Examining Beatitudes

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Hello;

Much of our material for this topic is located in a section of the so-called Sermon On
The Mount (Matt 5:1-7:29). There's also a so-called Sermon On The Plain too (Luke
6:17-7:49) but it doesn't contain a complete list.

When I was a growing boy, the church I attended typically recited the beatitudes at
the end of services; but with no accompanying explanations. As a result, they
meant nothing to me in a personal way. It was just more rote drilled into my head
like everything else I was taught back in those days.

I discovered later on that the beatitudes are not something to be admired; no,
they're something to be feared because according to Christ's testimony, as an
expert witness in all matters pertaining to piety; failure to exemplify the beatitudes
will result in disaster.

● Matt 7:26-27 . . Everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on
them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house; and it collapsed and was completely
ruined.

Buen Camino
Pleasant Journey
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● Matt 5:3 . . Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

That's a fairly easy beatitude to analyze because it's taken from the Old Testament.

"But on this one will I look: on him who is of a poor and contrite spirit, and who
trembles at My word." (Isa 66:2)

People poor in spirit per the first beatitude, are just the opposite of folks infected
with conceit and a superiority complex. Instead of looking down on others, the poor
in spirit accept everyone as equals at the very least; and better yet as superiors.
(cf. Rom 12:16 & Phil 2:3) When it comes to knowing one's place; they assume the
lowest place instead of assuming one higher up the food chain.

Folks poor in spirit don't presume to approach God on their own terms; nor do they
take Him for granted; no, they approach Him with hat in hand: as a serf approaches
a monarch. In other words: they don't complain about The Lord's directions;
instead, they go along with them.

People poor in spirit would never think of standing up to God and asserting their
independence; no, that's the attitude of a rich man, a powerful man, rather than
one that's been humbled by poverty and want.

It's almost beyond belief how some people react to God. In my lifetime I've met
more than I care to who regard The Lord as a rival, an opponent. When people like
that finally appear before Him in judgment; I seriously doubt they'll be inclined to
kneel or bow and talk to Him in soft respectful tones.

No: they will be indignant, assertive, loud, confrontational, insulted, and furious;
and they will argue vehemently, pointing out where it is actually He who is the one
in the wrong. At that time they will no doubt insist, as they do even now, that the
Bible's God has no clue about the meanings of peace, love, and understanding. And
of course they'll accuse Him of product liability for deliberately creating a species of
intelligent creatures with the capability to go bad and do terrible things.

When those kinds of people are brought up out of Hades to face justice at the Great
White Throne event per Rev 20:11-15, I suspect they will be shackled in body
chains and escorted by angelic corrections officers to prevent them from lunging at
the man appointed by God to pass judgment on their behavior.

● John 5:22 . . Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment
to the Son

● Acts 17:31 . . God has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in
righteousness through a man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all
by raising him from the dead.
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● Matt 5:4 . . Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

The Greek word translated "blessed" doesn't necessarily indicate the hand of God;
it just simply means fortunate, viz: possessing something worth having, e.g. a high
IQ, good looks, noble birth, lots of friends, the ability to read and write, courage,
beauty, etc.

The Greek word translated "mourn" means to grieve, i.e. sorrow; which can be the
result of something lost and/or something wished for that's nigh unto impossible to
attain, viz: the impossible dream.

The difference between ordinary mourners and fortunate mourners is that the
fortunate ones take the initiative to share their grief with God, and look to Him for
relief.

"Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend
unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise" (Ps 55:1-2)

Matt 5:4 is underwritten by a passage in the Old Testament that says:

"The spirit of The Lord God is upon me, because The Lord has anointed me; He has
sent me as a herald of joy to the humble, to bind up the wounded of heart, to
proclaim release to the captives, liberation to the imprisoned; to proclaim a year of
The Lord's favor and a day of vindication by our God; to comfort all who mourn-- to
provide for the mourners in Zion --to give them a turban instead of ashes, the
festive ointment instead of mourning, a garment of splendor instead of a drooping
spirit." (Isa 61:1-3)

According to Luke 4:16-21, Jesus claimed that passage pertained specifically to
himself; therefore:

● Heb 4:15-16 . .We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

The Greek word translated "boldly" means to be out-spoken, viz: candid, frank,
blunt, and confident. In other words: God prefers conversational prayer rather than
the memorized rote chanting practiced by some. When folks are able to share their
problems with heaven as if confiding in a friend, then they are on to something
worth continuing.
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● Matt 5:5 . . Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.

This beatitude is another that comes from the Old Testament.

● Ps 37:10-11 . .For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt
diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the
earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

"blessed" is an ambiguous word. Depending upon the application, and/or the
context; it can mean fortunate, happy, favored, approved, venerated, contented,
honored, respected, successful, prosperous, praise-worthy, privileged, endowed,
and protected.

According to Christ, the meek are fortunate because it is they who shall inherit, not
heaven, but rather, the Earth: that's an important distinction.

Why won't they inherit heaven? Because, as every instructed Israelite already knew
in Christ's day; the long-anticipated theocratic kingdom won't be up in the celestial
regions; but rather, down here on the ground, headquartered in Jerusalem; whose
monarch will be one of David's sons; better known in the Old Testament as The
Branch and/or the Sprig of Jesse.

So then, among the Israelites; who qualifies as meek? Well; Moses was meek (Num
12:3) and Christ was meek (Matt 11:29, Matt 21:5). Personally I wouldn't
categorize either of those two Israelite men as meek. So then, what really is
meekness?

The Greek word translated "meek" in the third beatitude basically means mild.

Webster's defines "mild" as gentle in nature or behavior; viz: temperate; in other
words: agreeable, approachable, reasonable, calm, mellow, and self-controlled.

Non-temperate people could be characterized as moody, grudging, irritable,
emotional, thin-skinned, belligerent, militant, pugnacious, brawling, defensive,
confrontational, and reactive; around whom everybody has to walk on egg shells all
the time to avoid setting them off.

A temperate person, though mellow in demeanor, should never be assumed lacking
in strength, courage, conviction, or self confidence. Anybody who's studied the lives
of Moses and Jesus can easily testify that neither of those men were either timid,
wimpy, or vacillating.

Jacob and his dad Isaac were temperate men; but could be assertive when the
situation called for it. Temperate people like Jacob and Isaac pick their battles
carefully, and avoid getting all riled up over trifles.

Can you just imagine the pleasure of living in a global society composed entirely of
temperate people? That alone would be bliss to me.
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● Matt 5:6 . . Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
will be filled.

The Greek word translated "righteousness" basically means equity; roughly defined
as the application of law without passion, bias, favoritism, disparity, or prejudice.

In the world we live in today, it is very difficult to find equity; even the nine judges
sitting on the US Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, are incapable of it;
evidenced by their chronic lack of unity on many of the issues that they pick and
choose for themselves to take into consideration. And no surprise seeing as how
they are typically nominated for the position primarily on the basis of their politics.

I strongly suspect that the blessing spoken of in this beatitude is qualified. In other
words; it doesn't pertain to just any wish for equity; rather, to equity as it's
predicted in the Old Testament. In a nutshell, there's coming a day that inequity
will cease to exist on this planet when Messiah takes over to rule it with fairness
across the board regardless of where people fit on the totem pole— no matter their
age, race, or gender, nor how well connected they might be, nor how wealthy, nor
how intelligent, nor how beautiful, nor how important, nor how highly positioned,
nor how highly esteemed they may be in public opinion.

● Ps 98:4-9 . . Shout joyfully to The Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice,
and sing praises. Sing to The Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of a
psalm, with trumpets and the sound of a horn; shout joyfully before The Lord, the
King. Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it; let
the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before The Lord, for He is
coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the
peoples with equity.

● Ps 99:2-4 . . The Lord is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. Let
them praise your great and awesome name-- He is holy. The King's strength also
loves justice; you have established equity; you have executed justice and
righteousness in Jacob.

● Isa 11:4 . . But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with
equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his
mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

So then, the fourth beatitude's blessing pertains to all who long for Messiah's
oversight in world affairs.

● Matt 13:41-43 . . The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall
gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and
shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who
hath ears to hear, let him hear.

● 2Pet 3:13 . . But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new
heaven and a new earth: the home of righteousness.
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● Matt 5:7 . . Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Christ wasn't talking about forgiveness in that beatitude. The Greek word translated
"merciful" means compassionate; and the word for "mercy" means to pity.

So then, what Christ says is: if somebody is by nature cruel, hard hearted,
thoughtless, and insensitive; then they will get no sympathy from God.

Webster's defines "cruel" as: (1) disposed to inflict pain or suffering, (2) devoid of
humane feelings, (3) causing or conducive to injury, grief, or pain, and (4)
unrelieved by leniency.

A well-known example of cruelty is North Korea's Kim Jong-Un, a dictator who
squanders billions of dollars on national defense while the growth of something like
30 to 40 percent of North Korea's children is stunted by malnutrition. Adequate
health care is available only to a relatively privileged few. There are actually
hospitals in North Korea without electricity, medications, and anesthetics. Potable
water is another scarcity in North Korea.

But Kim is a red herring because there are cruelties far more common than his; for
example: demeaning comments, thoughtless remarks, carping criticism, relentless
ridicule, bullying, sniping, denigrating labels, hounding, stalking, grudging,
needling, perpetual fault-finding, gossip, slander, social sabotage, obnoxious
behavior, computer hacking, toxic rejoinders, et al.

There are actually kids growing up in homes right here in the USA where their
parents never give them even one atta-boy. As a result, they grow up feeling ugly,
unwanted, stupid, useless, marginal, expendable, and unnecessary. There are also
kids growing up in homes where mothers never hug them nor bother to take the
time to forge a bond between mother and child. Thus they grow up with reactive
attachment disorder; feeling convinced that no one could possibly ever love them
or be their best friend forever. RAD kids grow up to become adults with some
serious trust issues.

● Matt 9:13 . . But go and learn what that means: I will have mercy, and not
sacrifice.

In order to properly understand Christ's statement; it's necessary to go back into
the Old Testament from whence he got it.

● Hos 6:4-6 . .What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. Therefore I
cut you in pieces with my prophets, I slaughtered you with the words of my mouth;
My judgments flashed like lightning upon you. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and
acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

In other words: God accepts Temple sacrifices when they're offered by people who
exemplify the milk of human kindness, and He fully rejects the offerings of
insensitive jerks, which is exactly what the Pharisees of his day were. They knew,
and they practiced, the letter of Moses' covenanted law-- they dotted all the I's and
they crossed all the T's. But they utterly failed to exemplify the spirit of the law;
which is summed up in just one simple statement:

● Matt 7:12 . .Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

The spirit of Israel's covenanted law applies to Christians too. Maybe your record of
church attendance is 100%, and you tithe faithfully every week; but let me tell you
something: God is rejecting every last bit of your superficial worship if you are by
nature callous and insensitive. You'll be better off spending Sunday morning at a
sports bar rather than wasting God's time at church.

● Mic 6:8 . . He has told you, O man, what is good-- and what does The Lord
require of you but to love kindness.

Conclusion: Callous people shall be judged with neither kindness, sympathy, nor
pity, and then afterwards; slammed with cruel and unusual punishment. Fair's fair.

● Jas 2:13 . . For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy
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● Matt 5:8 . . Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.

A rough-hewn definition of "pure in heart" is when someone is the same on the
inside as they are on the outside; which is just the opposite of dissembling; defined
as: to put on a false appearance, i.e. conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under
some pretense.

Dissembling is a very common form of dishonesty which is practiced by just about
everybody at one time or another. Most of us do not always want others to know
what we are actually thinking and/or feeling about certain things. The very opposite
of that is transparency, which most of us want from others, but prefer not to
reciprocate with transparency of our own.

Here's a really good example of someone pure in heart.

"When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite,
in whom there is nothing false." (John 1:47)

Jesus was pure in heart too.

"No deceit was found in his mouth." (1Pet 2:22)

I think we may safely assume there are no exceptions to the sixth beatitude, i.e. no
one is exempt; in other words: sincerity and forthrightness aren't optional with
God; they're a must.

"Who may ascend into the hill of The Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?
He who has . . a pure heart . . he shall receive a blessing from The Lord." (Ps 24:3-5)
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● Matt 5:9 . . Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

The Greek word translated "peacemakers" is an ambiguous word that can indicate
people who effect peace, and also people who are peaceable in nature. Precisely
which is meant in Matt 5:9 is difficult to tell since there's only two places in the
entire New Testament where eirenopoios appears-- here and in the passage below :

● Mark 9:50 . . Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty
again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.

An unrelated passage may shed some light on the correct application of eirenopoios
in Matt 5:9 and Mark 9:50.

● Col 4:6 . . Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may
know how ye ought to answer every man.

In other words; speech seasoned with salt indicates a civil tongue in one's head-- a
tongue that goes easy on people's nerves rather than a tongue that deliberately
grates, stirs the pot, chafes, antagonizes, denigrates, humiliates, demoralizes,
ridicules, injures, provokes, demeans, discourages, and tears people down and
makes them feel bad about themselves.

There are some people in this world who are simply implacable. They're indignant
over everything, For them rivalry, conflict, revenge, retaliation, quarrelling, and
grudging are a way of life: every disagreement is an act of war-- they're defensive,
they're reactive, and they're easily insulted.

Others thrive on criticism, carping, finding fault and pointing out mistakes, tattling,
bickering, retorts, rejoinders, recriminations, endless debate, telling other people
off, and giving people a piece of their mind. And some of them are bullies,
meddlers, domineering, imperious, and rumor mongers. And they foster ill will and
disharmony by starting a conversation with "you should hear what so-and-so said
about you".

Those kinds of people are typically indifferent to tact; which can be defined as a
keen sense of what to do, or say, in order to maintain good relations with others in
order to resolve and/or avoid unnecessary conflict.
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● Matt 5:10 . . Blessed are those persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.

The Greek word translated "persecute" basically means to pursue; viz: to hound.

The persecution particular to this beatitude is malicious in that it's akin to making it
one's mission in life to aggressively oppose, stalk, harass, grieve, chafe, criticize,
nit pick, find fault, attack, contradict, pester, and/or annoy somebody.

This kind of persecution is spiteful, and actually goes out of its way to vex its target
and ruin their day-- to get them upset and/or prevent them from having any
success or making any progress.

Seeing as how this beatitude is related to the kingdom of heaven, then we can
probably assume it's talking about individual piety, i.e. one's personal belief in God
and their approval of His ways. In a world gone mad with evil, the Bible's teachings
are not very popular with secular folks; especially with those who exercise a flexible
morality.
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● Matt 5:11-12 . . Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and
utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for
your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.

The kind of abuse that Christ spoke of comes with the turf of being known as his
followers.

● Phil 1:29-30 . . For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to
believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, experiencing the same conflict which
you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

There is a curious passage in the book of Revelation that goes like this:

● Rev 21:8 . . But for the cowardly . . . their part will be in the lake that burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

The cowardly are people who avoid any hint of either alliance with, or allegiance to,
Jesus Christ because they don't want to be branded with the social stigma, and/or
endure the indignity and the mockery, that comes with being one of his followers.

"If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that
name." (1Pet 4:15-17)

NOTE: One of the unavoidable negative aspects of Christianity is that when the
world finds out we believe in it, they immediately begin watching to see how well
we live up to it: in other words; they look for opportunities to peg us as hypocrites.
Well; that comes with the turf too so we just have to bite the bullet and learn to roll
with the punches, so to speak.
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A number of beatitudes aren't included in the so-called Sermon On The Mount
and/or the Sermon On The Plain. I'm thinking it might be kind of fun to take a look
at some of those beginning with the one below.

● Matt 13:16-17 . . Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.
Assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what
you see, and did not, and to hear what you hear, and did not.

To put that blessing in perspective: just imagine what an amazing stroke of good
fortune it was to be alive in the decade of the 1960's, and near a television
watching live as the first man ever to walk on the moon descended a ladder to the
surface.

Thousands of generations preceded that decade, Those of us who witnessed Neil
Armstrong take mankind's first step on the moon were extremely fortunate
beneficiaries of a chance confluence of time and circumstances.

We today read about Christ as history; we didn't see him when he was here
because we were born too late. It's sort of like kids in school reading about the
space race but never experiencing any of it for themselves because they came
along later. What's history to them, was at one time daily current events for many
of us.

But did the Jews at the time of Christ appreciate their good fortune? Some did; but
many did not because they somehow failed to discern his significance.

● Luke 19:41-42 . . And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over
it; saying: If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which
belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
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● Luke 11:28 . . Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

The Greek word translated "keep" basically means to watch, to be on guard, to
preserve, to obey, and/or to avoid (viz: evade)

It's just the opposite of letting something slip from one's grasp either by neglect,
indifference, carelessness, or distractions; for example:

● Heb 6:7-8 . . Soil that drinks in the rain often falling on it, and that produces a
crop useful to those for whom it is farmed, receives the blessing of God. But soil
that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and in danger of being cursed. In the
end it will be burned.

Field burning used to be common in Oregon's Willamette Valley to rid the soil of
viable weed seeds in preparation for the next round of planting. Those weed seeds
aren't the result of neglect; in point of fact, they're to be expected. The danger lies
in allowing weed seeds to germinate because the adult plants will compete with
crops for soil, water, and sunlight resulting in a poor crop, or worse; no crop at all.

In those cases, the entire field, weeds and crops both, have to be incinerated in
order to start from scratch; and a whole season's work is for naught so Oregon's
farmers stand guard over their soil against noxious species. That is truly a real-life
example of the old proverb: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

● Mark 4:3-8 . . Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed . . . some seed fell
among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades so that it produced no
grain . . .The thorny ground represents those who hear the word, but all too quickly
the message is crowded out by the cares of this life, the lure of wealth, and the
desire for nice things, so no crop is produced.

We have an invasive species of thorn bush up here in Oregon called Himalayan
Blackberry. That stuff is very aggressive and lets nothing stand in its way. Left
uncontrolled, Himalayan will proliferate with huge bramble patches that easily
smother perfectly good soil and render it useless for planting.

Ironically, even legitimate chores like housekeeping can become "Himalayans" if
not kept in check; for example: one day the Lord was over to some friends for
dinner and one of the two sisters in the home complained to the Lord that the other
wasn't making herself useful out in the kitchen. His response?

● Luke 10:38-42 . . As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a
village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister
called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was
distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.

. . . She came to him and asked: Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to
do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!

. . . Martha, Martha; the Lord answered: you are worried and upset about many
things, but only one thing is truly needful. Mary has chosen what is better, and it
will not be taken away from her.

You see, it's all a matter of prioritizing one's activities in order to insure a time slot
for The Lord even if you have to put something else on hold. But if you keep putting
The Lord on hold, it's only a matter time before life's brambles completely block him
out. And anyway: if people can make time for other things, then it really shouldn't be
all that difficult for them to make time for him.

Samuel is a good case in point of "keeping" the word of God.

● 1Sam 3:19 . . So Samuel grew, and The Lord was with him; and did let none of
His words fall to the ground.
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● Luke 12:35-38 . . Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you
yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the
wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.

. . . Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find
watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down
to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch,
or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

The man in the parable isn't the bridegroom of the mentioned wedding because he
returned home alone without a bride in tow.

But don't they usually serve alcohol at wedding receptions? I think we can safely
assume that a single guy returning from a wedding party is going to be a bit
unsteady on his feet; and if not, then at least tired and sleepy and ready for bed
after dancing all night with the ladies.

The point is, his servants expected their master's return sometime that night and
so stayed up to open the house and get him inside quickly and safely. Their
lanterns would come in very handy for illuminating his path in order to avoid
stumbling and possibly falling down in the dark.

It appears to me, from the tenor of the parable, that what the man's servants did
was above and beyond the call of duty. They didn't have to stay up late waiting for
him to come home. No, they did it because they had a genuine concern for their
master's welfare just like the moms and dads who stay up late waiting for their
teens to come home from dates, proms, cruising the mall, and/or late-night
movies.

I really have to hand it to the master of the house. Rather than take his servants
for granted; his gratitude really shows in reciprocating their caring concern by
treating them like royalty. I think the blessing in that parable comes from the
servants' good fortune to have a master with a heart of gold like that.

● Matt 11:29-30 . .Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls: for my yoke causes no
discomfort, and my burden isn't heavy.
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● Luke 14:12-14 . .When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends,
your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you
back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay
you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

At the time that Christ spoke those words, he was attending an exclusive dinner
party, hosted by a prominent Pharisee. Whether it was "black tie" isn't stated; but
then, not all such events are black tie. Some are informal back-yard barbecues.
(catered, of course)

So anyway, it looks to me like Christ wasn't recommending opening your home to
down-and-out strangers for Sunday dinner. The mixer he was attending was an
event: one of those you'd likely find reported next day on the society page of your
local newspaper. Personally, I have neither the wherewithal, the status, nor the
ambition to host those kinds of parties.

In his day, there were no agencies set up to provide for people whose health
prevented them from earning a living. Nor were there any welfare services for
people down on their luck. So the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind were
pretty desperate for their daily needs.

A good way to obtain the blessing that Jesus spoke of is to support a Mission. Every
city has at least one located somewhere near the downtown area. You might get
their address and begin sending them a monthly donation. Quite a few deprived
folk depend on Missions for their very survival.

"He who is kind to the poor lends to The Lord, and He will reward him for what he
has done." (Prov 19:17)
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[CrowCross]

● Matt 5:9 . . Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

The Greek word translated "peacemakers" is an ambiguous word that can indicate
people who effect peace, and also people who are peaceable in nature.

I always believed that "sons of God" was referring to those saved.

Not all "peacemakers" per your usage is pointing at the saved.

To me the peacemaker is those who have made peace with God.....as being saved only they shall be called the sons of God.

 

[Odë:hgöd]

.

Not all "peacemakers" per your usage is pointing at the saved.

That's very true; for example Luke 6:35

Jesus' audiences were primarily Jews. Well; the ones familiar with the Old
Testament scriptures would've known that the term "sons of" and/or "children of"
doesn't always pertain to filial relationships; for example sons of the prophets and
sons of Belial.

In the world of rock and roll music are those whom we call influences. Well; if your
electric guitar style is influenced by a guy like Jimmy Page, Angus Young, and/or
Brian May; then he's your daddy; so to speak. (cf. Gen 4:21)
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

.
● John 13:17 . . If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

In other words: Bible reading, Bible study, Bible discussion, Bible classes, Bible
debate, and/or Bible memorization without any intent of allowing the information to
sink into one's skull, or reform one's life, or influence one's thinking, speaking, or
feeling; is of little more value blessing-wise than comic books and romance novels.

● Jas 1:22-25 . . Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do
what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a
man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and
immediately forgets what he looks like.

. . . But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives liberty, and
continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it— he will be
blessed in what he does.
_

 

[Marilyn C]

Jesus came to confirm the promises to Israel not the B/C for that had NOT been revealed.

`Now I say that Jesus has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, TO CONFIRM THE PROMISES made to the fathers. `(Rom. 15: 8)

 

[Odë:hgöd]

.
● John 20:29 . . Then Jesus said to Thomas: You believe because you've seen me.
Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway.

Some things are much easier to believe when we're very young; for example: the
tooth fairy, Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, fairies, and leprechauns. But as we
mature, those things become silly.

As for Jesus' resurrection: it doesn't help that it's God's decision that the gospel
not hold up in court nor stand to reason. I don't know why; but for some reason
it's important to God that the world dismiss believers as fools rather than wise.
He actually wants Christ's followers to be esteemed as Forrest Gumpsters with
the minds of a naive child.

● Mark 10:15 . . I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of
God like a little child will never enter it.

That's really bad news for agnostics; roughly defined as people who neither affirm
nor deny that Christ's crucified dead body was restored to life simply because they
have yet to be shown sufficient empirical evidence to establish it one way or the
other.

● 1Cor 1:26 . . Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many
of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of
noble birth.

Well; in my judicious opinion: it is better to be among blessed fools in Heaven than
among the elite languishing on the wrong side of the afterlife.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

.
● Acts 20:35 . . Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said: It is more
blessed to give than to receive.

Those words of The Lord are not recorded in the four gospels; which is a good
object lesson. Here's another orphan quote.

● Matt 2:22-23 . . Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of
Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was
said through the prophets: He will be called a Nazarene.

That quote isn't from the Old Testament so there's no use in looking for it; and
that's because not every word spoken by the prophets was recorded: same as not
every word that Christ spoke is recorded in the gospels; nor all of his miracles,
(John 20:30-31)

Anyway receiving charity is a blessing too; though it isn't nearly as valuable a
blessing as lending to charity because receiving it is a temporary blessing; while
lending it has promise of return on one's investment.

● Prv 19:17 . . He who is kind to the poor lends to The Lord; and He will reward
him for what he has done.

One could actually think of supporting a charity as contributions to a heavenly
401K.
_