Blessing at the beginning
From the very beginning of the Bible we see God pronouncing blessing over people, which proves that He wants us to live in a good place. He wants good for us!
“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” – Gen 1:28
This initial blessing from God was focused on material, physical things — earthly growth, influence and wealth.
“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” – Gen 12:1-3
Before Israel entered the Promised Land, God also commanded that certain proclamations be made on two mountains facing each other. On one of them, a blessing was pronounced in case of Israel’s obedience (on Mount Gerizim, the tribes who blessed the people were: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin). On the other, a curse was pronounced in case of disobedience (on Mount Ebal, the tribes who cursed were: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali. Deut 27:11-13). God was announcing how our obedience to Him and to His Word would affect our lives!
What is a blessing?
A blessing (according to the dictionary) is:
- In Christianity: the rite of entrusting someone or something to divine care (may “something” or “someone” bless us)
- Favor, goodwill, prosperity (which we already have)
The word “blessed” is a translation of the Greek “makarios,” which meant: being happy, endowed with every kind of success, fully satisfied. So the word “blessed” was interchangeable with “happy.”
The Greeks called the island of Cyprus “makaria,” believing it to be so beautiful, rich and fertile that nowhere else could a person experience greater happiness. The island had a friendly climate, beautiful flowers, trees and wonderful fruit. It was thought that everything needed for a fulfilled life could be found there.
The word “Makarios” therefore spoke of happiness, fulfillment in life, and success.
Today, many people (especially Christians) also equate blessing with material and financial success — with every kind of earthly prosperity. Sometimes they even pursue that place at any cost. But is that exactly what Jesus had in mind when He pronounced His eight beatitudes to ordinary, simple people?
The Eight Blessings of this World
This world is set up in a way that is entirely opposite to what Jesus speaks about. Take a look at eight blessings according to this worldly approach:
- Happy are the rich in spirit and body, for the whole World is theirs.
- Happy are those who don’t grieve but are cheerful, because they don’t need to be comforted — since being sad or needing support is seen as weakness and a defect.
- Happy are those who party loudly and boisterously. They have the most to say and are the most important. They rule over others. So that they may stand out, be known and be liked.
- Happy are those who trample over everyone to reach their goal and have no mercy on the weak.
- Happy are those whose heart is free from conscience and who care about nothing but themselves. They can wallow in every kind of filth without limits, bringing trouble along the way.
- Happy are those who live dishonestly and unjustly, because everyone else does too.
- Happy are those who go along with the current of this world and are ashamed to admit they believe in God, so that they won’t later be persecuted or have to hear accusations and bad things said about themselves and about God.
In the world’s value system: wealth, joy, and self-satisfaction matter, so that one may stand out, be known and be liked. Outward religious deeds and charity are only an attempt to silence one’s conscience. What doesn’t count: mercy, helping others, inner purity of heart, acknowledging Jesus, and living in line with what He says. We could list traits such as these:
- Lust for riches, which blinds and makes it impossible to see God
- Life lived for show, which brings unrest
- The letter of the Law, which numbs the conscience and turns the heart to stone
- False righteousness, which hates and kills
In many respects, the way this world operates could be likened to how Christians themselves sometimes behave! There’s a lot that could be said about it, but what, then, was Jesus writing about, and what did He mean when He spoke His eight blessings?
The Eight Blessings of the Spirit and the Heart
Just as the tribes of Israel once pronounced blessings and curses on two mountains, Jesus too pronounces His blessings — and warnings — on a mountain. This parallel is no accident! To learn about the eight blessings Jesus pronounced, we need to look at two passages of Scripture found in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew.
“Blessed (happy) are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake! Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Matt 5:3-12
“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:
Blessed be ye poor (1): for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are ye that hunger now (4): for ye shall be filled.
Blessed are ye that weep now (2): for ye shall laugh.
Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you (7-8), 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. Rejoice 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.
But woe unto you that are rich (re.1)! for ye have received your consolation.
Woe unto you that are full (re.4)! for ye shall hunger.
Woe unto you that laugh now (re.2)! for ye shall mourn and weep.
Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you (re.7-8)! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
Luke 6:20-26
Luke does not refer to virtues or behaviors, but to situations. Luke also gives “curses” in the form of the phrase “woe to you.” Matthew, on the other hand, mainly frames the blessing around religious attitudes. Let’s start, though, with what the number eight means in the Bible.
The number eight in the Bible
The number 7 signifies blessing in the Bible — so why are there 8 blessings? The number 8 represented a new beginning, the start of a new stage in life.
- Children were to be circumcised on the 8th day, that is, given over into God’s hands:
“And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.”
Gen 17:12
- God created for 7 days, and the 8th is the beginning of a new week
- God saved 8 people from the flood, so that they could begin a new life!
“When once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”
1 Pet 3:20
So the number eight speaks of the fact that this was the beginning of something new, which Jesus wanted to launch on earth. A new stage, a new era, a new covenant — this time made not with an ordinary man, but between God and Jesus, who became man. He became our Savior and our Lord. He began His Kingdom and His reign here on earth. Its first stage is bringing us into the realm of the Spirit!
The Beatitudes complete the 10 Commandments with the attitudes of our heart!
The Law applied to the body and to outward rules of conduct, but said nothing about the attitudes within our heart, or about our Spirit! The eight blessings solved this problem.
“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (because you lived and received in the Spirit, and not in the flesh)
Matt 16:17
The blessings are not commandments, but the positive results of the fulfilled commandments, lived out through life in the SPIRIT. While the commandments (the Mosaic Law given at Sinai) point the way toward the Promised Land, the eight blessings are a description of “future goods” with which Israel is to be endowed while living in the Promised Land. The Law always contained a condition tied to outward acts (e.g. if you do what the Covenant commands, if you listen to the voice of the Lord, etc.), but it did not appeal to the inner attitude of heart and spirit (lowliness, humility, righteousness, etc.) the way Jesus does.
Jesus lists, above all, spiritual goods rather than material ones, as in the Mosaic blessings. They relate to God Himself: seeing Him, receiving the dignity of a child of God, inheriting the kingdom of heaven.
So if Jesus, right at the start of His public ministry, proclaims blessings entirely different from those of Moses, we can undoubtedly expect that they relate to an entirely different kind of covenant than the Sinai Covenant. There, the goal was to lead Israel to the Promised Land; here, the Promised Land clearly becomes the person of Jesus Himself, who, in the blessings He pronounces, seems to be speaking about Himself. There, it was about gathering an abundant harvest of crops and living in undisturbed security; here, it’s about the fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22-23) and the messianic peace that the world cannot give. Only afterward do we learn, in the Gospel, what this New Covenant is and how it was made.
The prophets, too, emphasized the inner attitude of the heart that earns God’s reward:
“Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
Jer 17:5-8
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”
The wise men of the Bible spoke likewise:
“The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.”
Prov 3:33-35
Jesus, for His part, leaves us with a commandment:
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
John 13:34
The Lord Jesus, however, was not speaking only about what is within us, but also about what is within us manifesting itself outwardly! This can be illustrated in the following table:
| INNER ATTITUDE -> bearing fruit | INNER ATTITUDE -> bearing fruit |
| Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven | Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God |
| Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth | Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God |
| Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted | Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy |
| Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled | Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven |
The central blessing, toward which all the others move, is the desire for righteousness.
Those who experience the first part of the blessing (poverty, mourning, meekness, hunger for righteousness, mercy, peacemaking, and persecution) will also experience the second part of the blessing (the kingdom of heaven, comfort, inheriting the earth, being filled, obtaining mercy, seeing God, being called children of God, possessing the kingdom of heaven). The blessed have a share in salvation, have entered the kingdom of God, and are experiencing a foretaste of heaven.
The blessings describe the ideal disciple of Christ and his reward, both in the present and in the future. The person Jesus describes here has an entirely different character and lifestyle than those who don’t belong to the kingdom.
The central blessing is then completed further on in the sermon, where Jesus makes clear that inner hunger and thirst for righteousness necessarily brings with it a readiness to endure persecution for its sake, just as all the prophets did before Him:
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 5:10-12
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
1 – Poverty of spirit, which makes the heart pure
Poor – in Greek “ptochos.” In Greek there are two concepts relating to poverty:
- Penes – describing a person who must work for a living. The Greeks also called such a person “autodiakonos,” meaning: a person who works to support himself.
- Ptochos – the word used in the passage of God’s Word being discussed here. It denoted absolute, extreme poverty. This word comes from the root “ptossein” — to crouch down to the ground, to cower. It thus signifies the kind of poverty that could be considered rock bottom. The concept of “penes” spoke of a person who has nothing beyond a real need, while “ptochos” describes a person who has absolutely nothing at all.
Poor in spirit describes someone who, regardless of their “wealth in the flesh,” always pays attention to staying hungry for God. Always feeling a spiritual want!
Christ came for the poor. In the Gospel of Luke we read:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor“
Luke 4:18-19
The world proclaims fulfillment and happiness through independence. God proclaims happiness through dependence on Him, in a close relationship between man and his Creator. Even someone poor, possessing no means of survival at all, can be proud in spirit, complaining and judgmental, blaming the world for his own misery.
To be poor in spirit means to adopt an attitude of heart that renounces the spirit of this world — the spirit of possession, of strength, of significance, of human competence and influence.
To understand this pairing, we must realize that for the Hebrews, “spirit” and “heart” did not have exactly the same meaning as they do for us today. The heart is the center of every person, where the most important decisions for that person are made; the spirit, meanwhile, is a person’s capacity to communicate with God. The spirit is thus sometimes used in Holy Scripture as a synonym for the heart, since connection with God, the ability to listen to His voice and respond to that voice, belong to the essence of human nature and are the hidden source of all of a person’s other actions.
A poor spirit is one that no other human riches — whatever they may be, not only material but even spiritual — are able to hinder from listening to God’s voice and doing His will. A poor person always feels, before God, like a beggar. In this way he comes into possession of the promised Kingdom. God becomes our only wealth.
2 – Gentle meekness, which brings peace
The key to understanding this pairing is a passage from the psalm:
“But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
Ps 37:11
It should be noted here that the Hebrew text uses the word anawim, which literally means the wretched, the weak and the lowly, those who do not raise their voice. The Greek translation, called the Septuagint, uses the word praeis, which is precisely the word we find in the blessing about the meek. The context suggests, then, that this is not so much about quiet people, but about humble ones. The Lord Jesus also says of Himself, “I am meek [Gr. praos] and lowly in heart” (cf. Matt 11:29), as though He treated these two terms as similar.
In biblical language, humility is not a synonym for self-abasement, but rather the correct recognition of one’s own worth. It’s true that before the Creator we are all dust and ashes, grass that flourishes today and withers tomorrow (cf. 1 Pet 1:24). Yet at the same time we are called to become adopted children of God Himself, to become His sons and daughters! And so we must fall neither into excessive self-abasement, nor into proud self-exaltation; as humble people, we should instead see ourselves as we truly are — and this is precisely what brings the peace we long for into our lives.
True humility is accepting EVERYTHING the Bible says about us!
A proud person must make up for his shortcomings and flaws by hysterically proving to himself and to others that he is as great and wonderful as God Himself, thereby making an idol of himself. And a person who despises himself must constantly draw others’ attention so they will pity him, comfort him, and give him what he lacks. Both of them, then, must be loud: one in order to boast before others, the other in order to draw attention through his own misery. Only the humble person is truly meek — someone who doesn’t need to dazzle anyone, either with his ermine robes or with his rags. He knows he is a son of the Lord of lords and King of kings, inheriting all His goods. He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone, or convince anyone of anything. He only needs to prepare well to take possession of his inheritance. Such an inner disposition always radiates God’s peace onto himself and onto those around him.
3 – Saving sorrow, which brings mercy
The Lord Jesus is certainly not speaking here of gloomy, depression-prone weepers who cry over the smallest thing and worry themselves sick. The Greek term penthountes essentially means not so much “those who weep” or “those who grieve,” but rather “those who lament.” The same word is used in the context of Abraham’s lament after Sarah’s death (cf. Gen 23:2), and of Jacob’s lament on hearing of the supposed death of his son Joseph (cf. Gen 37:34).
But over what, and for what purpose, should someone who wants to be happy lament? St. Paul can help us answer this question — he once wrote a very sharp letter to the believers in Corinth, explaining himself this way:
“For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
2 Cor 7:8-10
Paul’s aim was for the letter’s recipients to be deeply moved by the wrongdoing of one of their brothers in the faith, to admonish him, and, in doing so, to change their own conduct as well. The purpose of the letter was not to instill fear of punishment and force obedience, but to shake consciences toward repentance. The kind of sorrow that leads to helpless anger and self-torment is not good; but the kind that provokes lament over one’s present situation and leads to a changed life is.
A disciple of Jesus is someone able to lament over his own falls, because he knows these are the falls of the old self, from whom he has already been set free:
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Rom 8:2
The old self is dead in the Christian, because it has been replaced by a new self, received at baptism:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
2 Cor 5:17
That is why the proper attitude toward the old self and its deeds is precisely a lament like the lament over the dead — a lament that does not, however, lead to depression or cowardly flight, but to repentance. Someone who is able to weep this way over his own falls and those of others experiences God’s mercy in the form of the forgiveness of sins. He himself also gradually becomes more and more merciful toward his neighbors, especially those who have wronged him, and asks the Lord for mercy on the world. His sorrow is soothed by God’s comfort, which comes through the work of the new creation of man and of the world.
Hunger for righteousness, stronger than persecution
The fact that at the center of the blessings we find righteousness, and not love, may come as a great surprise to us. Righteousness brings to mind the restoration of legal order, the essence of which is the punishment of the guilty, compensation for the wronged, and reward for the deserving — and that surely is not the essence of our bond with God!
Yet in biblical language “righteousness” is not limited merely to fulfilling the requirements of the Law (that is, the “letter” of the Covenant), but is an expression of conformity to the will of God. “Righteous” (Heb. tsadiq) means as much as “holy,” and not just “one who renders just judgments” or even “one who acts in accordance with the commandments, so that nothing can be held against him.” The righteousness of God, on the other hand, means that He is faithful to what He once established in the order of creation, and to His promises, which foretell what He intends to create.
So the phrase “hungering and thirsting for righteousness” does not mean someone ready to hunt down every possible criminal, put them on trial and punish them, but rather someone who, in his life, rests on God’s order and God’s promises, and looks forward to their fulfillment even against his own good sense. And what is that promise, if not admitting man to the very life of God? This is precisely what, in biblical language, is called “God’s righteousness.” That is why the biblical Sage says:
“To know you is complete righteousness; to know your power is the root of immortality.”
Wis 15:3
And this promise, given by Him Himself, is eternal life. (1 John 2:25)
It’s also clear that anyone who trustingly awaits the fulfillment of so great a promise in his life is ready to endure a great deal to see it come to pass. In particular, he is ready to bear every kind of persecution, including the loss of his life. This is already visible in the Old Testament.
Martyrdom is the ultimate testimony that, apart from the promises of God’s righteousness, a human being simply ceases to be human: it is better to lose one’s life than to live at odds with God’s promises and commandments, whose fulfillment is necessary for those promises to come to pass. This also explains the paradoxical statement Jesus made in a somewhat different context:
“Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”
Matt 10:39
May God keep us from the “spirit” of this world, which tries to draw us in and enchant us with “its world.” The Kingdom of God is not of this world! It is spiritual, just as God Himself is Spirit! Let us defend God’s values at all costs. Let us hold on to an attitude of humility and lowliness, one that is always thirsty for God. Let us abide in His grace and not in our own strength. Let us strive to be poor in spirit, so that we may be found among those who need God’s grace and help.
