Matthew 5:1-12…the Beatitudes
Aaron asked me to write this post after I opened my mouth and told him that I looked up what beatitude means. According to what I was able to find, beatitude is from the Latin beatitudo which means blessedness. This section of Matthew is named “The Beatitudes” because in Latin each verse begins with “beati” (blessing in Latin). http://noshadow.cnc.net/matthew/05.shtml
Basically, in these verses, Jesus is describing to his disciples what awaits them in the kingdom of Heaven if they live a Godly life. Many of the verses that I have heard over the years, such as “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” reside in the Beatitudes.
I find comfort in these passages. To me, reading these verses feels like a refill of my soul. At the end of the day, when I’m tired and just don’t feel like I have the energy to be strong in my faith, I can read these verses and find strength. It’s like being picked up off the floor by the LORD and reminded that there are better things waiting beyond this life. And not that I have a bad life. On the contrary, I have an amazing husband and three precious sons and I get to work in my calling every day. But there are days, and there have been plenty of them in the past year, where it just feels like too much effort to stand up for myself as a Christian. Reading these verses is such a reminder to me that it’s not about the momentary embarassment or tension that I would endure at saying “hey, I’m a Christian and that offends me”. It’s about taking the time out to do so, and reaping rewards far greater than I can fathom in a place beyond this one.
11″Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
March 28th, 2007 at 8:21 am
I think Jesus may have been alluding to John the Baptist in verse 12 “for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” This is just after John was imprisoned, and might even be after he was beheaded.