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a) The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12)
MATTHEW 5:4
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Psalm 126:5; Revelation 7:17)
The second ring of the bell of God’s love concerns those who mourn. Christ says full of compassion for them, “Do not weep, for a new era has begun. I overcame through my sacrificial death all reasons for distress and sorrow. The Spirit of God will come upon you and comfort you. This Holy Spirit is your peace and your hope” (Ephesians 1:14). The sorrow of your heart, no matter how big, is overcome by the joy and comfort of heaven. Christ gives certain hope to our sorrowful world; so rejoice, thank and be glad at His great salvation. Our songs and hymns of thankfulness and praise will overcome the deepest sorrow. Wait for the near coming of the Lord, as then He will fulfill our glorious hope. God will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 7:17; 21:4; Isaiah 25:8).
The happiness of heaven consists in being perfectly and eternally comforted. The joy of our Lord is “a fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). It will be doubly sweet to those who have been prepared for it by a “godly sorrow.” Heaven will be a heaven indeed to those who suffer on earth. It will be a harvest of joy, the return of a “seed-time of tears” (Psalm 126:5-6); a mountain of joy, to which our way lies through a vale of tears (Psalm 30:5).
MATTHEW 5:5
5 Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 11:29; Psalm 37:29)
The meek rest in peace. They surrender and submit themselves to God, to His word and to His rod; they follow His directions and comply with His designs. They are gentle towards men and bear provocation without being inflamed by it. They are either silent, or return a soft answer; and who can show their displeasure when there is occasion for it, without resorting to any unbecoming behavior. They can be cool when others are hot and in their patience keep possession of their own souls, when they can scarcely keep possession of any thing else. They are the meek, who are seldom and with difficulty provoked, but quickly and easily pacified. They would rather forgive twenty injuries than revenge one, having the rule of their own spirits.
These meek ones are really blessed, even in this world. They are happy, for they follow Jesus who says, “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). They imitate Christ who is Lord of His anger, and in whom fury is not. They are blessed and happy, for they have the most comfortable, undisturbed enjoyment of their Lord. They are fit for any relationship, any condition and any company – fit to live and fit to die.
But the powerful, leaders, rich and proud will mourn when Christ comes again. They will become desperate for they do not recognize the basic principles of the law of God and break it. They will be subjected to severe punishment and loss. The meek Christ will inherit the earth together with all those that have accepted Him and changed their nature from violence into meekness.
QUESTION:
- Why will the meek and not the powerful inherit the earth?