Blessed are... Part 2

This the continuation of the previous post. I recommend reading Part 1 first.

2. It's not a formula for righteousness and reward.

The Beatitudes don't seem to follow the formula I've often heard explained:

Blessed are the [righteous character trait], for they will [be rewarded after they die].

That's not to say that the former trait is not often associated with right living; nor that the latter outcome does not impart a promise of reward once God's reign is fully realized. But as in the first observation in the prior post, and as shown in the other places Jesus describes "reward" in his sermon -- the contrast of the human eye-service of the hypocrites in Matthew 6:1-6 -- there's a here-and-now component to the Beatitudes, too. That also means there's likely a different formula at play.

Gospel accounts compared

Compare the "blessed" statements in Matthew 5:3-12 with Luke 6:20-23:

Luke's account records the Beatitudes as simply: the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the hated; the last of which functions in both accounts as a summary of the preceding statements. Matthew's account parallels the first two of these with deeper nuances: the poor in spirit and those hungering for righteousness. Those nuances are an entire rabbit hole that I'll set aside for the scope of this essay. Matthew's account then adds the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

But we also can't discount that the simpler meaning from Luke also holds to the Matthew account: those Jesus named as blessed are those who make up the very audience that flocked to Him to be healed in the prior chapter (refer back to the first observation). These are the despised, oppressed, outcast, or simply ignored in their society, especially by the groups who hold power in their community -- the religious elite (the Pharisees) and the occupying political forces (the Romans) -- who were strengthening their worldly kingdoms instead of welcoming and participating in the transcendent one.

An alternate formula

Thus, I would propose that the formula is more akin to:

Blessed are the [cause for why one is despised], for they will [be restored].

These are not necessarily "good" or "desirable" traits -- and several (poor, mourning, hungry) are ones typically perceived by the local community to be utterly undesirable, regardless of their true value in God's Kingdom. More on that in the third observation. This is why in both the Matthew and Luke accounts, the final statement seems to summarize the prior ones, describing one who is reviled and persecuted or slandered. These individuals are either disliked for their lowliness in society, or hated for how they challenge the hypocritical or non-religious leaders -- on account of them following Christ instead.

And clearly even Christians today who earnestly interpret the Beatitudes as a pious to-do list aren't actually setting out to become penniless, full of sorrow, and starved (at least not in America or other globally wealthy nations). So that can't be what is meant.

Look at how each trait contrasts with its promise: poverty and inheritance; mourning and comfort or laughter; hunger and satiation; hate and heavenly reward. The promises provide recompense and restoration for the active situation.

And so even in looking back at the cases recorded in Matthew but not in Luke, and the additional context before and after the Beatitudes in Matthew 4-7, we can see the same pattern. It is the very traits -- that are sometimes read today as of course righteous behaviors -- that were actually considered weak and worthless by the "scribes and Pharisees" whose righteousness Jesus deemed severely lacking (Matthew 5:20).

And how much today, too, are gentleness, humility, compassion, and generosity deemed "weak," and society instead rewards the strong, brash, dispassionate, and vengeful with great power and wealth. But while the former ones receive a "great reward" in heaven, James warns us that the latter receive "rotted," "moth-eaten," and "corroded" treasures on earth (James 5:1-3).

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. (James 5:1)

The phrase "are coming upon you" in James is another form of the same word when Jesus says the Kingdom is "at hand." To the followers of Jesus, His Kingdom is at hand and available. To those wielding their power to store up wealth and to despise the ones they deem weak and worthless: misery is at hand!

Being despised

So how do these other traits in Matthew fit the formula?

For example, the meek -- the gentle or lowly -- have earthly privileges and strengths but do not assert them to take advantage of others. In humility, they count others more significant than themselves (Philippians 2:3). How unlike the proud, trumpeting Pharisees! And how easy for the meek to instead be taken advantage of by such; to be stepped on, cast aside, and considered foolish. But while the hypocrite receives their desired reward of human attention "in full" (Matthew 6:2, NIV), the meek inherit the earth. They are granted entry to the promised land; they are returned to the garden to use their talents and gifts to caretake the earth.

Similarly, the merciful -- the kind or compassionate -- give from themselves without expecting anything in return. And so in the brokenness of the world, they do receive nothing in return, other than bearing more and more burdens. But God repays them with mercy in the measure that they grant mercy:

There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you. (James 2:13, NLT)

The pure in heart keep the law to the strict heart-centric degree that Jesus elaborates on in Matthew 5:21-48. They give, pray, and fast in secret, like in Matthew 6. But their right-living is private and humble, not boastful and performative, so the religious elite deem them unseen by and unseeing of God, as if thinking, "how could the lay person who doesn't know or even have access to the Law possibly keep it as well as us, the scribes and Pharisees?". Yet in the reality of the Kingdom at hand, these pure in heart are the ones who truly see God, for "your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:6).

This same pattern can be applied to the peacemakers and persecuted. And we could add our own contemporary cases of despised peoples who Jesus will gather, heal, and call as disciples.

Yet this also means the blessings are neither exclusive (a test of whether or not you are a "true" disciple), nor inclusive (a complete list of all traits and promises manifest in the Kingdom). No seemingly "good" trait on this list (such as "merciful") earns one's righteousness any more than one that reflects the disdain of society (such as "poor"). These are a sampling of the aspects of the people Jesus wants to welcome into His Kingdom and restore to a full picture of humanity that He lived out.

Probing questions

• Which "blessed" traits am I grasping at as proof of my goodness? Which do I feel guilty for not having?
• What groups of people do I look down on, or even despise, but who are actually being beckoned by Jesus to experience healing and restoration?

Read Part 3 here.