Jesus begins this sermon by blessing the people before he delivers the law. This is the same order as at Mt. Sinai when God reminded the people of how he had blessed them before giving them the law. It again shows that Matthew stress the parallels between Jesus and Moses. There may also also be a logical order to the beatitudes themselves. Wesley understood them to reflect the order of salvation with a humble spirit = repentance, followed by the Holy Spirit leading the believer to deeper repentance, filling the heart with love amid the evils of the world.
Be-atitude—from the Latin word for blessing.
“Blessed is” is probably based on an OT formula found mostly in Psalms and Proverbs. The Hebrew word cannot be exactly translated. Some translations use happy or fortunate. But from a consideration of OT texts, it should probably be translated, “how rewarding is the life of” or “to be envied is.” “Congratulations to” is another possible translation. The Welsh translation is a phrase meaning literally “White is their world.”
It is interesting that the original meaning of the Greek word referred to the situation of the gods vs. that of men. The emphasis is probably on the spiritual aspects of life as well as the material ones. Both are somewhat related.
One could point to the OT for a list of what might be called “anti-beatitudes.”
Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that hurry to run to evil,
a lying witness who testifies falsely,
and one who sows discord in a family.
In the Luke 6 version of the beatitudes, each has a curse attached to it (not included in Matthew's account). So I have rearranged the order of the verses to pair up the blessings and curses.
20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
21a Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
25a Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
21b Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
25b Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.”
22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
The negatives help to define the positives. We will revisit them as we look at each individual beatitude.
There are seven (or eight) beatitudes in Revelation also:
1:3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
1:13 Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord... They will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.
16:15 Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed (i.e., prepared for Christ's Second Coming)..
19:9 Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
20:6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection...They will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years.
22:7 Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.
22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.
There is a definite future emphasis to these beatitudes. But what about the blessings in the Sermon on the Mount?
Are these various reversals of fortune for believers in the present or the future? Both are probably included. The first and last of Matthew's beatitudes are in the present tense while the others are in the future tense. Even in the last beatitude, according to some, the last phrase should probably read, “the Kingdom will consist of such as these.” Both present and future aspects to the kingdom are stressed in George Eldon Ladd's book, the aptly named The Presence of the Future.
“Previously the Beatitudes were seen as a vehicle for setting out the virtues ordained by God for man, but now it is quite clear that the various descriptions are merely different aspects of an attitude to the world nearing its close, an attitude of lasting patience and hope. It is not the virtues which are important so much as the promise of salvation conveyed by the 'blessed' at the beginning...of each line.” (Dictionary of New Testament Theology, I, 217)
As well as switches in tense, there is a change to the second person at end of the Beatitudes, preparing for rest of the Sermon, which is more personal. The phrase “Kingdom of heaven” appears in the first and last beatitude to tie the series together. What about Kingdom of God in Luke vs. Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew? Dispensational attempts to distinguish between the two (one a millennial kingdom and the other a heavenly one. But Matthew 5:3 and Luke 6:20 are identical sayings. Matthew steers away from naming God since his Gospel account is aimed more at a Jewish audience.
Let's go back to the seven abominations to the Lord in Proverbs given above. Bruce Waltke: “The types of behavior under consideration have this in common, that they are all disruptive in their tendency, that they are characterized by self-assertiveness or malice or violence, and that they break the bond of confidence and loyalty between man and man.” There is a certain parallel with the beatitudes in that the first abomination (haughty eyes) is the opposite of poor in spirit and the seventh abomination (unleashes dissension) is the opposite of the seventh beatitude (peacemaker).
As another interesting contrast, the Gospel of Thomas (an early Gnostic version of Jesus' teachings) has several beatitudes. How do they differ from authentic beatitudes?
Beatitudes in the Gospel of Thomas
Where the beginning is there will be the end. Blessed is he who shall stand at the beginning, and he shall know the end and he shall not taste death.
Blessed is he who was before he came into being. If you become disciples to me and hear my words, these stones will minister to you
Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you shall find the kingdom because you come from it and you shall go there again.
How would you describe the differences between these teachings and the authentic words of Jesus?
5:3 See parallel in Luke 6:20. What is main difference in the two other than Kingdom of Heaven (vs. God)?
Differences: poor vs. poor in spirit. The phrase “Poor in spirit” has been found in one of the Dead Sea scrolls (in the War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness) but in no other ancient text. Luke's account appears to refer to material poverty and riches, as seen in the corresponding woe. The original Aramaic word for “poor” combined both ideas of material and spiritual poverty. Luke emphasizes the former and Matthew the latter by adding “in spirit.”
A. Several commentators point out that Luke's account can't only refer to material poverty. If so, then we would actually be hurting the poor by trying to help them out since we would be removing their blessing. [More on material poverty in a minute.]
B. It doesn't mean being poor-spirited (i.e., one who lacks enthusiasm for life).
C. It also doesn't refer to one who is poor in the Holy Spirit or in spiritual awareness.
So what does “poor in spirit” mean?
James Boice-- “To be poor in spirit is to recognize one's poverty spiritually before God...it is the opposite of being rich in pride.” DNTT: “Neither passage uses poor in the general social meaning. According to the OT background, the poor in spirit “were those who in affliction have confidence only in God.” The Anchor Bible commentary says, “The poverty described is that of the man fully conscious of the poverty of all human resources, and knowing and needing his desire for God.”
William Albright: There is nothing inherently spiritual about being materially poor. However, “Christianity is never more false to itself when its institutions are wealthy.” This is demonstrated in two of the letters to the churches in the Book of Revelation (2:9 and 3:17).
Parallels in the Epistle of James (which is almost a commentary on the Sermon on the Mount)
1:9-11. Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field.
5:1-4. Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be evidence against you... The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out.
In most OT and NT teachings the materially poor are usually pictured as being the righteous while the materially rich are portrayed as ungodly. So what is wrong with being materially rich? Two main charges against the rich: they have hoarded their money instead of using it for good. And in many cases they got their riches at the expense of the poor. Also they are less likely to feel that they need to rely on God.
5:4 Parallel in Isaiah 61:1-2. This is similar to the Revelation of God wiping away every tear.
FAR TERM – Mourning may be from a variety of causes including a reflection on one's own previous sinfulness and the consequences of the sins of others.
NEAR TERM – Comforting may be in the midst of sorrow or a removal of the cause.
5:5 expands the concept of Psalm 37:10-11, “The meek shall inherit the land.” (Land and earth translate the same word in Hebrew). In its original context, the verse in Psalms probably referred to the people of Israel possessing the Promised Land. The Qumran community felt this applied to them and that after a time of penance “the meek shall delight and prosper on exquisite food.” Verse 10 shows that the meek are the opposite of the wicked. Verses 7-9 of Psalms 37 indicate that the meek wait upon the Lord rather than taking events into their own hands.
Compare 5:5 and 5:10 DNTT: “By putting side by side the promise of the kingdom of heaven and that of inheriting the earth, Jesus indicated that the promised land of the OT is replaced by the all-embracing concept of the kingdom of heaven.”
It has been suggested that the meek of this verse are the same as the poor of Matthew 5:3. Many ancient texts of Matthew actually transpose the order of verses 4 and 5 to make this clearer. “Gentle” is another possible translation instead of meek. In analogy to two Hebrew words translated poor or humble, it has been suggested that poor indicates a condition caused by external conditions (=afflicted) while humble is more an internal state of mind. Another commentator says that poor in spirit is how a person is within himself while humble is in his relationship to God.
F. F. Bruce, “the suggestion being perhaps that the hotheads will wipe out one another and leave the meek in possession” (like the teaching that those who live by the sword will die by the sword).
5:6 Parallels in Isaiah 55:1-3 – The messianic kingdom is described in the OT and NT as a feast.
Compare Luke 5:21. Again, the Matthew parallel stresses the spiritual aspect: (after righteousness) compared to Luke's version. This is in contrast to the Pharisees whose hungering for righteousness by their own efforts made them feel that they had already attained it and did not need God to provide it to them. But, on the other hand, desire for righteousness is not just passively waiting for it, but actively pursuing a righteous life. Ultimately, it is the righteousness of Christ that satisfies us.
In a broader sense, one commentator summarizes this kind of person: “Those who have what the present can offer – satisfaction of their desires for material goods, happiness and a good reputation among men – and do not want anything more: there is no need for them to cry out to God in prayer, for they think they have enough.” Sometimes it is the genuinely “good” people who are the hardest to evangelize.
5:7 There is a later rabbinical saying, “Whoever has pity on people will obtain pity from heaven.” There is also an unwritten traditional saying of Jesus found in Polycarp's letters and in I Clement, “Show mercy and mercy will be shown to you (by God).” Of course, this is similar to the Lord's Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” And also to the parable about the unmerciful servant who refused to forgive a small debt.
5:8 Psalm 24:3-5 parallel. There is a liturgy based on this verse which says, “With their eyes opened, they see God in everything.” We must have a pure enough heart to see him and discern his actions. In Hebraic thought, the heart was the seat of the intellect; it can thus be translated “pure in mind.”
This is not just a blessing on all who feel they have a clear conscience and are sincere in their beliefs, whatever they may be. They must also be those who worship God in spirit and in truth.
5:9 Psalm 34:14 parallel. “Peacemakers” is a rare Greek word usually applied to emperors. It doesn't merely mean one who practices non-retaliation or who is at peace with himself. It is someone who actively promotes peace by overcoming bad with good. Aren't peacemakers usually characterized either as cowards, wimps, soft on crime and terrorism, etc.? But it can't be a peace that is brought about by compromising Gods' principles.
In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is called the Son of God at key points in his life: baptism, temptation, Peter's confession, transfiguration, crucifixion and sending out of the disciples. Some people say we are all God's children. On the other hand, the Jews believed they were uniquely children of God. This beatitude makes it clear that we are only children of God when God calls us his children. It is not something we can do ourselves, and it is by identifying with the Son of God that it can happen.
5:10-12 These three verses constitute one beatitude. There is a similarity to James 1:2-4. In both, suffering from external causes has eschatological benefits, but is not to be sought. There is no precise equation between the amount of suffering and amount of reward. Instead, it expresses the general concept of reversed conditions.
“Falsely” is not found in Luke's account. Matthew spells out the fact that the accusations must be false and that your actions must truly be done in Christ's name. “Let not your good be spoken of as evil.” Persecution may actually come from those inside the church.
What about the Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons who go door-to-door and are reviled and excluded by people (or preachers who publicly burn copies of the Quran, or who announce the world is ending on a particular date)? Will they be rewarded because of the treatment they receive?
These verses serve as a sort of conclusion to the first seven beatitudes showing what will happen in this life to those who are characterized by the first seven attitudes. There is a complete reversal of much of the world's values. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Christians renounce wealth, the world's shallow happiness, self-protection, self-righteousness, their own dignity and honor, their own consciences regarding good and evil (The novel Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a wonderful example of this one), and violence. The result will be rejection and persecution by the world.
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