This week we begin a new series on the main points of what has been known as the greatest sermon shared. It is the foundational message that Jesus taught believers about.  This week we kick off with the first beatitude and that is…

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5.3 ESV

What does that verse mean to you? What have you been taught about this verse, or the Beatitudes?

We can get a variety of insights with this one verse, but we have come to know that we need to put the scripture into context.  We need to back up a little bit and begin by reading the introduction to the sermon, not just hand-pick specific points.

Before preaching the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had begun widening the reach of his ministry. Crowds were gathering from every corner of the region to come and follow Jesus, which sets the stage for our passage.

(This is the scene that ends season 2 of The Chosen video series).

Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

²³ And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. ²⁴ So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. ²⁵ And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

The Sermon on the Mount

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. – Mattthew 4:23-5:1 ESV

Imagine the scene as Jesus ascends the mountain to teach. What stands out to you as you consider the crowds of people who have come to see and hear Jesus?

One of the key themes that undergirds the Beatitudes—is the foundation these Beatitudes are built on—is the kingdom of God. In fact, our study begins near the end of Matthew 4 because, Jesus’s initial preaching of the kingdom of God is a prerequisite to understanding what’s going on in the Beatitudes.

In your own words, how would you define the kingdom of God?

The kingdom of God can simply be defined as the reign and rule of God over all peoples in heaven and on earth. Though the kingdom of God has always existed, part of Jesus’s work was to proclaim the good news that “the kingdom of [God] had come near” (Matt 4:17). Large crowds from every corner of the region (all peoples, not just Jews) were coming and following Jesus.

In what ways is the nearness of the kingdom of God good news for you?

Let’s read all the Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes

² And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons^[a] of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  – Matthew 4:23-5:12 ESV

What does it say about God’s kingdom that it belongs to people such as those he describes? What does it say about God himself that he gives the kingdom to the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek, for instance?

Jesus repeatedly uses the word “blessed” in the Beatitudes. It shows up at least nine times in these verses as a declaration of God’s approval.

In what ways does our modern conception of being blessed run contrary to Jesus’s use of the word?

At some point, we all face the conditions described in these Beatitudes: poverty of spirit, mourning, emptiness, etc.

Knowing that these conditions are somewhat common to the human experience, how does Jesus’s teaching in the Beatitudes encourage you? 

God pronounces blessing on us “when we’re at the end of ourselves, when we come to God with empty hands.

Have you ever come to the end of yourself? What that was like for you?  

During that season, while you were at the end of yourself, how did you experience God’s blessing? In what ways did you find it difficult to recognize God’s blessing during that time?

For those who are poor in spirit—those at the end of themselves—Jesus promises that “the kingdom of heaven is theirs.”

In what ways do you draw encouragement from Jesus’s promise in this passage?

We can make a connection between the first Beatitude and Psalm 51, which states in verse 17, “a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

What does it mean to have a broken and contrite heart? What are the similarities between this passage and the first Beatitude?

The first Beatitude can be described as an invitation “into the presence of Jesus . . . to confess our weakness, to confess our need and receive the kingdom.” All that’s required of us is to simply come to Jesus.

In what ways are you weary? Frustrated by an ongoing struggle with sin? How do you imagine God would respond if, instead of avoiding or running from him, you ran to him? What, if anything, is preventing you from doing that?

The Beatitudes are not a set of virtues or behaviors that we are called to manufacture on our own. Instead, Jesus is working the Beatitudes into us. They’re a way of being that, over time, Jesus accomplishes in us. In the Beatitudes, we find the ethic of the kingdom of God.

The Beatitueds - Matt Chandler, Right Now Media. 2022.The Beatitudes Session 1