We’ve spent the last couple weeks examining characteristics of royal peoples as they apply to Christians, a people who are unique in that they too are royalty but of a kingdom that is not yet manifest in our world. I can’t think of a better place to start learning about becoming Heavenly Kingdom royalty than to understand The Beatitudes. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is one of the most familiar passages in the New Testament. The passage contains what is commonly called “the Beatitudes”. The beatitudes are remarkable in their clarity of meaning, and yet are often completely misunderstood.

For instance, the first word of each is “Blessed”. Many of us hear the term and we think of a saint who, at times, we can almost make the halo out around their head and who in pictures has an other-worldly glow and are usually wearing a martyr’s countenance. They may even walk around with hands folded in front of them. We think of someone who is pious and, often, too heavenly minded to be any earthly good. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The word “blessed” used here is the Greek word  and used not to evoke piety, but jubilation! It can mean “spiritually satisfied” or “Spiritually prosperous”. It is congratulatory in nature. Jesus is saying “You! Yes you! Rejoice because you are spiritually prosperous!” The sermon is almost a cheer. Imagine Jesus is cheering you on.

So the first truth people often miss is the meaning of “blessed”, and the second truth frequently missed when reading this sermon is that the beatitudes are instructive. As children of God, as citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we are the “blessed” Jesus describes. Jesus is encouraging us to be even more poor in spirit; even more mournful, meek, and merciful; to have an even greater thirst for righteousness and even more pure in heart; to be ever more both peacemaker and persecuted. Why do we pursue these attributes, these characteristics? Because the blessings of the kingdom follow!

The third truth about the beatitudes is often the only one people see right off — but for the wrong reason: the beatitudes are largely impersonal. Throughout Jesus uses the third person. “Blessed are (fill in the blank) for theirs is…” We hear about these blessed people and that they are meek and merciful and they are everything else that we are not. This makes us feel isolated from the blessings, causing us to believe the blessings are not for us. As if the blessings were far off, belonging to those “saints” whom we would never compare ourselves to.

This is the opposite of what Jesus intended. He used the third person not to isolate a privileged few, but to include the whole family of God! Prepare for a challenging series ahead.