According to Got Questions, the Beatitudes are the eight declarations of blessedness spoken by Jesus at the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3–12), each beginning with "Blessed are . . ."
The Greek word translated “blessed” means “happy, blissful” or, literally, “to be enlarged.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses the word to refer to more than a superficial happiness; in this context, blessed refers to a state of spiritual well-being and prosperity.
The happiness is a deep joy of the soul. Those who experience the first aspect of a beatitude (poor, mourn, meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure, peacemakers, and persecuted) will also experience the second aspect of the beatitude (kingdom of heaven, comfort, inherit the earth, filled, mercy, see God, called sons of God, inherit the kingdom of heaven).
The blessed have a share in salvation and have entered the kingdom of God, experiencing a foretaste of heaven. Another possible rendering of the beginning of each beatitude is “O the bliss [or blessedness] of . . .”
Jesus' Beatitudes describe the ideal disciple and his rewards, both present and future. The person whom Jesus describes in this passage has a different quality of character and lifestyle than those still "outside the kingdom."
It was on a mountainside that Jesus spoke to many who’d followed him. His sermon to them, called the Beatitudes, including his complete Sermon, which tells all of us how we must live. This two-part Bible reading, put into a movie format, covers all of this gospel’s Scripture: Matthew 5:1 through 8:1.
Matthew 5:3–10 † He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.…”
Matthew 5:21–22 † “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. . . .”
In this special video, thanks to The Bible Project, we can see and appreciate the mysterious promised deliverer whom Matthew revealed. He, the Messiah, would one day come to confront evil and rescue humanity.
An informative animated video from The Bible Project
Author
Matthew, one of the twelve apostles, is believed by the majority of Bible scholars today to have written this gospel. He, whose name means "gift of the Lord," was a tax collector who, when personally called by Jesus, left his tax collector's booth to follow Jesus (Matthew 9:9–13). He's called by his other name, Levi, in Mark's and Luke's gospels.
Date and Place of Writing
Because of this gospel's Jewish slant, many believe that it was written in Palestine while others think that it had been written in Syrian Antioch. Based on its Jewish characteristics, it was possibly written in the early church period, perhaps the beginning of AD 50, when the gospel was preached only to Jews (see Acts 11:19). However, others date it later, after Mark's gospel had been in circulation for some time.
Recipients
Clearly, seeing that Matthew wrote this gospel in Greek, his readers were obviously Greek-speaking people, including Jews. Although much of what Matthew expresses is aimed at the understandings of Jewish readers, he didn't allow his gospel to be restricted to the Jewish culture. In fact, it often highlighted non-Jewish events, practices, and mores, giving it a more comprehensive, all-encompassing presentation.
Purpose
Without doubt, Matthew made a stern effort to prove to his Jewish readers that Jesus was their Messiah. All three synoptic gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) cite relevant Old Testament Scriptures, however, Matthew also includes a variety of excerpts meant to conclusively reinforce the basic theme of this narrative, that Christ Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT prophecies about the coming Messiah. In addition, because Matthew was writing to Jews, it was important for him to begin his gospel by identifying Jesus' Davidic lineage, referring to him as "the son of David."
Outline . . .
The First Eight Chapters of Matthew's Gospel
| Matthew, | Chapter by chapter (NIV) |
| 1 | • Genealogy and record of virgin birth of Jesus |
| 2 | • Visit of wise men; flight to Egypt; return to Nazareth |
| 3 | • John the Baptist, forerunner of King, announces kingdom and baptizes Jesus, the King |
| 4 | • Testing of the King in wilderness; begins public ministry at Capernaum; calls disciples |
| 5, 6, 7 | • Sermon on the Mount (1) relationship of subjects of kingdom to self (5:1–16), (2) relationship of subjects of kingdom to Law (5:17–48), (3) relationship of subjects of kingdom to God (6), and (4) relationship of children of King to each other (7) |
| 8 | • Six miracles of King demonstrate His dynamic to enforce ethics of Sermon on the Mount |
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