What Does It Really Mean to Be Blessed?

The Beatitudes for Today: What Does It Really Mean to Be Blessed?

Posted on by Michele Morin

To live like a Christian, sometimes we have to stand on our heads. A biblical worldview is the polar opposite of the prevailing culture in which straw is treated like gold and everyone can be “right”—even if it’s logically impossible. Author and apologist Stuart McAllister wrote, “Feeling good and looking good have replaced being good and doing good” as the primary value of our era.

Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount refutes the false idea that somehow we can be Christians and citizens of the Kingdom of God in good standing without experiencing life change. He began with a manifesto of blessing, a description of how the citizens of his kingdom would find satisfaction, and we’ve come to call this proclamation “the Beatitudes”:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3-10

Remembering that Jesus was teaching and living within the context of the Roman Empire helps us today to hear how jarring his words would have been to his listeners. Rome conquered and subdued. The people in power were right because they had the power to crush dissenters.

By contrast, Jesus described a condition of blessing—perfect peace, perfect joy, perfect rest—which depends NOT on doing, NOT on possessing, but on BEING. He put character before conduct and sought to correct everyone’s mistaken notions about national greatness. The Beatitudes, then, are not a list of gifts to make people happy, but rather a list of character traits that result in a blessed life.

The Beatitudes are not a list of gifts to make people happy, but rather a list of character traits that result in a blessed life.

The religious elite and the politically powerful in Jesus’s day sang the same melody dominating our 21st-century playlist: “Happy are the rich, noble, successful, macho, glamorous, popular, and aggressive!” Someone once said, “Jesus went into the great display window of life and changed all the price tags.”

And that’s why I started reading my slow way through the Sermon on the Mount this year. I don’t expect to read the last verse of Matthew 7 until sometime in May, but over the next several weeks, what you can expect here in this space is a thoughtful processing of my reading, first in the Beatitudes and then in Jesus’s unpacking of a righteousness that “exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.”

Like you, I struggle sometimes with the counter-cultural calling of the Christian to grow DOWN, to choose the humble path, to agree and be glad that I am governed by God, that I am NOT God, and that my highest good will be found by getting down low and lifting others up.

Praying Together: “Let Your Kingdom Come”

Lord Jesus, we are so prone to forget your rightful rule over our lives as followers of the Way. In a world that values autonomy as its highest good, give us hearts that rejoice over your Lordship. Every beat of our hearts is a gift from you and our lives continue at your pleasure. Give us eyes to see the unseen beauty of a world that rejects self-reliance, self-confidence, and self-determination. Help us to pray “your kingdom come” with courage and to do our part to make it a reality within our small sphere of influence.
Amen

Let’s continue this conversation:

  • Reading through the Beatitudes (above), which one is the most baffling to you?
  • Which metaphor is most helpful to you as you understand Jesus’s heart in the Beatitudes:
    ~a King looking at a disorderly Kingdom?
    ~a Shepherd looking at a flock in great need?

Holding You in the Light,

To live like a Christian, sometimes we have to stand on our heads. A biblical worldview is the polar opposite of the prevailing culture in which straw is treated like gold and everyone can be “right”—even if it’s logically impossible.

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four married sons and a growing fleet of adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

30 thoughts on “The Beatitudes for Today: What Does It Really Mean to Be Blessed?”

  2. Wow, I am a bit overwhelmed. Reading this morning’s T. Austin-Sparks devotional and then Havner, Chambers and Tozer, and then this, I conclude this is not a theme, this is a calling. Apparently those, like you, who have the ability and willingness to speak the tough truths are standing up now. It’s like the sound of thunder on the horizon. I’m profoundly humbled and grateful. The prayers of the saints are not just a sweet aroma at the throne of God, they create a force to be reckoned with.  I’ll be sharing this.

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  3. That Stuart McAllister quote is an eye-opener! (Lord, help me keep focused on being good and doing good–for YOU–because that’s the way to experience true satisfaction and blessedness.) I also appreciate your closing prayer, Michele. With you I want to pray “your kingdom come” with courage and to do my part to make it a reality.  

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  4. There is so much in this post which resonated and blessed me as I read this just now. May we focus on “being good” which will come down to being more like Jesus. I was reading 2 Peter 1 earlier and this came alongside of that reading beautifully. May we let Jesus grow us so that we will be productive and useful to Him and bless those around us. Praying with you > “Help us to pray “your kingdom come” with courage and to do our part to make it a reality within our small sphere of influence.” Amen.

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    1. I could get really overwhelmed and give up if I thought I had to change the whole world, but in the next few hours I’m privileged to be in contact with a few people in my little world. Whose story will I put the spotlight on?

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  5. “Feeling good and looking good have replaced being good and doing good.” What a great summation of our culture. And I love the picture of Jesus changing the price tags!

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  6. “Feeling good and looking good have replaced being good and doing good.” That is so accurate. Yet, the world thinks their views and practices are “good.” How we need to tune our hearts to God’s values.

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  7. Your post identifies what is wrong in our culture. Yes, the beatitudes are about character traits, not gifts for us! My husband and I see this in readings we are doing about humility–the Bible encourages us to be humble, to submit to God. Humility is not a characteristic that is valued today.

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  9. This metaphor really speaks to me: “A Shepherd looking at a flock in great need.” The Beatitudes are fascinating. As is typical of Jesus’s teachings, there is a lot packed into a few words. I love how Jesus saw his disciples—they’re strengths and frailties and hardships—and lovingly encouraged and admonished them to press forward in His grace. And through them, Jesus also spoke to us today. Two thousand years later Jesus is still encouraging his flock.

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