From Cursed to Blessed

Blessed are the… (Matthew 5:3)

The first portion of the Sermon on the Mount is known as the Beatitudes, which means “The Blessings.” In the Beatitudes, Jesus sets forth both the nature and the aspirations of citizens of His kingdom. His disciples have and are learning the kind of character Jesus described.

Jesus began these famous words by simply saying, Blessed are. He promised blessing to His disciples, promising first that the poor in spirit are blessed. The idea behind the ancient Greek word for blessed is happy, but happiness in the truest, godly sense of the word, not in our modern sense of merely being comfortable or entertained at the moment.

This same word for blessed is applied to God in 1 Timothy 1:11: according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God. William Barclay said that this word “describes that joy which has its secret within itself, that joy which is serene and untouchable, and self-contained, that joy which is completely independent of all the chances and changes of life.”

I think everyone wants that kind of happiness. Jesus spoke of something that goes beyond an adrenaline jolt or being entertained out of boredom. The Beatitudes describe a life that is truly blessed, a happiness that can’t be changed by political turmoil, economic news, or personal tragedy. It is a sense of life-fulfillment that comes from right relationship to God and others, not from power or things.

Jesus knows a lot about this kind of blessedness. In Matthew 25:34, Jesus said that on the Day of Judgment He would say to His people, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. On that day, Jesus will judge between the blessed and the cursed. We can also say that no one was ever blessed more than Jesus was; He knows what goes into a blessed life.

We also notice that Jesus said, Blessed are (present tense) and not blessed will be (future tense). Jesus described a deep happiness that can be enjoyed now as well as later. We can be sure that it is for later; but it is also for now.

Have you ever noticed that last words of the Old Testament? The last idea of the Old Testament is that of a curse. It’s right there in Malachi 4:6: Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. It is wonderful to also notice that the first word of this opening sermon of the ministry of Jesus is Blessed.

Sin has cursed the earth. It has cursed the people, the ecosystem, the politics, and the economy. Even the thoughts and dreams people have upon this earth are, in some ways, touched by the curse. Yet if we will listen, Jesus shows us a better way – a blessed way. He shows us how to live as citizens of His kingdom, instead of citizens of this cursed earth. It’s time for us to listen, to obey, and to be blessed.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 5