The Kingdom of Heaven is the target of Jesus
Christ for us, and it is to such point that the Father and the Son concluded
that to bring "Justice" to the fallen man, to all humanity, there was only one
solution: to die for us. The Son accepted to give His life in our place. This is
the reason why the good Master gives us the keys, the clues that will make us
understand how important it is, not only to enter now, but to remain in the
Kingdom, until the final and perpetual establishment of the new Heavens and new
Earth.
The Beatitudes are part of the keys and clues
to understand the urgency that we must enter, by faith, in the Kingdom of God.
But no only that, once we have entered in the new way of life with the
Spirit of God, we must also have the same urgency to announce it to our
neighbours, to all people around us, because it is the only hope before their
souls are required of them, or the world comes to the end, when Jesus Christ
comes to establish the Kingdom of God.
In two of the gospels
we find two similar lists of these known teachings, called Beatitudes. Two lists
which really have a single source: Jesus of Nazareth, Yahshua. If we study the
gospels of Matthew and Luke, and we take into account the audiences which
they were to reach, we soon understand why the Spirit inspired each of the
authors to include different Beatitudes. These Beatitudes are blessings that we
receive when we believe in the work of Jesus Christ.
Matthew was Jewish,
as it is known, and wrote for Jews; while Luke, a Gentile medical doctor, wrote
for Gentiles, this is, to non Jews, to all other people of all nations and
ethnic groups. When writing for Jews, the Beatitudes that Jesus is teaching are
complete, and inclusive of many Sacred Texts of the Torah. The Old Testament
refers to those who have the characteristics of the sons of the Kingdom, and
for them, Jesus -and Matthew when writing- transcribes faithfully those
teachings that link Jesus Christ with the Sacred Scripture, as proof of the same
source known to the people of Israel, and that Yahshua is the Messiah, the
Prophet, the Rabbi of Israel and the Master to all nations.
Luke, with his
audience in the Gentile nations, who do not know the Hebrew Sacred Scripture,
focuses on four teachings common to all. But let us now see the Texts and their
differences, and then the reason for their importance.
20
And he lifted up
his eyes on his disciples, and said,
Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom
of God. 21Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled.
Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 22Blessed are ye,
when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company,
and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s
sake.
23Rejoice ye in that day, and leap
for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did
their fathers unto the prophets.
24But woe unto you that are rich!
for ye have received your consolation. 25Woe unto you that are full!
for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
26Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did
their fathers to the false prophets.
The first thing we notice is the difference between how the
beginning of the story, when Jesus starts to talk, is described. Matthew writes:
"...and opened His mouth and taught them, saying". Luke only writes: "...and
said". One could say that it is obvious that to speak you must open your mouth.
But that is rational thinking of a Gentile mind. If we go deeper into the
spiritual mind, the mind of Christ, talking to a Jewish traditional
congregation, that is, religious of those times, we then see that to open one's
mouth to talk the heavenly things one must have authority, because they are
powerful words that save souls, not just ordinary language. Therefore, for us to
evangelize on a daily basis we must have prayed and be anointed, as well as having
deep knowledge of the Bible. So let us pray and work, that we can open our
mouths.
Matthew talks about the Kingdom of Heaven, while
Luke talks about the Kingdom of God. Matthew refers to the Jews and their tradition
prohibits to mention or write the name of God, therefore they would use Adonai
"The Lord", and therefore Kingdom of Heaven, instead of Kingdom of God. Luke refers to the
Gentiles, all nations, and there is no tradition not to refer to God, or not to use the
name of God, Yahweh, Jehovah, or YHWH. It is therefore the same Kingdom, of the
Heavens as of God.
Matthew talks about spiritual poverty, as it
is known that a good religious Jew seeks the richness of knowing God. This
includes, to a Jew, not only the poverty of resources, of physical bread, but
poverty of our soul when we do not have a personal relationship with God,
because both, the bread for the flesh and the bread of Heaven he considers
provisions of God. While the Gentile, will firstly feel more connected to a God
that helps the poor, and after, if he believes and goes deeper in the faith, will seek the
richness of the Solid Food of
the Spirit of God.
In this same way, Matthew refers to hunger and thirst of
righteousness, while Luke does to hunger, not specifying. The good
Jew seeks God's justice in his life, while the good Gentile seeks first a God
that provides bread to the hungry. Then if he believes and deepens in the faith, in the
same way he will seek to eat from the Bible to feed his hunger and thirst of God,
the rest of his life.
Matthew talks of comforting those who mourn,
while Luke talks about laughter. Laughter in public does not look right in Torah
tradition, because it is associated to a sinful and loose life, life of pagan
sin, while the Gentiles will interpret it as happiness.
Both Texts coincide in the persecution that we
receive, both Jews and Gentiles, if we are born again and become disciples of
the Messiah, the Christ.
But Matthew includes five Beatitudes more than
Luke, due to his interest in reaching the Jews with his Gospel. These are
especially referred in the Old Testament.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit
the earth (found in Psalm 37:11). The merciful, for they shall obtain mercy,
(one of Yahweh's characteristics for which He is known... Psalm 100:5). The pure
in heart, for they shall see God, (in Psalm 24:4). The peace makers, for they
shall be called children of God, (...Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to
you; not as the world gives do I give to you... John 14:27. Shalom and Jerusalem
"Yerushalayim" are words whose root is peace, the salutation of peace and
plentiful blessing from God, and the city of that peace). And persecuted for
righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (in 1Peter 3:14).
If we realize, the good Jew is closely linked
to these five characteristics of the Law, the Torah. To be meek, merciful, pure
in heart, peace maker, but also, and history gives testimony, persecuted. All
these are characteristics of the Messiah Yeshua.
Jews or Gentiles, we are all called to make
ours the nine Beatitudes, nine like the Menorah of nine arms, which is to be
lightened in the hearts of all of us who love God, and He who is His Word, our
Lord Jesus Christ, His Beloved Son, Yeshua.
Both Texts also coincide at the end in the
final blessing over our rejoicing for the sake of our reward in the Kingdom of
God, if we live the good life of the faith in Christ.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
BEATITUDES
The Beatitudes, as we saw at the beginning, are
teachings which are part of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, of the Kingdom of God. They are key parts to enter
in the Kingdom, and the way out from a world that, being governed by man
influenced by Satan, has been, and is a failure, and on its way to
destruction. The good news or Gospel, is that God has a plan of salvation for
humanity, for those who believe in His Word, and that plan grants us entrance, through faith in the work of His Son on the Cross of Calvary.
Why must we believe in the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross
of Calvary? Because His death is the expiation of our sins, and of the
original sin: our separation from
the Father, not loving God, and not living our life with Him, who has given us
life, our soul, our spirit and existence.
The Beatitudes have provided us with the following guidelines of how must our character and our life be, as disciples of Jesus:
We are blessed when we are poor in spirit; when we mourn; if
we are meek; when we hunger and thirst for righteousness; if we are merciful; if
our heart is pure; if we make peace; if we are persecuted for righteousness
sake; and when for His sake we are reviled and persecuted, and all kinds of evil
is said against us, falsely.
Then, ours is the Kingdom of Heaven; we are comforted; we
inherit the earth; we are filled; we obtain mercy; we see God; we are called
sons of God; ours is the Kingdom of Heaven; and can rejoice and be exceedingly glad,
for great is our reward in Heaven.
Do you believe this? Do you believe you are heir of the
Kingdom of Heaven, now and in eternity?. Are you comforted by God, and call on
Him for it? Are you inheriting the earth, the promised land of the souls of your
neighbor when they receive the Gospel that you are preaching to them and sharing
your life's testimony with God, and that you will inherit the new earth? Do you
receive God's mercy while you are merciful?. Do you see God in your life? Do you
consider yourself a son of God? Do you believe you are heir of the Kingdom
of Heaven? Do you rejoice and are exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in
Heaven?.
For all these rewards do not come through your merits, but
through Christ's on the Cross of Calvary. Receiving them by faith is in your
hands. He gave His life so that you could receive all this blessing. Receive it!
in Yahshua's name, for the glory of God the Father.
But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your
consolation! Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger! Woe to you who laugh
now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well on you,
for so did their fathers to the false prophets!
In times of financial crisis, of poverty, now even in the
first world, with society destroying itself, with youth abandoned by parents,
with no values, ruled by the rich in their comfortable positions, and when many
churches of all denominations are still asleep with respect to the Great
Commission and the Golden Rule, it is when the Beatitudes will make the difference
between the plain believer and the true disciple.
The rich in finances, and in spirit, those who think they
have no need of God, nor from their brethren, or family, feed themselves.
Those who are filled with their own work, life, achievements, must read the
story of Job, for you shall hunger and thirst of God, but to see God you must
come humble and with a pure heart. Those who laugh and enjoy their blessings
without considering those who lack, you shall mourn and weep. The problem is
that those, like the rich in the parable of the Rich and Lazarus, will never
come out of the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, hell, Luke 16:19-31 and
Matthew 25:31-46 because they did not mercy the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, or
in prison. Those who only seek for others to speak good of them in a religiously
and politically correct manner, because they receive the false teaching that
takes them to spiritual death in their social religions, dead to the Spirit. And
this is the teaching of our Master in His Beatitudes.
CONCLUSION
The Beatitudes provide us support and a wake up call not
to fall asleep in our spiritual life. Jesus was praying with Peter and the
apostles. These fell asleep. We have the resources of the teachings of the good
Master, the good and living teachings of the fire of the Spirit, of which the
Beatitudes are part of. If in our daily prayer, every time we seek to see God,
we pray that we may receive the gift of making these teachings part of our
lives, as others, which are virtue
for us in our daily life, they will not let us sleep, nor be barren with regards
to the Kingdom of God, nor will they let us fail from faith. It is in the
Spiritual Disciplines and in treating our brethren that we shall walk in the
straight Way until the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, where our reward is
great.
The love of God, brotherly kindness, the Great Commandment,
the Golden Rule, and the Great Commission, are our mission and our life, they
are the gold,
frankincense and myrrh for our Savior and Lord. When the Bridegroom comes to
take the virgins, those souls who are waiting for Him, with oil made in our
personal Gethsemane of our daily prayer and of a life of effort and faith, He
will find us waiting for Him in good deeds and He will say to us: Come you
blessed of My Father... for... Matthew 25:31-46! Also confirmed in Revelation
7:16-17 ...They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore... ...for the
Lamb who is in the midst of the Throne will shepherd them and lead them to
living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Therefore let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad in the joy of the Lord, and enter
into His rest, in the name of Yahshua. Amen.