Epiphany 4 (A)- Matthew 5:1-12- Blessedness

The section of the Sermon on the Mount read today, Matthew 5:1-12, is known as the Beatitudes. These have been comforting words for generations of believers, but they are also very serious words. They talk about blessedness or true happiness. Some modern translations use the word “happy” here, but the meaning is deeper than we often mean by the word “happy.”  The traditional translation “blessed” is much more suitable and also appropriate for the Jewish context.  Our Lord isn’t just talking about being in a good mood or having a celebration. He is pointing to spiritual conditions or attitudes that reflect blessedness and deep joy before God.

The Beatitudes are the introduction to the whole Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew. Jesus presents the good news or Gospel of blessing and joy the discussion of God’s Law and its high expectations. In this way, our Lord stresses grace before He speaks of obligation. His followers begin by being rooted in awareness and trust in God’s goodness. This awareness, this trust, is necessary if their moral and spiritual pursuits are to be meaningful.

These nine beatitudes or declarations of blessedness in our text are deep and meaningful for all Christian faith and life. They apply to the basic attitudes and behavior of those who wish to follow Jesus. And they are not attainable by mere human effort or merit. They are divine gifts that depend upon divine grace.

Briefly, let us concentrate on one Beatitude, the first one. Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This first blessing is the beginning, the spiritual basis for all that follows. It is the basic disposition needed for all the other blessings to be received. What is this disposition? What does it mean to be “poor in spirit”? Being poor in spirit means recognizing that spiritually and morally we all have great need for God and His grace.

The poor in spirit are blessed by God reaching out to them, calling them, teaching them, and granting them the right disposition. In other words, being blessed this way starts with the grace of God. In the natural state, human beings do not want to be poor in spirit. Even quiet, humble, and sincere people tend to be afflicted with spiritual pride. We all like to think that we are better than we are. Even when we human beings are modest in our words or actions, we often have some false pride lurking in our hearts and minds.

So to become poor in spirit, we depend upon God the Holy Spirit touching our hearts and minds. We depend upon divine grace reaching out and starting to change our attitudes and dispositions. The first blessing is that God opens us up to faithful acceptance of His mercy and transforming power. Being poor in spirit is itself a gift of God that prepares us for His kingdom.