Matthew 5:1-12
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds,
he went up on a mountainside and sat down.
His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you
and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Reading the Beatitudes can feel like a to-do list of how to be a better Christian. In reality it is something entirely different. It’s kind of like Jesus’ list of how we are doing in our walk as a disciple. It reveals where we need to work if we are to further reflect God’s kingdom in our own life.
Jesus seems to say that the people who are at the end of their rope, the ones who are grieving, and the ones who don’t have all the power are the ones who are actually “blessed.” In our world, we’re taught to hide our “poverty of spirit” and act like we’ve got it all figured out. But Jesus starts His most famous talk by basically saying, “I see you in the mess, and that’s exactly where My Kingdom starts.”
Something to think about this week:
Where are you trying to act “strong” or “together” in a way that’s actually keeping you from God’s grace? What if the “gap” in your life right now—that thing that feels like a weakness—is actually the exact spot where God is moving in to meet you?
This week don’t try to “look” strong and “together”, instead reveal what is really going on inside and allow your Father in heaven to bring peace to the place you need it the most.
Note from the Pastoral Prayer and Care team:
A pastor or member of the Pastoral Prayer team will be available on Wednesday and Saturday mornings at ICEL Connect from 9-12am or upon appointment on other days. This is an effort we have been praying about to make pastoral care more available to our church family and we will begin next week. For those of you who are new, ICEL Connect is located at Naamsestraat 106 in the center of Leuven.
Have a great week!
Blessings,
Eric Casteel
Pastor