Are These Really Blessings?

Posted 4 Comments by Joseph

Matthew 5:2 “And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,”

Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”

Jesus Christ delivered many memorable sermons in the Bible, but there is perhaps no more better known sermon than his “sermon on the mount” often referred to as “the Beatitudes”.

Of course, everything Jesus Christ said has equal weight and value, and we have to take all he said, because we all are guilty of picking and choosing the parts of him we like.

But the two verses quoted above are the very first two things that Jesus said as he began his sermon by pronouncing 9 blessings.

And we can all quote these, and they recite well and sound nice, but have we actually thought about what Jesus is saying, and really how “counter intuitive” these blessings might seem!?

How could there be a blessing in being “poor in spirit”? How could there be a blessing in “mourning”?

Like if you look up mourning, it means “grief” and “sorrow”. Who wants that? I don’t. How is that blessed?

If you look up “poor” in spirit… “poor” means “destitute”… how could being absolutely bankrupt and destitute spiritually be the beginning and a necessity to God blessing on my life?

And if you go to the final blessing of Jesus, it’s a blessing regarding being persecuted, reviled, falsely spoken evil of. Who on earth would choose that?

So these are some pretty strange blessings if you think about it, at least strange to my/our thinking, and it perhaps shows that we all might not have the “Christianity” that is according to Jesus Christ himself.

Our idea of having God’s blessing on our lives can be health, happiness, money, good job, friends, social life, sporting success and so on… and there’s nothing wrong with these things in and of themselves in their place…

But God’s blessings are very different and come a very different way.
If you fast forward to the end of this famous sermon, you’ll read that “the people were astonished at his doctrine”… because what Jesus had taught was mind blowing and unheard of… beginning with this.

It’s scary sometimes how far off my Christianity can be from what Jesus taught, and may we all submit our Christianity entirely to the authority and doctrine of Jesus Christ himself.

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Hi, my name is Joseph Zadow. I am a 33 y/o Bible Blogger from Adelaide, South Australia. God’s word is the best thing that we can be given, and once we have it and know it for ourselves it is both a privilege and responsibility to share it with others! We are blessed to be a blessing! I am a sinner (for sure!) saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And it’s Jesus Christ’s faith far more than my own! Because he is faithful. I believe the Bible is the word of God, and by God’s grace I anchor my soul to it. My destination is heaven. As they say, this world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through… although most of the time I feel more like I’m hangin’ by a thread in Jericho! I love playing sports, I currently work on an orchard and one of my main hobbies/interests is growing vegetables. I love writing. I’m always happy to talk, so feel free to leave a comment on my blog or through email! My blog is inspired by Isaiah 2, and Isaiah’s vision of the last days when all nations will flow unto the Lord’s house, in a future time where everyone will love to hear God’s word and walk in light of Lord. And it is my hope that my blog will “strengthen the brethren” and “feed my sheep” as Jesus told Peter. Whether you visit once or regularly, I hope my blog is of some benefit to you on your journey of life! It’s a long journey, but with Christ you will make it to the other side. You can read more about me and my blog here – kjvbibletruth.com/about :)

4 Comments Leave a comment ›

    • Yeah I think that comes from people that take dispensationalism beyond what the Bible is actually saying

      Of course we have to rightly divide the Bible, and that could be true, but what Jesus taught clearly relates to us, and the same people saying that are happy to pick other parts from this sermon like knowing a tree by its fruits, narrow vs broad way and building house upon the rock etc

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      • Yeah I do understand that mate. That’s why I don’t load my bullock on a ship each year headed for Jerusalem to offer at the tabernacle for my sin and seek out the prophet there for a word from God while Im there!

        Might sound a little sarcastic but it’s not intended that way! But of course I understand that, but I don’t agree with just chopping up the gospels as to Jews in some future time period when there is no reason to here.

        Jesus taught right after this that we are the salt and light of the earth… is that to Christians or not you reckon? Should we shine the light of Christ in us before men?

        They’re good principles for kingdom living, and the kingdom of God is within us… so of course these truths apply to us. Please take this the right way, I’m not looking for a fight or whatever, I do thank you for reading and your comments very much friend

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