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2025 Study of Matthew’s Gospel #1

THE BEATITUDES

Matthew 5:1-16

Key Verse 5:3

1. What did Jesus do when he saw the crowds and his disciples (1-2)? How would you describe the meaning of “blessed” in verses 3–12? What does it mean to be “poor in spirit” (3a)? Why do you think Jesus calls them blessed (3b)?
2. What kinds of things might a blessed person mourn over (4a)? How do you think God comforts those who mourn (4b)? What qualities do you see in someone who is meek, and what do they inherit (5)?
3. In what ways will those who hunger and thirst for righteousness be satisfied (6)? What does it look like to be merciful, and how are they blessed (7)? How would you describe a person who is pure in heart, and what does it mean for them to see God (8)?
4. What does it mean that the peacemakers will be called children of God (9)? Why do you think those who are persecuted are blessed (10)? How should the blessed respond when they are persecuted because of Jesus and why (11-12)?
5. How would you describe the meaning of being “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (13-15)? In light of the Beatitudes, how can we practically live as salt and light in today’s world (16)?

2025 Matthew’s Gospel April 13, 2025

BLESSED ARE …

Matthew 5:1-16

Key Verse 5:3

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We had a very blessed Spring Retreat last weekend. The retreat was special in many ways. In particular, our young leaders delivered messages, shared life testimonies, and led Bible studies. Everyone who served during the Spring Retreat worked so hard. Thank you all and praise the Lord! We set a spiritual direction to grow in Christ. Now, as we begin studying the book of Matthew, we want to learn from Jesus and grow as His disciples. Today’s message is the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, which is one of the most beautiful teachings of Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount is called the Constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The Sermon on the Mount is the demands of discipleship.” It is because the Sermon on the Mount was addressed not to the crowds, but to the disciples of Jesus.

Please look at verses 1 and 2. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. From this, we can see that the main audience of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount was His disciples. Who are the disciples of Jesus? Are they only a few special people chosen by Jesus, like the twelve disciples? No! All who confess Jesus as Lord and believe in Him are called to be His disciples. Are you a Christian? What does ‘Christian’ mean? A Christian is someone who believes in Jesus and follows Him. That means all Christians are disciples of Jesus. Are you a disciple of Jesus? Then, we must carefully learn the Sermon on the Mount, receive it with our hearts, and obey it.

Today, we will focus on the Beatitudes, which begin with “Blessed are.” What does “Blessed” mean? What comes to your mind when you think of blessings? In the secular world, blessings are often seen as things like wealth, health, success, beauty—basically just good luck. But from a Christian perspective, blessings can be understood as spiritual gifts from God. The important point here is that the meaning of the Greek word “makarios” is closer to “happy” than to “blessed.” So we could read this passage as: “Happy are the poor in spirit,” “Happy are those who mourn,” “Happy are the meek,” and so on. Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount by teaching about human happiness. This is very meaningful. It shows us that Jesus deeply cares about our happiness and truly wants us to live happy lives. Do you want to live a happy life? Then, today’s message will teach you the secret.

Happiness is something everyone longs for. What do you think are the conditions for happiness? It seems that each person’s idea of happiness depends on their situation and stage of life. For example, young people think of happiness in terms of self-fulfillment, financial independence, work-life balance, and meaningful relationships. Middle-aged people might consider family relationships, financial stability, social recognition, and health management as key factors. For older adults, health is the top priority, along with being loved and cared for by family, financial stability, and finding peace. Overall, financial stability, good family and social relationships, and health are commonly seen as the most important conditions for a happy life.

There’s an internationally recognized report called the World Happiness Report. It’s published annually by the Wellbeing Research Center at Oxford University, which evaluates the quality of life and levels of happiness in countries around the world. According to the 2024 results, countries like Finland, Denmark, and Iceland—mainly in Northern Europe—rank as the happiest nations. It’s quite surprising to see that Costa Rica in Central America ranks 6th, and Mexico ranks 10th. On the other hand, the United States ranks 24th, which is lower than the United Arab Emirates and just one spot above Belize. Through this research, we realize that happiness doesn’t follow economic development. There is no UBF chapter in Costa Rica. I hope that some of us go to Costa Rica, one of the happiest countries in the world, as missionaries.

However, the happiness that Jesus teaches is very different from the kind of happiness people normally think of in this world. In fact, they are the complete opposite. Jesus clearly teaches us that we can be truly happy only when we have a right relationship with God. All of the Beatitudes focus on the right relationship with God. It is because the true happiness comes from God. When we have a right relationship with God, we can also have right relationships with others in the world.

Please look at verse 3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Many people think that if they are rich, they will be happy. Imagine if you had one million dollars in your bank account right now—wouldn’t you feel happy? And people also think that if they are poor, they will be unhappy. But Jesus says, “Happy are the poor in spirit.” It sounds like a paradox. So what does it mean to be “poor in spirit”? Most of us have experienced living in poverty at some point. When we are poor, we deeply long for the things we need. We apply for every possible job we can find. Even getting a temporary position makes us feel so happy. Likewise, when we are poor in spirit, we recognize how spiritually poor we are and desperately seek God so that our empty and needy spirit may be filled with the Spirit of God. We will long for God’s word and meditate on it day and night. We will pray to God with all our hearts. And according to His promise, we will meet God. “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me” (Proverbs 8:17).

Then what is the promise given to the poor in spirit? “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” What is the kingdom of heaven? It is the place where God reigns. The poor in spirit seek God, find Him, and enter into God’s reign. How is the kingdom of heaven characterized? Romans 14:17 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” When we are poor in spirit, we can enjoy righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can be truly happy and blessed.

Look at verse 4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” We usually don’t enjoy going to funerals where people mourn. We’d rather go to a party where we can laugh, dance, and drink. But why did Jesus say, “Happy are those who mourn”? Here, we need to think about what kind of mourning makes us happy. We can mourn for many reasons. When someone we love is sick or passes away, we mourn. When something we deeply hoped for doesn’t happen, we mourn. People cry when they don’t get a promotion, when their business fails, or when they break up with someone they love. But the “those who mourn” Jesus talks about here are people who mourn over sin—their own sin, the sin of their family, friends, and their nation. When we sin and become distant from God, we should mourn sincerely. At that moment, we can receive God’s forgiveness and be comforted by God. And then, we can be truly happy.

King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed. He sinned greatly before God and went through deep suffering. But he sincerely repented before God with a broken and contrite heart, mourning over his sins. Then, he received God’s forgiveness and was comforted. “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” (Psalm 32:1). During the last spring retreat, we saw brothers and sisters who sincerely mourned over their sins as they shared their life testimonies. They were forgiven and comforted by God and experienced true happiness from the kingdom of heaven. When we mourn over our sins, we can be comforted by God and become truly happy.

Look at verse 5: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Some people think that a meek person is weak and they tend to look down on them. They think meek people lack confidence, that they don’t know how to speak up. They also think meek people are passive or timid. That’s why meekness is often viewed negatively in this world. People who speak up, push their opinions forward, and act aggressively are usually recognized in the world. But meekness does not mean being weak or passive. The original meaning of meekness is power under control. Meekness is not weakness—it is power. But that power is always under control. It is not self-centered but God-centered. A meek person doesn’t act emotionally in difficult situations, but rather practices self-control and chooses to obey God’s will. Our Lord Jesus said that He is meek and humble. Don’t you want to be someone who is gentle on the outside but is strong on the inside? But this kind of meekness doesn’t just come naturally. It comes through constant training. When you feel angry and want to yell, you need to train yourself to stay quiet, deny yourself, and endure the suffering. That’s how we become meek.

About 20 years ago, I once shouted at a Bible student and told him to repent. Do you know what he said in response? “Pastor, I’ll admit that I did something wrong. But I can’t accept that you shouted at me. You should apologize.” At that moment, I realized I had lost control of my emotions and raised my voice. So I apologized to him. But he stopped coming to our church. I still struggle with my emotions and I’m not always meek. For this, I repent before God.

The meek will inherit the earth, which means that they will receive the promised land from God. They will receive God’s blessings and win people’s hearts. And they will truly be happy.

Look at verse 6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” When someone is hungry or thirsty, they search eagerly for food and water to satisfy their need. In that sense, this beatitude is similar to “poor in spirit” because it shows desperation. But here, what they are seeking is very specific: righteousness. What is righteousness? It means having a right relationship with God. But how can we have this right relationship with God? It’s not something we can achieve through our own effort or strength. It is possible only by God’s grace. Because of our sin, our relationship with God becomes broken. And there’s no way for us to restore that relationship through our own efforts. But Jesus died for our sins. Jesus fulfilled all the righteousness that God requires. So we can find righteousness only through faith in Jesus and by depending on His grace. When we truly hunger and thirst for righteousness, we will be filled by the grace of our Lord Jesus.

Look at verse 7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” What is mercy? Mercy is compassion shown to someone who is suffering or guilty, even when they don’t deserve it. Mercy is one of God’s very natures. God’s mercy is revealed in His forgiveness toward sinners. To be merciful means being willing to forgive those who have wronged us, and also having compassion to help those who are in need or suffering. But forgiving someone who has hurt us is never easy. We want to pay them back for what they’ve done to us. We don’t want to forgive unless they come to us crying and begging for forgiveness. But if we don’t show mercy and don’t forgive others, we can’t receive God’s forgiveness either. The reason we must forgive others is because we have been forgiven a great debt by God.

Jesus gave us the parable of the unmerciful servant. There was a servant who owed his master ten thousand bags of gold. It was such a huge debt that he could never pay it back. So he fell on his knees and begged, “Please be patient with me, and I will pay back everything.” The master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But as soon as the servant went out, he saw his fellow servant who owed him only a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him by the neck and started choking him. “Pay back what you owe me!” he shouted. The fellow servant fell to his knees and begged, “Please be patient with me, and I will pay it back.” But the unmerciful servant refused and had his fellow servant thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. How ungrateful this unmerciful servant was! But we are like him. We often can’t forgive someone who has wronged us, even after receiving great forgiveness from Jesus. Then, we cannot expect to receive God’s forgiveness. But if we are merciful, then we will be shown mercy—from both God and others. And we will be truly happy.

Look at verse 8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Our hearts are filled with all kinds of impure things. How can we be pure in heart? It is possible only when we sincerely repent of our sins. Jesus will cleanse our hearts with his precious blood, and we will see God. To see God means to encounter Him. We can have deep fellowship with God and know His will.

Look at verse 9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Our society is suffering from many kinds of conflict. That’s why we need peacemakers. More than anything else, those who are against God should come to Him with repentance and make peace with Him. The role of a peacemaker is to share the gospel and help people come to believe in Jesus Christ. When we do this, we will be called children of God and be truly happy.

Look at verse 10. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness.” When we try to live as disciples of Jesus in this world, we will face persecution. That’s because the world, which is in darkness, hates the light of Jesus. So when we believe in Jesus, our friends may distance themselves from us. Our coworkers may criticize us. Even our family members may try to persuade us to give up our faith in Jesus. But in those moments, we should not be sad. On the contrary, we should rejoice and be glad—because great is our reward in heaven.

Now Jesus teaches us who we are as His disciples. Who are we? Look at verse 13a: “You are the salt of the earth.” And look at verse 14a: “You are the light of the world.” Here, we should notice that Jesus did not use the future tense, but the present tense. He did not say, “You will be the salt of the earth” or “You will be the light of the world.” Instead, He said that we, as His disciples, are the salt of the earth and the light of the world—right now. This is about our identity. Simply by believing in Jesus and becoming His disciples, we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Salt prevents decay, and light shines in the darkness. But if we lose our saltiness, how can we prevent the decay in the earth? If we hide our light, how can we shine the darkness of this world? Jesus commands us to fulfill our role as the salt of the earth. He calls us to shine as the light of the world. But we are weak and sinful, and we cannot carry out this mission on our own. It is possible only when we follow Jesus as His disciples. When we learn from Him, we will be transformed, and Jesus will bless us to live as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. I pray that we may restore our relationship with God, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and grow as the disciples of Jesus, imitating Him. Amen.