The Beatitudes Are Kingdom-Living Promises to Christ Followers
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When I first began actively pursuing Christ, I often felt confused, overwhelmed, and discouraged. I wanted to live in a way that honored Him, but didn’t always know how. I understood He’d given me Scripture to serve as a perfect, comprehensive guide, but while that encouraged me, it also felt heavy. It is a 1,000- to 2,000-page book, after all, depending on your translation and its print size.
I didn’t realize Jesus provided a summary of what it looks like to follow His will in everyday situations. Nor did I realize how to align the priceless blessings one can experience when they align their heart with His. In a three-chapter teaching scholars refer to as the Sermon on the Mount – His kingdom manifesto – the Lord drew a clear distinction between rote religious ritual and soul-deep spirituality, promising rewards to those who authentically pursue Him.
The Poor in Spirit: A Necessary Starting Point
Jesus began His message with these words:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:1).
The New Living Translation states the “poor in spirit” as those who realize their need for God. One could also phrase this as, “Happy are those who recognize their sin and their inability to earn eternal life or build a right relationship with Christ in their own strength and therefore turn to Him for salvation, for they receive precisely what they seek.”
In Luke 18, Jesus told a parable to illustrate this. In it, He described two men who entered the Temple to pray. The first was a religious leader who remained oblivious to the true condition of his heart and believed his ritualistic rule-following made up for whatever hurtful acts he acknowledged. This is what Jesus meant when He accused the Pharisees, the first century religious power players, of cleaning the outside of their cups while leaving the insides filthy.
The other man in Jesus’ story was a tax collector, a profession most first-century Jews despised, in part because they endured extreme financial oppression under Roman rule. They viewed the Romans as their enemies and anyone working for them as traitors. Worse, many tax collectors used their position to steal from their already heavily burdened, and in many cases, impoverished, countrymen. Some even used threats, violence, and torture to extract money their victims likely needed to provide for their families.
In a modern context, the characters in Jesus’ story would be equivalent to a pastor and a prostitute or drug addict kneeling before the church alter. Without a clear understanding of grace and our need for it, one might assume, from outward behavior alone, that God welcomes and celebrates the preacher and turns from the obvious sinner.
In Jesus’ story, this was clearly the Pharisees’ expectation. Speaking to the One who knew every unjust, unkind, and selfish act he’d committed, along with every twisted motivation for seemingly good deeds, the religious leader said:
“God, I thank you that I am not like other people — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get” (Luke 18:11-12).
Do you see the pride and self-deception in his prayer? Sadly, it was his very belief in his morality that kept him from the true righteousness available through God’s Son. But notice what Christ said about the other man:
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner’” (Luke 18:13).
Such a prayer always moves the Lord’s heart toward us, as Jesus made clear in how He concluded the story:
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).
This is what it means to be poor in spirit and to receive the kingdom, which here refers to eternal life and all the blessings connected to it. These blessings include the peace of knowing that God completely absolved them of their sin, of an intimate relationship with the Lord, and all the spiritual gifts (such as divine guidance and strength) that God grants us by grace through faith.
God’s Promise to the Hurting
After highlighting the only route to lasting life, Jesus said:
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).
For this, scholars suggest two different, biblically supported meanings. Some connect this to Jesus’ words in the previous verse, believing that He referred to those who grieve their sin and the world’s. Others believe He meant sorrow in general.
We see evidence for the former in 2 Corinthians 7:8-11. Written by a first century evangelist named Paul, this passage states:
“Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it — I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while — yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.”
If you’re a parent, you’ve probably experienced this. Sometimes one must address a behavior, knowing doing so would cause someone temporary pain. But that has the potential to lead to increased health and joy.
This principle holds true in our spiritual lives as well. It often hurts to acknowledge our faults and sins, but doing so brings beautiful results: instant forgiveness and soul-deep purification (1 John 1:19). This leads us to say, with the psalmist:
“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!” (Psalm 32:1-2).
Whereas hiding our sin tends to create anxiety and shame, confessing it frees us to start each day fresh, knowing we are completely accepted, empowered for transformation, and covered in God’s grace.
Yet, as I consider the defeated state of many of Christ’s listeners, I’m also reminded of the numerous places Scripture speaks of, or alludes to, the Lord’s compassion for the hurting. One of my favorites come from Psalm 147:3, which reads:
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
The Bible tells us that He sees and empathizes with our pain, longs to shower us with His grace, and rises up to show us compassion. This was something Jesus routinely modeled. He touched lepers, when he could’ve easily cleansed them from afar (Matt. 8:1-4). He spoke tenderly to a shamed woman who, prior to healing, experienced ostracization from her people (Matt. 9:20-22). He sought out those others rejected, wept over those who refused the salvation He offered (Luke 19:41-44), and prayed for His executioners (Luke 23:34).
Our Lord doesn’t change. The same God who reached out to broken and beaten down men and women two thousand plus years ago meets us in our pain as well. He speaks words of comfort and strength into our hurting souls. While His presence doesn’t eradicate our hurts, they certainly become easier to bear when we realize we’re not alone.
What’s more, it’s often in our most challenging seasons that our faith and relationship with Christ grows the most. Those difficult periods can also provide a catalyst to increased freedom when God first reveals, then heals, wounds from our past. This, and our deepened connection with Christ, is one of the most precious blessings a human heart can ever receive.
God’s Promise to the Spiritually Disconnected
As I reflect on the numerous hopeful promises recorded in Matthew 5, I’m particularly comforted to know that the Lord won’t abandon me in today’s self-induced mess. While Christ notices my imperfections, stumbling steps forward and, at times, inner contradictions that hinder my progress, He also sees the deepest desires of my heart. He knows how much I long to love Him and others well and provides the holiness I seek.
This is what He meant when He said,
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
An author once suggested, if we long for more of God, this is because He is drawing us to Himself. This makes sense, as Scripture tells us apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, humans live in animosity toward the Lord and His will. Therefore, it is only by His grace that we reach for Him at all.
This is encouraging for when we endure spiritually dry seasons where we feel like God is distant or our spiritual practices feel lifeless. When we land in that place, the very fact that we long to experience increased vitality in our relationship with Christ positions us to receive that which we crave.
Notice, Jesus didn’t say: “Blessed are those with souls on fire for God” or “who feel emotionally charged when they worship.” Instead, He highlighted our hunger, and He promised to satisfy our souls’ deepest craving.
Yet, there are also ways we can actively stoke our spiritual appetites. In a recent Your Daily Bible Verse podcast episode on Matthew 5:6, I shared a truth I’ve witnessed in my life: What we feed tends to grow, and what we starve dies. In other words, regularly pursuing Christ is one of the best ways we can contribute to our spiritual hunger.
For me, this looks like reading my Bible, even when I’d rather watch Instagram reels, and praying even when my words feel uninspired. And trusting, as I do, that God will meet me in that place, because He desires to connect with me even more than I do Him.
I used to find Jesus’ beatitudes defeating based on my inability to consistently adhere to kingdom living. I now see them as life-giving invitations to acknowledge and respond to my need for Him, to receive His care in my pain, and to trust Him to faithfully lead and grow me as His Spirit communes with and ignites mine.
This perspective seems most consistent with His words in Matthew 11:28-29, when He said:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
May we all turn to Him, cast our heaviest concerns on Him, learn from Him, and find rest in incomprehensible love.
Photo credit: Pexels/cottonbro studio
Jennifer Slattery is a writer and speaker who co-hosts the Faith Over Fear podcast and, along with a team of 6, the Your Daily Bible Verse podcast. She’s addressed women’s groups, Bible studies, and taught at writers conferences across the nation. She’s the author of Building a Family and numerous other titles and maintains a devotional blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLou
She’s passionate about helping people experience Christ’s freedom in all areas of their lives. Visit her online to learn more about her speaking or to book her for your next women’s event, and sign up for her free quarterly newsletter HERE and make sure to connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and GodTube.