5/25/19 

Matthew 5:2-12

² And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The first Scriptures I memorized were the 23^rd Psalm and the Beatitudes.  I don’t remember when I did the Psalm, but I do remember when I memorized the Beatitudes.  It was in VBS and I was nine years old.  I can no longer quote them, but they are clear in my memory.

There is another passage that identifies the “Blessed” person with equal precision. That is Psalm 1.  And when I read Matthew 5 my understanding connects these two passages.  You have to go through Psalm 1 to get into the Psalms, and they are all about that “Blessed “person.  So to enter the New Testament you have to go through Matthew 5.  And the New Testament is about that same “Blessed” person.  This person is identified and set apart by his description.

There are two facts to understand:

1.       This person identified is the one who is the concern of the New Testament writers.  He alone is the subject of Christ’s concern, and he alone receives the benefit of His mediation.

2.      This person is described and he alone is blessed, blessed now, and blessed forever.  He alone has the nature and character to be “Blessed.”  The full description in Psalm 1 applies to this New Testament “Blessed” person.  All the promises apply to him.

Remember and rejoice.  “All things work together for good because he and the Church love God.”

Amen!  Come Lord Jesus.