5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

He said:

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 children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1-12

Dear God, who is “them”? “He began to teach them.” Was he teaching the crowd or his disciples? Or both? It’s interesting that he sat down. That’s one of the things that makes me wonder who he was addressing. If it was a crowd I would think that he was standing up. I would also think he would have taken a lower spot elevation wise so his voice would project into them and not over them.

For just a moment, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before and think of this as just being for a group of 75 or less. Maybe more than the 12, but less than the crowds.

With that said, these Beatitudes are interesting because he might be teaching the disciples that they should appreciate these people. “If you see someone who is poor or even poor in spirit then you better love and respect them because your father loves and cares for them.”

The first two, poor in spirit and those who mourn, are changeable conditions. Love on those people. But the rest are attitudes of the heart. Meek, hunger for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers. And then we double around and come back to a possible temporary condition of life, persecuted. “If you’re doing these things and persecuted for it then you’re doing the right thing.”

Father, give me a heart to spend time with and live on those who are poor in spirit and mourn. Give me a heart that pursues you in mercy, hungering for righteousness, meek, and striving to make peace. Glorify your name through me. And if I am really living into this well and someone persecutes me for it, may my persecution be a pathway for them or someone else to follow you.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit.

Amen