Synoptic Gospels 5: Herald of the Kingdom (4)
Pray Psalm 119.1-4.
Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!
They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.
You have commanded us
To keep Your precepts diligently.Sing Psalm 119.1-4.
(Ode to Joy: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee)
Blessed are they whose way is blameless, all who walk within God’s Law,
who, His testimonies keeping, seek Him, filled with joy and awe.
These are they who, no wrong doing, ever walk within God’s ways.
LORD, Your precepts You command us; we would keep them all our days.
Read Matthew 5.1-12; Luke 6.20-26; meditate on Matthew 5.1-12.
Preparation
1. What does Jesus promise in these verses?
2. How must we respond to reviling and persecution?
Meditation
The Kingdom of God is the context in which the precious and very great promises of God are all realized in Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1.4). As God spoke words of blessing to Abram, Moses, and Israel, here Jesus, as God’s Sent One, speaks words of blessings to all who hear and obey Him.
In the Hebrew language, two words are translated as “bless” and its various cognates. One relates to being in a proper position before God—on our knees, trusting and waiting. The other relates to the condition of happiness or wellbeing that those who are blessed can know. The Greek word for blessed, μακάριοι, makarioi, seems to combine both these ideas.
Jesus stands in the place of God to give entry to the Kingdom, where all the promises and blessings may be finally possessed. We enter the Kingdom through meekness, mourning for our sins, and looking to Jesus for comfort. He holds out the earth to us as His proper domain—having wrested it all from the devil in Matthew 4.1-11—and calls us to seek righteousness and purity for our part of it. Kingdom citizens look to God for mercy and peace, which they, in turn, offer to the world through the work of Jesus.
Our course in this world will be difficult, as not everyone welcomes the Good News of the Kingdom. But we must meet all opposition with rejoicing, looking to the end of our faith, which is to see Jesus face to face, and to dwell forever with Him in thanksgiving and praise, in a place He is even now preparing for us.
The beatitudes offer a concise summary of the Good News of the Kingdom. These are what He holds out to all who rest their trust in Him and walk His righteous path.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Matthew 5.1-12 is set up like the Ten Commandments: our relationship with God first; then our relationship to others. Verses 3-5 speak of the blessings upon us because we are in Christ; and verses 6-11 speak of the blessings experienced as we follow Him.
The passage in Luke 6.20-26 speaks of the same, while stressing the concept of blessings here and now as we work and wait for there and then.
Either way, we are living in the Kingdom of God—here and now and there and then.
These words from Jesus teach us how to make the step from earth to heaven, and from heaven to the new heavens and new earth, hardly noticeable.
“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses,
for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12.9, 10).
“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5.12).
Through it all, He is with us. Here and now.
“For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those who condemn him” (Ps. 109.31).
“Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways” (Ps. 128.1).
“They shall neither hunger nor thirst, neither heat nor sun shall strike them; for He Who has mercy on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them” (Is. 49.10).
Through it all, He will take us to be with Him. There and then.
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
And where I go you know, and the way you know…
I AM the way…” (Jn. 14.1-4, 6).
Really, even the seemingly difficult things can be reasons to glory in Him.
We are in a win, win, win, and win situation.
We just need His eyes to see things the way He sees them.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8.28).
Blessed in the Kingdom now. Blessed in the Kingdom then.
“Blessed be the Name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore!”
“He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
that He may seat him with princes—with the princes of His people” (Ps. 113.2, 7, 8).
Reflection
1. How do you experience the blessings of God throughout the day? Do you thank God for them?
2. God blesses us like this so that we will bless others. What does that look like in your experience?
3. Knowing that God is with you through it all, how much are you prepared to endure to glorify His Name?
None will find happiness in this world or the next, who do not seek it from Christ by the rule of his word. He taught them what was the evil they should abhor, and what the good they should seek and abound in. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Matthew 5.1, 2
Pray Psalm 119.5-8.
Pray for the Lord’s leading today, for every situation or opportunity that may arise. Call on Him to bless you and make you a blessing to those to whom He sends you.
Sing Psalm 119.5-8.
(Ode to Joy: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee)
Let my ways steadfastly keep to all the statutes of Your Word.
Then shall I, no shame enduring, fix my eyes on You, O LORD!
With an upright heart I praise You, in Your rules will I abide.
I will keep Your statutes wholly; keep me ever by Your side!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast takes up the book Understanding the Times to help us in knowing how to live and proclaim the Kingdom. Our twice weekly column, Crosfigell, is well into a series on the life of Brendan the Navigator, one of the great saints of the 6th century. Our ReVision series, “The Kingdom Economy”, features the first three installments this week. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
