Are you one of the Happy People?

THE HAPPY PEOPLE

Mt.5:1-12

Who are the happy people?  Some would say the rich and those who lead comfortable lives are the happy people.  Few would say that the truly happy people are those who are poor in spirit, the gentle, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for what is right, those who show mercy, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted in the cause of right.  Yet, Jesus says these are the happy people.  The Beatitudes are a thumb nail autobiography of Jesus.  He was all those things.

The first beatitude is, “Happy are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  To be poor in spirit means we recognise our utter poverty.  We are nothing, all the good we have is given to us by God and God is everything.  St, Francis truly understood this when he prayed, “My God and my all.”  In possessing God he had everything.  He wanted for nothing.  The psalmist too understood this when he prayed, “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.”  The poor in spirit realise they are entirely reliant on God.  Knowing that He looks after them and brings them peace, contentment and happiness.  The reward for the poor in spirit is the kingdom of heaven.

The second beatitude is, “Happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”  Christians mourn for all that displeases God.  They mourn for their sins and those of the world.  They understand that their grieving is ultimately for a world that is lost and ruined, in which God’s will does not prevail.  But in their mourning the disciples of Jesus have opened their heavy hearts to the Lord, and they know that their grieving is not without hope.  They know that their grieving is but for a short time; that death does not have the final victory, for the dead in Christ will be raised incorruptible and the Messiah will turn their tears into joy.

The third beatitude is, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”  In the Bible the meek are those who have a spirit of gentleness and self-control; they are free from malice and a condescending spirit.  They do not exploit and oppress others; they are not given to vengeance, they are not violent, and are not ambitious for power.  They emulate the nature of Jesus and learn from Him. This does not mean that they are ineffective in life.  They may be gentle and humble, but they champion the needs of the weak and the oppressed.

The promise here is that they will possess the land.  What land?  Surely it is Heaven.   

The fourth beatitude is, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they shall be filled.”  It is the desire to do the will of God.  They desire social justice.  The King’s promise is that their desire for righteousness will be fulfilled.

The fifth beatitude is, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”  They have received mercy from God and in turn know how to show mercy to others.  Showing mercy includes both the forgiveness of the sinner and compassion for the suffering and the needy.  They show kindness and heal wounds.  It is not that they are merciful by nature, but because they have been shown mercy by the Lord and live in constant dependence on the Lord.  

The sixth beatitude is, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  They enjoy both an inner purity and a singleness of mind.  The word “heart” is used in the Bible for the will, for choices.  So to be pure in heart means that the decisions they make, the desires they have, their thoughts and intentions, are untarnished by sin.  From the pure of heart come only good things.  Jesus said it was what came from the heart that defiled people, evil thoughts, impure desires, blasphemies and the like (Matt. 15:18-19).

The promise for them is that they will see God in all the events of life even in this world.  

The seventh beatitude is, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.”  God is the God of peace; His whole plan of redemption is to bring peace to the whole world.  True peace that the world needs calls for a change of heart.  Only God can give this kind of peace.  It begins with reconciliation with God and extends to reconciliation with other people.

Peacemakers understand what true peace is.  They promote the kingdom of God and so will be called the sons of God.

The eight beatitude is, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  In this fallen world, people who try to promote peace or champion righteousness often find opposition.  Instead of attracting people to the kingdom of God, they find themselves persecuted and even martyred.  John the Baptist and the martyrs called for righteousness and they went to their death.  They rejoiced to suffer for Christ and Jesus tells us that their reward in heaven will be great. 

Lord Jesus, may we live like You and be numbered among the happy people.

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