Lesson 1. The Foundations of Blessedness. The “Foundations of Christ’s Teachings” School: A series of foundational teachings that Jesus Christ taught His disciples on the mountain.
Blessed Are the Poor
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
- blessed [makarios] – blessed, happy, prosperous, wealthy, favored. A word that denotes happiness in its fullest measure.
- poor –in Greek, this has two different meanings and, accordingly, two different words. 3993 [penes] refers to a person who must work to make a living, while 4434 [ptochos] refers to a helpless person who is forced to beg. This person is completely dependent on whatever is given to him. In this passage, Jesus used the word [ptochos].
Jesus says: “Spiritually poor people are happy – the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them.” In other words, the Kingdom of Heaven is available to those who are spiritually poor and dependent on Him. Jesus encourages such people by telling them that the Kingdom of Heaven already belongs to them. The Greek words [aiton estin] mean that they already possess it. It already belongs to them.
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
- those who mourn [pentheo] – to grieve, weep, be sorrowful, be brokenhearted, mourn.
In the context of the entire passage, from verses 3 through 12, it is clear that this is not about human weeping. Jesus could not have considered weeping a reason for happiness, just as in verse 6 He could not have considered hunger and thirst signs of happiness. Jesus was speaking about people who are spiritually grieving and broken, suffering and crying out to God. Jesus said that they would receive their comfort—they would receive what they grieved and wept over.
Blessed are the meek
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
The concept of meekness is often associated with a person who looks very devout, with downcast eyes, simple clothing, and so on.
- meek [praïs] – gentle, mild, quiet, kind, calm, restrained, good. This is the opposite of a rude, harsh, hot-tempered person.
Jesus said that quiet, calm, meek people are happy – they will inherit the earth. The word earth [gē] has several meanings;
- earth – the planet,
- earth – a piece of land,
- earth – a country or region.
This may mean: 1) Inheriting “a new earth and a new heaven.” 2) Receiving an inheritance as one’s possession. 3) Inheriting one’s country or city.
As we can see, a gentle, mild, quiet, meek, kind, calm, restrained, good person – possesses very important qualities that will make them happy and enable them to inherit blessings from the Lord – the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
- hungry [pináō] – to hunger, to be hungry, to suffer hunger, to crave; figuratively, to strongly desire, to passionately long for.
- thirsty [dipsáō] – to thirst, to be thirsty, to crave, to passionately long for.
- righteousness [dikaiosýnē] – justice, legality, righteousness. In the New Testament, this word appears 51 times, and in 48 instances it is translated as righteousness.
Blessed are those who passionately hunger and thirst for righteousness; they will be filled with it.
Blessed are the merciful
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
- merciful [eleḗmōn] – merciful, compassionate, sympathetic.
Blessed are those who are merciful and compassionate toward others; they will also be shown mercy. Compassion will also be extended to them.
Blessed are the pure in heart
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
- pure [katharós] – pure, cleansed, sincere, transparent, genuine, authentic.
- They will see God [тЭон Опсонтэ]. A morphological analysis of the word [Опсонте] reveals the true meaning of what Jesus said for those who are pure in heart. [Опсонте] is a verb: future tense, middle voice, indicative mood. This word is translated as: to appear, to show oneself, to let oneself be seen.
Jesus said that happy are those who are pure in heart and open before God, who are sincere, genuine, and authentic. God Himself will appear to such people. People with such hearts will be able to see God because He will appear to them Himself.
Blessed are the peacemakers
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
- peacemaker [иринопиОс] – a peacemaker, one who establishes peace. This word was used to describe kings who established peace.
- called [калЭо] – to call, name, or designate. They will be called; they will be given a name.
Interestingly, peacemakers will not be called Christians or true believers, but specifically sons of God. Who is this person? Oh, this is a true son of God.”
Jesus defines true sons of God – they are people who create and promote peace. Such people will truly be happy.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness
Matthew 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
- persecuted – subjected to persecution, harassment, or exile.
- righteousness [дикэосИнин] – In the New Testament, this word appears 51 times, and in 48 of those instances it is translated as righteousness.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for living righteously. Some of us have already been in this situation: “Why is this happening to me? I haven’t done anything wrong. Why am I being persecuted?” Jesus encourages such people, saying that the Kingdom of Heaven already belongs to them.
The Greek words [aiton estin] mean that they already possess or have it. It already belongs to them (John 15:18–19). When this happens, you are blessed – you are not of this world but belong to another world, another kingdom. That is why the world hates you.
Matthew 5:11–12 Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and falsely speak all kinds of evil against you for My sake. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
- Revile [oneidizōsin] – to reproach, criticize, insult, abuse, revile, speak evil of.
Blessed are those who endure this for Jesus. He says that in such a case, we should begin to rejoice and be glad.
- Rejoice [chairete] – is in the imperative mood. This speaks not of passively waiting for a time when one can rejoice, but of a command to rejoice now.
- Be glad [agalliasfe] – is also in the imperative mood and means to exult, triumph, rejoice greatly, and be glad now.
A great reward in heaven is prepared for those who endure persecution, suffering, and accusations because of Jesus. Knowing this, Jesus encourages us to rejoice and be glad.
End of lesson.
Source: Father’s Blessing Church
Teacher: Dmitriy Leo
