When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:1-9

There are nine who come to mind as blessed, a tenth whom my tongue proclaims:

[1] The man who finds joy in his children, [2] and the one who lives to see the downfall of his enemies.[3] Blessed [is] the man who lives with a sensible woman,[4] and the one who does not plow with an ox and a donkey combined.[5] Blessed [is] the one who does not sin with the tongue[6] And the one who does not serve an inferior.[7] Blessed [is] the one who finds a friend,[8] And the one who speaks to attentive ears.[9] How great is the one who finds wisdom,[10] but none is greater than the one who fears the Lord.

Fear of the Lord surpasses all else. To whom can we compare the one who has it?

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

-------------------------------------------------------------7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Isaiah 61:1 – The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the

afflicted (poor); He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And

freedom to prisoners;

3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Isaiah 61:2-3 - 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified

Psa 37:11 - 11 But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity Psa 24:3-6 - 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his salvation.6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face-- even Jacob.

Isaiah 49:10 - 10 "They will not hunger or thirst, Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; For He who has compassion on them will lead them And will guide them to springs of water.

• Wretched are those who trust in the things of this world and think they have everything they need…they have no ability to take hold of the far greater joy that is available in Jesus.

• Wretched are those who are content with the things of this world and do not long for God to show up in their lives…they will miss his coming.

• Wretched are those who insist on their own way and seek their own justice…whatever they manage to achieve will be all that they have coming.

• Wretched are those who hunger for what the world offers…they will never be satisfied.

• Wretched are those who have no compassion for others…they will get no compassion from God.

• Wretched are those who look good on the outside but who do not have God’s heart…they will not see God.

• Wretched are those who do not protect the weak when it is in their power to do so…they will be called the spineless.

• Wretched are those whose faith is so hidden that it attracts no attention from the world…they will receive no welcome from God.

Some questions for reflection:1. When I ask myself “how am I doing”, what

standards do I tend to use? How do those standards compare to the standards of the beatitudes?

2. When evaluating my life according to the standards put forward in the beatitudes, where do I come out “ok”?

3. When evaluating my life according to the standards put forward in the beatitudes, in what areas do I see the most need for change?