Lecture

As we turn to the second half of the Beatitudes in Matthew (actually a little bit more than half in terms of numbers of verses), we switch from reversals involving the unfortunate by the standards of this world to what might be called rewards for the virtuous. In verses 7 and 8, we see “blessed are the merciful” and “blessed are the pure in heart.” A person does not particularly have a choice in whether their morning’s circumstances dictate that; one can choose to be humble, but one doesn’t have a choice in being humiliated or hungering and thirsting for righteousness. But when it comes to being merciful, that is entirely left in our hands. It’s something that we can control under God’s providence. Mercy could also be translated as compassion or pity, care for others who, whether through their fault or not, find themselves in situations of misfortune. When we are merciful to others, Jesus says we will be shown mercy. The Greek is just a passive verb. Like the others that we’ve seen, we can say someone will be comforted. We can say someone will be filled. Unfortunately in English we can’t say somebody will be mercy, but that’s the sense that is keynoted here.

Proverbs 14:21 may well lie in the background of Jesus’ teaching here, where the proverb writer says it is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy. And that could again be translated as showing mercy to them. It’s fascinating that three chapters later, in Proverbs 17:5, we wouldn’t guess that this passage was relevant just from the Hebrew text, which our English Bibles translate. But 17:5 says, “Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.” That’s clearly the opposite of showing mercy. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, there is an extra line in that verse that says, “But those who show mercy will receive mercy.” Jesus and the apostles were certainly aware of the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It was widely used even in Israel. And sometimes they quote from forms that appear to be exactly what the Septuagint says, whether implicit as in the Hebrew or explicit as in the Septuagint. This is a good reminder of what mercy doesn’t look like. It’s not exhibited when one shows a mocking attitude or gloats over those who are unfortunate. Again, the second part of the beatitude fits the first, “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.”

Blessed are the pure in heart.” The word pure could also be translated clean, and it suggests a single-minded devotion to God, which in fact is a theme that runs throughout the Sermon on the Mount—runs throughout the epistle of James for that matter also, which has numerous allusions to the Sermon on the Mount. It’s the, if not first, perhaps the first full example, the clearest example of that, which involves entirely a heart attitude, a heart change, but of course, outward behavior that needs to be consistent with that attitude. What’s the connection between “pure in heart” and seeing God? What does it mean to see God? Nobody can see God the Father and live, the Old Testament says numerous times. So “see” here is obviously not literal eyesight, but probably refers to knowing someone, knowing someone well, knowing someone intimately. It’s a statement about an invisible attitude that makes visible the invisible God.

And as we by now have seen consistently, there seem to be Old Testament texts in the background. This time Psalm 24 looms large, particularly verses 4–5, “The one who has clean hands and a pure heart [synonymous parallelism], who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false God [more synonymous parallelism; that’s what it means to have clean hands and a pure heart]. They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior.” To be pure in heart probably means to worship no one but God alone.

“Blessed are the peacemakers.” Peace in Jesus’ world, from the Old Testament background, is much more than the absence of strife. And sometimes on the worldly plain there is strife, but peace is wholeness of one’s person. Before the Lord, these people will be called children of God. What’s the connection here? A child in the biblical world was regularly seen as a reflection of their parents.

God is a peacemaker. God wants the absence of strife. He allows humans freedom to rebel, but His basic purposes are those of peacemaking. And so we should be peacemakers as His children.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness.” Does that have to be part of the mix? I find the first seven beatitudes challenging enough, and now persecution comes into play. Maybe not something I choose, but maybe I choose indirectly in that I don’t shrink back from hiding my Christian identity in difficult times. Paul, in 2 Timothy 3:12, will say, “Anyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” And now in the second half of the Beatitudes, Jesus switches back to the language of the first beatitude, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” present tense. We can have it now.

He then repeats Himself. Apparently this is the key. And this shows that this is all about those who are followers of Jesus and not just poor and mourning and meek and hungering and thirsting for righteousness more generally. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” There’s the link to Jesus. It doesn’t then go on to say for theirs is or for they were, but it’s implied in verse 12 in a causal clause that’s embedded after “rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” Ultimately it’s only the life to come that will make all things right.