Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Commentaries
5:1 - 5:12
Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes
The Sermon on the Mount (the first of Jesus’ five key discourses in this Gospel) is the Magna Carta of the new people of God. It should be read alongside Mount Sinai and Moses in the background (Ex 19) to understand the differences and contrasts. The discourse begins with the eight beatitudes that form the new program for the reign of God. They declare: “Blessed are the poor,” because in them the kingdom of God is already present as a gift and grace among us.
Jesus’ words mainly invite us to embrace poverty, suffering, detachment, hunger, and thirst for justice as “beatitudes.” As a result, material poverty becomes “poverty of heart” or trusting openness to the will and providence of the Father; suffering turns into messianic “consolation,” the only way to find meaning in pain and death; detachment becomes possession of the ‘inheritance’ of the earth; and hunger and thirst for justice become “hope” for the radical change that the Good News will bring.
These first four beatitudes might seem to provide an easy and false spiritualization of harsh reality with passive hope for vindication in a future God’s reign. But this is not true. These four are followed by four more beatitudes of action and dedication: commitment to mercy and solidarity; dedication to an honest and pure life; effort for peace and reconciliation; and perseverance in the face of persecution.
Commentaries
Sermon on the Mount: The Beatitudes
The Sermon on the Mount (the first of Jesus’ five key discourses in this Gospel) is the Magna Carta of the new people of God. It should be read alongside Mount Sinai and Moses in the background (Ex 19) to understand the differences and contrasts. The discourse begins with the eight beatitudes that form the new program for the reign of God. They declare: “Blessed are the poor,” because in them the kingdom of God is already present as a gift and grace among us.
Jesus’ words mainly invite us to embrace poverty, suffering, detachment, hunger, and thirst for justice as “beatitudes.” As a result, material poverty becomes “poverty of heart” or trusting openness to the will and providence of the Father; suffering turns into messianic “consolation,” the only way to find meaning in pain and death; detachment becomes possession of the ‘inheritance’ of the earth; and hunger and thirst for justice become “hope” for the radical change that the Good News will bring.
These first four beatitudes might seem to provide an easy and false spiritualization of harsh reality with passive hope for vindication in a future God’s reign. But this is not true. These four are followed by four more beatitudes of action and dedication: commitment to mercy and solidarity; dedication to an honest and pure life; effort for peace and reconciliation; and perseverance in the face of persecution.