By: Dr Steven Parker
For the Kids: Sunday is Mother’s Day. Take a few moments before reading together and say something nice to and about your mom. Pray for her together as a family, because being a mom can be really hard.
Read the passage together:
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “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. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:1-12 (vs. 10)
Pause: Sit for a few moments and glance back over this passage. Re-read the focal verse for this week: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (vs. 10).
For Everyone: Sunday we will be celebrating Mother’s Day and wrapping up our Blessed Life Now series on The Beatitudes. Looking back on these statements of blessing from Jesus, is there anything on this list that surprises, interests, or really speaks to you?
I think it’s particularly interesting how, again and again, Jesus says we’re blessed through circumstances that we wouldn’t think would produce blessing. We don’t think of being poor in spirit as a positive thing, but Jesus says that the beginning of life in His kingdom is understanding that we are flawed and can’t make it without God’s grace. We don’t think of anything good about mourning, but Jesus says that brokenness, especially brokenness over our sin, brings us to a place where we are ready to receive God’s comfort. Meekness tends to get equated with weakness, but Jesus says that we’re ready to inherit the earth when we bring our lives under the humbling, controlling influence of His Spirit. We don’t like to be hungry or thirsty, but Jesus says that we can only be satisfied when we are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. The need for us to show mercy means that someone is in a position to need mercy, which probably means they’ve wronged us in some way, another surprising time to find blessing. Purity of heart means we can see God, but feels a little out of reach for most of us; but, looking back at the blessings of spiritual poverty and mourning reminds us that when we think we’re unworthy to be in God’s presence, we’re probably closer to being pure in heart than when we think we’ve got it all together. The need for peacemakers means that there is conflict and struggle, but even conflict and struggle can be blessed when we bring God’s peace into the mix, because that’s what the family of the Prince of Peace does.
All of that brings us to the final unexpected blessing of The Beatitudes and it’s a doozy. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (vs. 10). When Jesus talks about blessed persecution, he is talking about harassment and suffering inflicted upon others because of their faith in Him and commitment to His kingdom. Jesus was persecuted all the way to the cross and promises more of the same for His followers. But, along with that promise comes the blessing of the kingdom of heaven. Kingdom of heaven is Matthew’s 1st century Jewish way of saying kingdom of God. This is the place Jesus taught us to pray for in the here and now when we pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” After the first and now the last Beatitude, we find this promise of the kingdom of God like bookends showing us that this kingdom life of blessing in the midst of our spiritual poverty, persecution, and everything in between is a promise in the here and now for Jesus’ followers. We can rest in the promise that if we’re going through a tough time for our faith, God sees and will bless us through it with the blessing of His kingdom.
Wonder: What are some examples of persecution followers of Jesus go through today? How can persecution like that be blessed?
Bless: Affirm what everyone has shared. Commit together to pray for persecuted believers throughout the world.
Pray together: Thank God for His blessing and ask him to encourage anyone going through persecution for the sake of righteousness.
Example: Father in heaven, we are grateful for what Jesus endured for us at the cross. Thank you for being with us when life gets tough for followers of Jesus. Help us to stand strong in the face of opposition, living for Your kingdom and righteousness no matter what consequences that might bring in this broken world. Please encourage and strengthen persecuted Christians all over the world today. Help us to find ways to bless these struggling brothers and sisters any way that we can. In Jesus’ name, amen.