Matthew 5:3 - Meaning and Application

Christ begins his sermon with blessings, because he came into the world to bless us (Acts 3:26). He came as the great High Priest of our faith, like the blessed Melchizedek, and as the one in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). He came not only to win blessings for us, but to give and declare them over us. He speaks with authority, as one who can command the blessing, even life forevermore. When he calls people blessed, he truly makes them so, because those he blesses are blessed indeed.

The Old Testament ended with a curse (Malachi 4:6), but the gospel begins with a blessing, because we are called to inherit a blessing. Each blessing Jesus pronounces has two purposes. First, it shows who should be counted truly happy and what their character is. Second, it shows where true happiness is found, in the promises made to people with those character traits. When those promises are fulfilled, they make such people truly happy.

This also corrects the ruinous mistakes of a blind, worldly society. People chase blessedness, but most get the goal wrong and build a false idea of happiness. They think the rich, powerful, and honored are the blessed ones, especially those who live for pleasure and get their own way. They admire the greedy, who say, “I will be rich” (Psalm 10:3). But Jesus comes to correct that basic error and teach a very different idea of blessed people. It may sound strange to those who are biased, but it is eternal truth, and we will soon be judged by it.

So if this is the start of Christ’s teaching, then a Christian’s life must begin by taking his idea of happiness from these sayings. We must shape our desires and goals by them. This teaching also lifts up weak and poor believers, assuring them that the gospel does not make only the gifted, visible, or highly useful happy. Even the least in the kingdom of heaven, if their heart is right with God, is truly happy in that kingdom’s honor and privileges.

Christ also gives these blessings to draw souls to himself and to prepare hearts for his law. He does not place them at the end of the sermon to dismiss the crowd, but at the beginning, to ready them for what follows. This reminds us of Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, where the blessings and curses of the law were read (Deuteronomy 27:12 and following). There, the curses are spoken plainly and the blessings are only implied. Here, the blessings are spoken plainly and the curses are implied. In both places, life and death are set before us. But the law came more as a message of death, to warn us away from sin, while the gospel comes as a message of life, to draw us to Christ, in whom all good is found.

Those who had seen the gracious healings Jesus had done with his hand (Matthew 4:23-24), and now heard the gracious words from his mouth, would see that he was all of one piece, full of love and kindness. This opening also sums up the agreement between God and man. Scripture shows us what God asks of us, and what we may then expect from him. Nowhere is that more clearly set out than here, in a few short words. This is the gospel we are called to believe, because true faith is a fitting of ourselves to these character descriptions and a resting on these promises.

The way to happiness is opened here and made into a highway (Isaiah 35:8). And because these words come from the mouth of Jesus Christ, it is shown that from him and through him we receive both the grace required and the glory promised. Nothing passes between God and fallen humanity except through his hand. Some wiser pagans had ideas of blessedness that were different from the rest of the world, and they were moving toward this teaching of our Savior. Seneca, when he tried to describe a blessed man, said it was only an honest, good man. He taught that nothing is truly good or evil except a good or evil heart, that outside events should not lift a person up or crush him, that true pleasure is found in refusing pleasure, and that virtue is the only real good, while vice is the only real evil.

Jesus here gives eight marks of blessed people, and these show the main graces of a Christian life. On each one he pronounces a present blessing, “Blessed are they,” and to each he adds a future blessing, expressed in different ways to fit the grace or duty described. So who are the happy ones? First, the poor in spirit are happy (Matthew 5:3). There is a kind of low spirit that does not bless a person at all, because it is sin and a trap, cowardly fear, base compliance, and willing slavery to other people’s sinful desires. But poverty of spirit is a gracious state of soul, where we are emptied of self so that we may be filled with Jesus Christ.

To be poor in spirit means, first, being content to be poor in worldly goods if God appoints that for us. It means bringing our mind into line with our condition when that condition is low. Many people are poor in the world but proud in spirit, complaining and blaming their lot. We must learn to adjust ourselves to poverty, as Paul did, knowing how to be brought low (Philippians 4:12). We should accept God’s wisdom in assigning us poverty, bear its hardships patiently, thank God for what we have, and make the best use of what remains. It means holding loosely to worldly wealth, not setting our hearts on it, and bearing losses and disappointments calmly, even in the most prosperous times.

It is not about pride or empty show, as if we should make ourselves poor by throwing away what God has given us. That is especially true of those who pretend to vow poverty, yet still gather up great wealth. Instead, if we are rich in this world, we must be poor in spirit. That means we should come down to the level of the poor and feel for them, as people who share their weakness. We should also expect poverty and prepare for it. We must not fear it too much or run from it, but welcome it, especially when it comes because we have kept a clear conscience (Hebrews 10:34). Job showed this spirit when he blessed God both for taking away and for giving.

To be poor in spirit also means to be humble and low in our own eyes. It means thinking little of ourselves, of what we are, what we have, and what we do. In the Old Testament, the poor often stand for the humble and self-denying, in contrast with the proud and comfortable. It means being like little children in how we view ourselves, weak, foolish, and unimportant (Matthew 18:4; Matthew 19:14). Laodicea was poor in spiritual things, deeply miserable and needy, yet rich in spirit, thinking it had no need of anything (Revelation 3:17). Paul was the opposite. He was rich in spiritual gifts and grace, yet he called himself the least of the apostles and less than the least of all saints, and he counted himself as nothing.

To be poor in spirit is to hold a holy low opinion of ourselves, to value others more highly than ourselves. It is to be willing to make ourselves seem small and lowly in order to do good, and to become all things to all people. It means admitting that God is great and we are small, that he is holy and we are sinful, that he is all, and we are nothing, less than nothing, worse than nothing. So we humble ourselves before him and under his mighty hand.

It is also to turn away from confidence in our own righteousness and strength, so that we depend only on Christ’s merit for our justification, meaning being counted right with God, and on Christ’s Spirit and grace for our sanctification, meaning being made holy. That broken and repentant spirit, with which the publican cried for mercy, is the poverty of spirit Jesus means. We must call ourselves poor, because we are always needing God’s grace, always begging at his door, always depending on him in his house.

This poverty of spirit comes first among Christian graces. The philosophers did not count humility among their moral virtues, but Christ puts it first. Self-denial is the first lesson in his school, and poverty of spirit deserves the first blessing. Humility is the foundation of all the other graces. Those who want to build high must begin low. It is also a very good preparation for gospel grace in the soul, because it makes the heart ready to receive the seed. Those who are weary and burdened are the poor in spirit, and they will find rest with Christ.

They are blessed even now in this world. God looks on them with favor. They are his little ones, and their angels attend them. He gives them more grace. They live the most contented lives, easy with themselves and pleasant to those around them, and nothing seems too hard for them. Proud spirits are always uneasy.

Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of grace is made up of people like this. They are the only ones fit to belong to Christ’s church, which is called the congregation of the poor (Psalm 74:19). The kingdom of glory is prepared for them as well. Those who humble themselves like this, and submit when God humbles them, will be lifted up. The proud and high-spirited may gain the glory of earthly kingdoms, but the humble, gentle, and yielding receive the glory of the kingdom of heaven.

We may think that rich people who use their riches well must surely have the kingdom of heaven, since they can lay up a good treasure for the future. But what about the poor, who have nothing to give? The same happiness is promised to those who are contentedly poor as to those who are usefully rich. If I cannot spend freely for Christ’s sake, but I can suffer want gladly for his sake, that too will be rewarded. And is he not a good Master?

Blessed are those who mourn (Matthew 5:4). This is another surprising blessing, and it fits well after the first one. The poor are used to mourning, and those who are poor in a gracious way mourn in a gracious way too. We often think the blessed are the cheerful, but Christ, who was himself a great mourner, says the blessed are those who mourn.

There is a sinful kind of mourning that is no friend to blessedness, the sorrow of the world, hopeless sadness about spiritual things, or crushing grief over earthly troubles. There is also a natural mourning, which can become a help to blessedness when God works with it and uses affliction to teach us. But there is a gracious mourning that fits a person for blessedness. It includes a settled seriousness, a heart turned away from foolish joy, and real sorrow when it is needed.

One kind is sorrow for our own sins. This is godly sorrow, sorrow according to God, sorrow for sin with our eyes on Christ (Zechariah 12:10). Those are God’s mourners who live in repentance, grieving over the corruption of their nature, their many actual sins, and God’s withdrawing from them. They also mourn for the sins of others, out of concern for God’s honor, and sigh and cry over the abominations around them (Ezekiel 9:4).

Another kind is sympathy for the troubles of others. These are the people who weep with those who weep, who are sorrowful for the solemn gatherings of God’s people, and for the ruin of Zion (Zephaniah 3:18; Psalm 137:1). Most of all, they look with pity on lost souls and weep over them, as Christ wept over Jerusalem.

These gracious mourners are blessed. In empty and sinful laughter, the heart is still sad. But in holy mourning, the heart has a serious joy, a quiet satisfaction that strangers cannot understand. They are blessed because they are like the Lord Jesus, who was a man of sorrows. We never read that he laughed, but we often read that he wept. They are protected against many temptations that come with shallow pleasure, and they are prepared for the comfort of a forgiven conscience and lasting peace.

They shall be comforted. They may not be comforted right away, but full provision is made for their comfort. Light is stored up for them. And in heaven they certainly will be comforted, like Lazarus (Luke 16:25). The joy of heaven is complete and lasting comfort, with every tear wiped away. It is the joy of our Lord, a fullness of joy and pleasures forever. It will be especially sweet to those who were prepared for it by godly sorrow. Heaven will truly be heaven to those who go there mourning. It will be a harvest of joy after a season of tears (Psalm 126:5, Psalm 126:6). It will be a mountain of joy, reached through a valley of tears (Isaiah 66:10).

Blessed are the meek (Matthew 5:5).

The meek are people who quietly submit to God, to his word, and to his discipline. They follow his direction, accept his purposes, and are gentle toward everyone (Titus 3:2). They can bear insults without being set on fire by anger. Often they stay silent, or answer with a gentle word, and even when they must show displeasure, they do it without acting in a wild or shameful way.

They can stay calm when others are angry, and in patience they keep control of their own souls when they can hardly keep hold of anything else. Meek people are rarely provoked, and when they are, they are quick to calm down again. They would rather forgive twenty wrongs than get revenge for one, because they have learned to rule their own spirit. Christ says these meek people are blessed even in this life.

They are blessed because they are like the blessed Jesus, especially in the way he calls us to learn from him (Matthew 11:29). They are also like God himself, who is slow to anger and has no uncontrolled fury. They are blessed because they enjoy themselves, their friends, and their God in a calm and steady way. They are fit for any relationship, any setting, and any kind of company. They are fit to live, and fit to die.

They will inherit the earth, a promise quoted from (Psalm 37:11). This is one of the few clear promises of earthly good in the New Testament. It does not mean they will always own much of this world, and certainly not that they will receive only earthly things. But godliness in this form has, in a special way, the promise of life now. Meekness may be mocked and pushed aside, yet it naturally leads to health, comfort, safety, and even a better outward life in this world.

The meek and quiet often live the easiest lives, compared with people who are stubborn and troublesome. Or the words may be read as, “They shall inherit the land,” meaning the land of Canaan, which pointed ahead to heaven. So all the blessings of heaven above, and all the blessings of earth below, belong to the meek.

Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are also blessed (Matthew 5:6). Some understand this first of all as a picture of outward poverty and low condition in this world. Such people may be exposed to wrong and injustice, and they may find it useless to ask for fair treatment. They long for what is right, but those with power over them refuse it, because they do not fear God or care about people. This is a sad condition.

Yet they are blessed if they suffer these things with a good conscience and for a good cause. Let them trust God, who will see justice done, establish what is right, and deliver the poor from oppressors (Psalm 103:6). Those who patiently bear oppression and quietly leave their case with God will, in time, be fully satisfied by his wisdom and kindness when he acts for them.

But the meaning is clearly spiritual. This desire is directed toward holy things, and it is the work of God’s grace in the soul. It fits a person to receive the gifts of God’s favor. Here, righteousness means all spiritual blessings (Psalm 24:5; Matthew 6:33). Christ bought them for us by his righteousness, and they are handed to us and kept secure through God’s counting that righteousness as ours. They are also confirmed by God’s faithfulness. To have Christ made our righteousness by God, and to be made righteous in him, to have our whole nature renewed in righteousness so that we become new people and bear God’s image, and to have a share in Christ and his promises, this is righteousness.

We must hunger and thirst after these things. That means we must truly and deeply want them, the way a hungry person wants food and a thirsty person wants drink. Nothing else can satisfy that kind of desire. Our longing for spiritual blessings must be strong and urgent. We should say, “Give me these, or I die. Everything else is like dust and chaff, unable to satisfy. Give me these, and I have enough, even if I have nothing else.”

Hunger and thirst come back often, and they call for fresh help again and again. In the same way, holy desires do not rest in anything already gained. They keep reaching out for new pardons and fresh supplies of grace each day. The renewed soul asks for daily bread of righteousness, grace for each day’s work, just as the living body asks for food. People who hunger and thirst will work to get what they need, so we must not only desire spiritual blessings, but also use the means God has appointed for receiving them.

Dr. Hammond, in his practical Catechism, distinguishes between hunger and thirst. He says hunger is a desire for food that sustains, like sanctifying righteousness, which is the inward change that makes us holy. Thirst is a desire for drink that refreshes, like justifying righteousness, which is our acceptance with God and the sense of his pardon. Those who hunger and thirst after spiritual blessings are blessed in those desires, and they will be filled with them.

They are blessed even in the desires themselves. Not every desire for grace is real grace, since pretend or weak desires do not count. But a desire like this is an evidence of something good, and a promise of something better. It is a desire God himself has raised up, and he will not leave unfinished the work of his own hands. Everyone will hunger and thirst for something, so those are blessed who fasten on the right thing, the thing that truly satisfies and does not deceive. They do not pant after the dust of the earth (Amos 2:7; Isaiah 55:2).

They will also be filled with those blessings. God will give them what they long for and bring them to full satisfaction. Only God can fill the soul, because only his grace and favor are enough for its true needs. He will fill those who, feeling their emptiness, come to his fullness for grace upon grace. He fills the hungry (Luke 1:53) and satisfies them (Jeremiah 31:25). Heaven will surely fill the soul completely. Their righteousness will then be complete, with the full favor of God and his image in perfect form.

The merciful are also happy (Matthew 5:7). This is like the other beatitudes, because it seems strange to the world. Merciful people are not usually seen as the wisest, and they are not likely to become the richest. Yet Christ says they are blessed. The merciful are those who are moved by godly and loving concern to pity, help, and support people in misery.

A person may truly be merciful even if he has little or nothing to give, and then God accepts the willing heart. We must not only bear our own troubles patiently, but also, through Christian sympathy, share in the troubles of our brothers and sisters. We must show pity (Job 6:14) and put on “compassion” as one of God’s chosen people (Colossians 3:12). Once we wear it, we must put it to work by giving all the help we can to those who are suffering in any way.

We must care about the souls of others and help them too. We should pity the ignorant and teach them, warn the careless, and rescue sinners as brands pulled from the fire.

We should have compassion on those who are sad and troubled, and comfort them (Job 16:5). We should also be gentle with those over whom we have power, and not deal harshly with them. We should help those in need and give them what they lack. If we refuse to do this, whatever we say, we have shut up our compassion (James 2:15-16; 1 John 3:17). We should pour out our care by sharing bread with the hungry (Isaiah 58:7, 10). A good man is even kind to his animal.

Now, concerning the merciful, they are blessed. This was already said in the Old Testament: “Blessed is the one who considers the poor” (Psalm 41:1). In this, they resemble God, whose goodness is part of his glory. When we are merciful as he is merciful, we are, in our limited way, perfect as he is perfect. This also shows love to God. And it brings deep joy to ourselves when we are used to help others. One of the purest joys in this life is doing good. In the words, “Blessed are the merciful,” we also hear Christ’s saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

They shall also obtain mercy, mercy from people when they need it. Whoever waters others will also be watered himself. We do not know how soon we may need kindness, so we should be kind. But especially they shall receive mercy from God, for with the merciful he will show himself merciful (Psalm 18:25). Even the most merciful and generous person cannot claim to earn God’s favor. We must still flee to mercy. The merciful will find from God forgiving mercy (Matthew 6:14), helping mercy (Proverbs 19:17), sustaining mercy (Psalm 41:2), and mercy in that day (2 Timothy 1:18). Yes, they shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them (Matthew 25:34-35). But those who have shown no mercy will face judgment without mercy, which can mean nothing less than hell-fire.

The pure in heart are also happy (Matthew 5:8): “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” This is the fullest of all the beatitudes, because it brings holiness and happiness together in one statement. True religion is a matter of the heart. Those who are inwardly pure show that they are under the power of true and undefiled religion. True Christianity lives in the heart, in the cleansing of the heart from evil (Jeremiah 4:14).

We must lift up to God not only clean hands, but also a pure heart (Psalm 24:4-5; 1 Timothy 1:5). The heart must be pure, meaning honest and sincere, and also clean, meaning free from pollution and defilement. It must be kept free from fleshly lusts, unclean thoughts and desires, and from worldly lusts, such as greed, which is called filthy gain. It must also be kept free from all the uncleanness that comes out of the heart and defiles a person. The heart must be purified by faith and belong fully to God. It must be given to Christ and kept for him, like a chaste virgin. “Create in me a clean heart, O God!”

The greatest comfort of the blessed is this: “They shall see God.” The highest happiness of the soul is to see God. To see him now by faith is a kind of heaven on earth. To see him in the life to come will be the heaven of heaven. Then we shall see him as he is, face to face, no longer through a dark glass. We shall see him as ours, enjoy him, be like him, and be satisfied with that likeness (Psalm 17:15). We shall see him forever and never lose sight of him. That is heaven’s joy.

This promise belongs only to those who are pure in heart. Only the pure can truly see God, and it would not even be joy to the impure. What pleasure could an unsanctified soul, a soul not made holy, take in seeing a holy God? As he cannot bear to look upon their sin, so they cannot bear to look upon his purity. No unclean thing will enter the new Jerusalem. But all who are pure in heart, all who are truly made holy, have desires within them that nothing but the sight of God can satisfy. God’s grace will not leave those desires unmet.

The peacemakers are also happy (Matthew 5:9). The wisdom from above is first pure, and then peaceable. Those who are blessed are pure toward God and peaceable toward people, and in relation to both, conscience must be kept clear. Peacemakers are people who have a peace-loving spirit. Just as to make a lie means to be devoted to lying, so to make peace means to have a strong and hearty love for peace. “I am for peace” (Psalm 120:7). They love peace, desire peace, and delight in peace. They are at home in it and work to live quietly.

They also have a peaceable way of living. They work, as far as they can, to keep peace from being broken and to restore it when it has been broken. They listen to offers of peace themselves and are ready to make them to others. Where there is distance between brothers and neighbors, they do all they can to heal it and repair the breaches. Making peace is sometimes an unthankful task, and the one who stops a fight may get struck from both sides. Still, it is a good work, and we should be eager to do it. Some think this is meant especially for ministers, who should do all they can to bring peace between those who disagree and promote Christian love among those under their care.

Such people are blessed because they enjoy the peace they help preserve, and they are truly useful to others by leading them toward peace. They are working with Christ, who came into the world to destroy enmity and proclaim peace on earth. They shall be called the children of God. This will show them, and others, that they belong to God. God will acknowledge them as his own, and in this they will resemble him. He is the God of peace, the Son of God is the Prince of peace, and the Spirit of adoption is a Spirit of peace. Since God has made himself ready to be reconciled to us all, he will not own as his children those who are stubbornly hostile to one another. If peacemakers are blessed, then peace-breakers are under a warning.

This also shows that Christ never meant for his religion to spread by fire and sword, by punishment laws, or by bitter and excessive zeal. He did not make those the marks of his disciples. The people of this world like to fish in troubled waters, but the children of God are peacemakers, quiet people in the land.

Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are also happy. This is the greatest surprise of all, and it is unique to Christianity. That is why it is placed last and explained more fully than the others (Matthew 5:10-12). This beatitude is repeated, like Pharaoh’s dream, because it is hard to believe, though it is certainly true. In the latter part, the person changes to “blessed are you,” meaning you, my disciples and close followers.

This is what especially concerns you who excel in virtue, because you must expect more hardship and trouble than other people.

Notice here, first, the condition of suffering believers, and it is a hard and painful one. They are persecuted, chased down, and treated like harmful animals that people hunt to kill. It is as if a Christian carried a wolf’s head, like an outlaw, so that anyone who found him might kill him. They are left as the refuse of the world, fined, jailed, driven out, stripped of property, shut out from positions of honor and trust, beaten, tortured, and constantly handed over to death. They are treated like sheep ready for slaughter. This has been the result of the serpent’s offspring resisting the holy seed ever since righteous Abel. It was already true in Old Testament times (Hebrews 11:35 and following). Christ told us it would be even more true in the Christian church, and we should not think it strange (John 3:13). He has left us an example.

They are also insulted, and all kinds of evil things are wrongly said about them. Nicknames and names of shame are attached to them, both to individuals and to the whole company of the righteous, in order to make them hated. Sometimes this is done to make them seem dangerous, so they can be attacked more easily. False accusations are brought against them, things they never did or knew about (Psalm 35:11; Jeremiah 20:18; Acts 17:6-7). Those who had no other power to hurt them could still do this, and those who did have power to persecute often needed to do this too, so they could excuse their cruel behavior. They could not have mocked them like bears in an arena if they had not first dressed them up as monsters. They would not have treated them so badly if they had not first described them as the worst of men.

They will insult you and persecute you. Speaking evil of the saints is itself a kind of persecution, and it will be shown to be so in the end, when people must answer for harsh words (Jude 1:15) and cruel mockery (Hebrews 11:36). They will say all kinds of evil against you falsely. Sometimes they do this in court as witnesses, sometimes among scoffers at a feast, sometimes they sing shameful songs about them while drinking. Sometimes they curse them to their face, like Shimei cursing David, and sometimes they spread lies behind their backs, like Jeremiah’s enemies did. There is no evil so ugly that, at some time, it has not been falsely spoken against Christ’s disciples and followers.

All this happens for righteousness’ sake (Matthew 5:10), and for Christ’s sake (Matthew 5:11). If it is for righteousness’ sake, then it is for Christ’s sake too, because Christ is deeply tied to the work of righteousness. Those who hate righteousness hate Christ. This leaves out people who suffer justly and are spoken of truly for their real crimes. Such people should be ashamed, because that suffering is part of their punishment. It is not suffering itself, but the cause of it, that makes a martyr. Those suffer for righteousness’ sake who suffer because they will not sin against their conscience, and who suffer for doing what is good. No matter what excuse persecutors use, their real hatred is for true godliness. It is really Christ and his righteousness that they hate, attack, and persecute. “For your sake I have borne reproach” (Psalm 69:9; Romans 8:36).

Now consider the comfort of suffering believers. They are blessed, because in this life they are already receiving their share of evil things (Luke 16:25), and they receive them for a good purpose. They are blessed because it is an honor to them (Acts 5:41). It gives them a chance to glorify Christ, to do good, and to experience special comforts, visits of grace, and clear signs of his presence (2 Corinthians 1:5; Daniel 3:25; Romans 8:29).

They will also be rewarded. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. They already have a sure right to it, and they already taste it in part, and soon they will possess it fully. Though nothing in these sufferings could ever earn anything from God, because even the best sins deserve the worst, this promise is given as a reward (Matthew 5:12). “Great is your reward in heaven.” It is so great that it far outweighs the service. It is in heaven, in the future, and out of sight, but it is safely kept, beyond the reach of chance, fraud, or violence. God will make sure that those who lose for him, even if they lose their lives, will not lose in the end. Heaven will finally be a rich reward for all the troubles we meet along the way. This is what has supported suffering believers.