The Sermon on the Mount is a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry on earth. It’s a sermon that has been studied by Christians at various stages of their faith and recently, I dove into studying The Beatitudes. I was mostly intrigued by this preaching from Jesus because of how it displays God’s character and His perspective or outlook towards humanity.
The first thing that stood out to me when I studied Matthew 5:1-12 was how much God cares for those in society who are perceived as being ‘less than’ by societal constructs. He takes these constructs that are seen as unfortunate and spins them into something to be proud of and considered blessed for! Right away, I noticed that accepting the kingdom of heaven is to reject what I’ve been made to believe by societal norms as it pertains to what Jesus said on this mount.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:3 (ESV)
The very first thing Jesus preached in this sermon was how much God cares for those who are low in spirit. Our spirit is known to make up our character, our emotions, and our feelings. Right away, this verse shows us that God cares about our innermost self and further blesses us when we think that no one does. I’m further reminded of this in verses like:
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, will not despise.”
Psalm 51:17 (ESV)
God doesn’t despise a broken and contrite heart which means that He never abandons us in our brokenness, so even if my feelings and emotions tell me otherwise, I can stand on God’s word and trust that I’m blessed. I can stand on God’s word that if my spirit is broken, I have inherited the kingdom of heaven. But, why? Why did Jesus choose to start with a broken spirit to declare the blessings in The Beatitudes?
I believe it’s because without a broken spirit, we can’t have a dependent relationship on our creator as His creation. How can we inherit His wisdom, His guidance, His peace, His love, and everything else if we don’t first realize that He is the source of all of our strength, love, and hope or if we don’t first acknowledge that it is through Him that we can do all things? As Proverbs 1:7 tells us, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and only fools despise His godly wisdom.
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”
Romans 8:6-8 (NIV)
We’re blessed because when we know that who we are and all we have are dependent on Him, we then allow for the fruits of His Holy spirit to be at work in our lives. The fruits of His Spirit guarantee our inheritance of the kingdom of heaven. They sanctify us in His image, therefore bringing us closer to God and His kingdom.
The book of Ruth
An example of this brokenness of spirit is found in the book of Ruth with the story of Naomi.
So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”
Ruth 1:19-20 (ESV)
Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth, returned to the region they had previously left (Bethlehem) due to a famine in the land. At this point of the text, they had both lost everything, including their spouses, so Naomi declared that she no longer wanted to be called Naomi meaning ‘pleasant’ and instead wanted to be called Mara meaning ‘bitter’.
We see in the book of Ruth that even despite their shortcomings and Naomi’s wrong perception of God having abandoned her in her brokenness, He was there all along! Although Naomi felt abandoned by God and thought that God didn’t care, she was feeling the opposite of what was actually true. God remained true to His word of being near to the brokenhearted.
“So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”
Ruth 4:13-15 (ESV)
By the end of the book of Ruth, God not only restored all that these two women had lost, He made them be remembered for generations to come by including Ruth in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
“…and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.”
Matthew 1:5 (ESV)
Naomi’s story serves as another confirmation of the truth of God’s word and comforts me in moments of my life when I’m feeling like Naomi, because if God says it, He will do it. Even if my thoughts and feelings run rampant on a lie, the truth is that no matter what my circumstances look like or how my feelings may sway me, God is always near to me.
“Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.”
Psalm 147:1-5 (NIV)
Sincerely,
Anne
Join me next week for my next dive into The Beatitudes. Here are some verses to meditate on this week:
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”
Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
“Behold, I received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.”
Numbers 23:20 (ESV)
“LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit.
Psalm 30:2-3 (NIV)
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