his promises in return for choosing his ways are amazing. The Passion Translation breaks Mathew 5 down into common language:
“What happiness comes to you when you feel your spiritual poverty! For yours is the realm of heaven’s kingdom.
“What delight comes to you when you wait upon the Lord! For you will find what you long for.
“What blessing comes to you when gentleness lives in you! For you will inherit the earth.
“How enriched you are when you crave righteousness! For you will be satisfied.
“How blessed you are when you demonstrate tender mercy! For tender mercy will be demonstrated to you.
“What bliss you experience when your heart is pure! For then your eyes will open to see more and more of God.
“How joyful you are when you make peace! For then you will be recognized as a true child of God.
Notice that each of these blessings comes after we have made the choice to control our attitude. Many of these blessings have immediate benefits — others will be kind to us, show us mercy, and we will see God more clearly. Other promises are eternal in nature — inheriting the earth and the kingdom of God.
The final two beatitudes amp up both the cost and the reward:
“How enriched you are when persecuted for doing what is right! For then you experience the realm of heaven’s kingdom.
How blessed you are when people insult and persecute you and speak all kinds of cruel lies about you because of your love for me! So leap for joy — since your heavenly reward is great. For you are being rejected the same way the prophets were before you.”
Why Are the Beatitudes Important Today?
In modern America it’s hard to imagine being persecuted for following Jesus. Yet, we know that some followers of Christ have (and are currently) experiencing severe consequences for choosing to follow Jesus. Loss of life, reputation, families, home, and health have been given up since the first followers of Jesus. But make no mistake — their reward is equal to the challenge.
The reality of The Beatitudes is that when we decide to apply the principals of the Lord’s kingdom to our lives, it does not guarantee a life of ease that’s free of problems. Rather, it’s a plan that provides a promise of riches that can’t be explained.
Jesus calls these riches “blessings.” We know that whatever problems we are faced with, when we choose to respond like Jesus, we are rewarded with unseen, spiritual benefits.
Hidden in these verses really is the secret to life and happiness — presented by someone who is richer than any billionaire.
Choose Jesus. Seek and follow him and be blessed beyond measure!