Further Reflections On Blessedness

                 Further Reflections On Being Blessed

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. Matt. 5:1-12

1. Blessedness statements describe the situation, as it is, not something we should necessarily seek, but a situation that declares the future reality of God’s kingdom. These situations do not lay down demands for conversion to; rather they are marks of the church. Scars are signs of a wound, not necessarily a call to get more.

2. The community that hears itself pronounced blessed, does not however remain passive…it acts in accord with the coming kingdom. You don’t have to stay in the position to remain blessed.

3. As eschatological blessings, the beatitudes are not an entrance requirement for outsiders, rather a declaration about insiders, of Gods’ view of them..

4. The truth of beatitude is not independently true but is dependent on the speaker. If the speaker has authority, then what he says is true…though it may be veiled truth…hard for us to understand. Jesus had ultimate authority, He is God and He is the source of all truth.

5. The blessedness is not historical, it is eschatological…. that is, it is related to God’s future. All of these promises---the because parts of these beatitudes refer to God’s future, to His Kingdom, they shall be comforted, inherit the earth, be filled, receive mercy, see God, be called the Sons of God---these are where we are headed.

6. These are not pronouncements about general human virtues. Actually, they appear to be the opposite of common wisdom. They do not describe nine different kinds of people who get to go to heaven, but are declarations about the blessedness, contrary to appearances, of God’s future Kingdom community living in anticipation of God’s reign, of His kingdom, in His Spirit. Peace to all…revdocwelch