I have no doubt that you are familiar with this text; it is one of the most often quoted in Scripture. No doubt you’ve studied it in studies, classes and sermons many times, but have you ever considered who is the one who is not blessed? In this final lesson on forgiveness, let’s take a look at this “other side” of the Beatitudes and see where forgiveness is and where unforgiveness is. After that, let’s examine a question about forgiveness: Might God expect us to forgive because it is better for us and our own well-being than not forgiving would be?
Before we jump in, let’s all be on the same page about the term “blessed”. The Greek word rendered “blessed” in the English is makareos which means “happy.” So, where the text says “Blessed are…” it means “Happy are…” in common English.
5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
For a person to be called “poor in spirit” they must be humble, loving, and gentle. Those who are not poor in spirit would include those who are proud, boastful, and arrogant. If you think about it, being proud and arrogant requires a great deal of effort. You must always be right, you must always meet a challenge head-on, and you can never endure an insult or slight.
5:4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
People who mourn are capable of forming relationships. They love other people and can allow themselves to grieve their loss when those people are gone, but someone who does not mourn has no such relationships. They have set themselves apart from loving human interactions and cannot mourn for they do not feel warmth. These must be lonely and miserable people.
5:5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
The meek are very much like the poor in spirit. They are gentle and humble and they do not strive for fame and fortune, they don’t need to be the center of attention enforcing their will on other people. Yet those who are not meek must do all of these things. Imagine the burden they must carry! At a social guttering, they feel the pressure to impress, to entertain, and to know all. They can never let their guard down, lest someone should outshine them. If someone were to wrong them, what you would get is drama that lasts weeks if not months.
5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled with it, but what about those who don’t? They will not find righteousness, they will not find God’s way nor will they receive mercy. Once again, they have cut themselves off from that which is right, pure, and good and do not follow God’s ways. What a miserable lot they have chosen for themselves!
5:7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
The merciful show mercy to others; they forgive those who wrong them, but those who are not merciful hold grudges. They can’t bring themselves to forgive even a small slight, for they are much too self-important for that. Try to imagine the load they force themselves to bear in holding on to their anger, resentment, and pain as they struggle through life. Imagine the pressure and energy it would take to exact revenge for anyone who might offend them.
Take a moment or two to consider what we’ve seen so far… and I’ll see you next time, when we will wrap this up.
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