Across Term 2 we’re looking at the Sermon on the Mount, which begins with a description of the type of person one has to BE, before they can pursue what the sermon tells them to DO. The Beatitudes describe a Christian. But why is such a person ‘blessed’?
To begin with, a Christian is meek (humble) enough to realise they cannot reach the sermon’s ideals; for they are poor in spirit. Yet a Christian knows Jesus has intervened for them, substituting His perfect righteousness for our sinfulness. So while a Christian may mourn (feel guilt) over particular sins; once they repent, they can know those sins are forgiven. As such, the main way Christians are blessed is by no longer being racked with guilt. If a Christian continues to feel guilt over a sin they have repented of, they’re claiming God had NOT shown them mercy.
Yet Christians are also blessed by God’s Spirit transforming them to hunger and thirst for righteousness. While non-Christians scoff at the morals prescribed by this sermon, Christians have a pure heart that longs to follow Jesus’ ways. And the closer the Sermon on the Mount is followed, the more blessed people are.
The glory of this sermon is that it describes a world where people are not nasty (insulting), women are not treated as sex objects (lusted after), marriage is not treated lightly (easy divorce), people keep their word (oaths), vengeance is restrained (turn the other cheek), hostility is de-escalated (love your enemies), the poor are not looked down upon (when you give …), and God is praised rather than manipulated (when you pray …). I cannot wait for this term; for it will show us the path to true blessing.
Brendan McLaughlin
