Just flipping over to see how long this chapter is (yes, hahaha), it seems to have lots to offer! Which is a little daunting because I'm going to tackle it all at once since I'm already behind schedule.
So the title given to this chapter is "The Beatitudes". Not knowing what that meant, I googled it and found this on Wikipedia
In Christianity, the Beatitudes are a set of teachings by Jesus that appear in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful.[1][2][3]
The teachings are expressed as eight blessings in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Four similar blessings appear in the Sermon on the Plain in Luke and are followed by four woes that mirror the blessings.[4]
Each Beatitude consists of two phrases: the condition and the result. In almost all cases the phrases used are familiar from an Old Testament context, but in the sermon Jesus elevates them to new teachings.[5]
Together, the Beatitudes present a new set of Christian ideals that focus on love and humility rather than force and exaction; they echo the highest ideals of the teachings of Jesus on mercy, spirituality and compassion.[5][4]
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatitudes>That would refer to v3-12 (Jesus teaches the crowds and his disciples)
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
but v11-12 is really encouraging. Again, like the Colossians 3 link from the previous chapter, we are living for our heavenly inheritance, and living a life for God here on this earth. The beatitudes gives us hope and motivation to have these qualities so that we will be rewarded by God.
Then, the familiar passage from v13-16 about salt and light.
"...But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."
One, to be salty and full of this faithfulness for God. To make God our number 1 purpose in life and be a 100% committed to him, just like how the role of salt is to be salty. If this purpose in life is lost, we will be over-ridden by the ways of the world.*
*I looked this part up in the study bible notes, and this is what it has to offer
Salt - for flavouring and preserving
"loses its saltiness" - Salt in Israel came from the Dead Sea and was full of impurities which would cause it to lose it's flavour.
So if we are ridden by sin how are we to be useful for preserving the kingdom of God.
15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Two, to be a shining light for God. As we often say, let God's light shine through us. Not just to see how good a person we are, but also for the purpose of glorifying God.
v17-20 Jesus says that he had come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. None of that Law will disappear until "everything is accomplished" and "until heaven and earth disappear". He instructs the crowd to abide by and teach the commandments "and will be called great in the kingdom of heaven". He also says that our righteousness has to surpass that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.
What is righteousness? To be just and following the ways of God. <http://www.2001translation.com/Righteousness.html>
Jesus gives pretty specific teachings about murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, and eye for an eye and to love our enemies.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus really encourages and spurs us on to behave differently from pagans and tax collectors. He wants us to take the extra step - to love our enemies too and strive to be as perfect (or sinless) as we can be; to be like God.
A/P - There's a lot to take in for this chapter, pray that I can take on these attitudes that Jesus teaches and approach the people in my life with it.
Pray that my friend will be able to come to youth this saturday.
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