Blessed are . . .

Matthew 5: 1-12

January 30, 2005

Pastor Currie Burris

“Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven . . . Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” Jesus begins his teaching ministry in the Gospel of Matthew with these immortal words. The Beatitudes, as these teachings from Jesus are called, begin the most powerful summary of Jesus teachings, The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus looks out at the crowds who have gathered to hear his voice and gives his blessing. “Blessed are those who are meek for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.”

But exactly what does “blessed” mean? The word used for “blessed” in the original Greek is “makarios.” In ordinary usage it means “fortunate” “happy” or “well off.” Some translations of the New Testament have followed this sense and rendered the Beatitudes with the word “happy.” You may have read it in some of your Bibles: “Happy are the poor in Spirit . . . Happy are the meek . . . Happy are the peacemakers.” This translation leads however to a strange and discordant sense of Jesus’ meaning. “Happy are those who mourn . . . Happy are those who are reviled and persecuted.” Whatever we say about how each of these stand in God’s eyes, it is absurd to say that they are happy. They are not happy, at least as we normally understand it.

No, the deeper meaning of Jesus’ words is the one used in religious settings. To offer “makarios” is to say that one has been visited with God’s favor. A “makarios,” a “blessing” is an action. It is something given. It is the conference of favor or the passing on of inheritance. In the books of the Hebrew Bible, a blessing is a special gift of approval or presence. You remember the story of Isaac and his sons Esau and Jacob. Jacob sought to take the place of his older brother in his father’s favor. He disguised himself as his hairy, ruddy brother and went to his now blind father and asked for his blessing. Isaac reached out, touched and actually laid hands on this disguised usurper. Believing him to be Esau, gave him his blessing. Then he said, “May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness — an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you.” (Genesis 27: 28-29)

The blessing was not just a description of who he was; it was the gift of praise and transformation. Jacob arose from the blessing more than he was before. His father named his future. The blessing made him new again.

Last Friday, members of SSPC gathered at Synagogue Tikvat Israel for the final sharing session of what we had learned and discovered in the six-week dialogue sessions between our two congregations. We shared a meal in the fellowship hall of the synagogue and the meal included prayers and songs. One of the prayers we offered was an invitation for the parents present to “bless” their children. At that point, all the children present, wherever they were in the room, found their parents and stood before them. At my table Rabbi Gorin’s son, Yoni, came over to his father and bowed his head. The rabbi placed both hands on his son’s head (Yoni being taller than his father made this interesting) and then Howard offered a prayer of blessing on his son. It was a gift of love, a gift of approval, a gift of grace of a father to a child. Yoni rose affirmed, loved, raised up – in a word, blessed.

Jesus gave his blessing to those lifted up in the beatitudes. The poor, the hungry, the mourners, the merciful, the pure in heart, all bow before him. He lays his hands on them and prays, “Blessed are you for yours is the kingdom of God.” The Beatitudes are not a list of expectations, a list of moral behaviors, a list of things we are to be and do. These are impossible for anyone to attain. The Beatitudes are God’s gift, God’s touch, God’s affirmation of the community of Faith, all those who live the way of God in the world.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says, blessed are the poor. Matthew’s version of Jesus’ words adds “in spirit.” Both are true. Both speak to those who live without puffed up pride, without vainglory. Blessed are those who depend not on their own abilities or possessions, their own strength, but those who live in radical dependence upon God. God is our help; God is strength; God is our life. The kingdom of God is marked by this radical dependence upon God.

Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Loss is a reality for all of us. We all have lost someone or something precious and dear to us. God knows that kind of loss as well. God promises to be with us when we grieve, to be with us when we hurt, to be with us when death comes near.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for what is right and what is good. Those who hunger for the ways of God will be filled with the presence of God.

Blessed are those who are merciful. Grace and mercy are the heart of God. Those who live like God live, receive the same from God.

Blessed are those who are pure in heart. This is perhaps rarest of the markers of blessed life. It doesn’t happen permanently. It doesn’t last a lifetime. Purity of heart may come only briefly, but when it does, it is a gift from God. But that moment of pure devotion and love for God is a window to God, a shining light, and a glorious glimpse of the holy.

Blessed are the peacemakers—those whose spirit grieves war and violence, hatred and discord, and who work to end conflict, to bring reconciliation. Those who confront the sources of war, attack it at its root, and bring hands together across the chasms of distrust and hatred. These are the peacemakers; theirs of the kingdom of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing what is right, those who are despised and insulted, and have all manner of evil things said about you for the sake of God. Rejoice and be glad. The light of heaven shines on you. God is with you and you will be with God forever.

Jesus raises his hands before you. Lays hands upon your head. Blessed are you. Loved are you. Cherished are you. Lifted up are you. Touched by God are you. Bearers of the kingdom, residents of a holy land, blessed are you.