The Merciful
5:7
The remaining beatitudes deal more with our attitude to other people, whereas the first beatitudes dealt more with our relationship with God.
Mercy includes forgiveness and compassion for those who are suffering or those who are in need even if it is a consequence of their own actions.. Those who show mercy to others will receive mercy from God.
Our ability and desire to show mercy flows from the other characteristics Jesus has mentioned. If we are poor in spirit, recognizing our own spiritual weakness, if we are meek, if we seek to be righteous, we find it easier to be merciful.
For example, how do you treat a church member who has done something bad and is repentant? How do we treat someone who has failed in some area of life? How do we treat someone who is the victim of bad circumstances? How do we treat the poor, the disabled, the sick?
If we are proud of ourselves, or if our image is important to us, we may shun the church member, or criticize them and even those associated with them. The disciples attributed a man’s blindness to sin, either his or his parents. We often have the same attitude. (John 9:2)
For example, when I was a child, my best friend’s father left the family for another woman. Their church shunned them even though it was the father’s sin, not theirs. Parents would not let their kids invite these kids to their house and would not let their kids visit the house of the abandoned kids. I remember my friend showing up at my house crying over it. My friend never got over it.
Jesus also told a story about this. We call it the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man was robbed, beaten, and left for dead. A priest and a Levite crossed the road to avoid the man. But a Samaritan bound the man’s wounds and doctored them. He put him on his own animal and took him to an inn. He paid for the man to stay there and recover. He was the one who showed the man mercy. Jesus said to go and do likewise. (Luke 10:29-37)
We often do not show the mercy our gracious heavenly Father has shown us. We judge, we gossip, we speculate, and we shun. But Jesus said mercy is a trait of those who are in the kingdom.
John Stott wrote: “Nothing moves us to forgive like the wondering knowledge that we have ourselves been forgiven. Nothing proves more clearly that we have been forgiven that our own readiness to forgive.”
The Pure In Heart
5:8
The pure in heart are blessed for they shall see God. The pure in heart are those who are sincere. Their lives are free from falsehood. They are transparent, devoted to God with all of their heart, not just acting like it and observing rituals.
This was part of Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees. They were dedicated to outward observances of law and ritual, but their hearts were not devoted to God. Jesus condemned them, saying:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside, they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (Matthew 23:25)
Only the pure in heart will see God, both now and in eternity. Only the pure in heart can stand the glory of the Holy God.
The Peacemakers
5:9
Christians are to be peace makers. There are two elements to this.
First, we should not be creators of conflict or the cause of it. God has called us to peace. (1 Corinthians 7:15; 1 Peter 3:11) Have you ever known someone who likes to “stir the pot”? One of my places of employment had a woman who did this. She would create situations of conflict, pitting one person against another or the group against one person. It kept the staff in turmoil.
Church members can create conflict with gossip, false accusations and faulty assumptions. These people are not peacemakers, they are peace destroyers.
The second part of peacemaking is seeking the reconciliation of others who are in conflict. This may involve talking to both parties about the reason for the conflict, or leading the parties to sit down and talk about it between themselves.
Jesus was the ultimate peacemaker. He reconciled people to God through his death on the cross. (Romans 5:11; Colossians 1:20) He also made peace between Jews and Gentiles, abolishing the wall of the law to make one man of the two, making peace. (Ephesians 2:15) And Jesus prayed for the unity of the church, that we might be “one” people in agreement with each other as the Son and Father are. (John 17:22)
That is why peacemakers are called sons of God.
Yet, we cannot pursue peace at any cost, peace at the expense of truth. The Ecumenical Movement told us to ignore differences and unite in loving Jesus. But, true doctrine is vital. There can be matters we disagree about without losing unity, but the truth of the gospel is not one of them.
This is not always easy, for it may be difficult to ascertain which doctrines are vital and which are secondary. We see this continually as denominations and churches divide over doctrinal matters. We must stand for truth, but even then, we can do so with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)
The Persecuted
5:10-12
The final blessing involves persecution. This one is different than the others in that there is a longer explanation.
This one also is somewhat foreboding because it presumes persecution will come. He says “when” not “if” you are persecuted. (11)
First, you may be persecuted simply for your faith, because you believe in Jesus for salvation. That may range from intellectual disdain to physical torture and death.
The world is full of people who think Christians are stupid to believe as they do. Social media is full of it. Books and articles are written to proclaim it. You may encounter it in social interactions. Paul explains this for us: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned”. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
Formerly Christian countries including Great Britain and Canada have arrested pastors for preaching Biblical truth.
But physical torture and death also have happened and happen today. It began with the stoning of Stephen. (Acts 7) It continues today as Muslim groups slaughter Christians in places like Nigeria. Government persecution against Christians happens in China, North Korea, and other places.
This is what Jesus means says you are blessed when persecuted for righteousness sake.
Second, you may be reviled and accused falsely, not only for your faith, but for living a moral life according to Biblical standards. You may be accused of thinking you are better than others simply because you will not engage in behaviors they do. Or, you will be accused of being judgmental and unloving.
In all these things, you can rejoice. In the midst of persecution, you know that you are the object of God’s favor and you will be greatly rewarded in heaven. You will be like the Old Testament prophets who were persecuted by their own people.
Jesus ends the blessings the same way he began them, saying you have the kingdom of heaven. Standing firm in the faith in the face of opposition shows you have a place prepared for you with Christ for eternity. And those who suffered for the faith will be rewarded by the Lord.
This ends the Beatitudes. So, it is a good time to reflect on the traits of kingdom citizens and to resolve to live accordingly.
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