The Members of the Kingdom – Their Characters and Consolations (Matt. 5:1-12)

John Stott points out that in the Sermon on the Mount we have depicted the life of repentance that Jesus had already called his listeners towards. Throughout the sermon Jesus will contrast his followers from those who adopt the outlook of the Pharisees and those who follow the ideas of pagan philosophers, both of which were common at that time. Similarly, his teachings in this sermon can be contrasted with all religious and psychological ideas for self-improvement that abound in our culture.

We are familiar with the Beatitudes, although sometimes familiarity can hide from us the radical nature of what Jesus says about his followers. Yet it is obvious from what he says that it should be easy to identify his followers because they will be very different from everyone else. Moreover we can see that they are also rich with regard to the future. It is also the case that Jesus, when he preached this sermon, merely listed the different details, which points to the fact that they can be understood easily.

There are two questions that arise from the Beatitudes. The first is, what character traits should we admire? The second is, what does it mean to be blessed? Regarding the first, we can ask ourselves what ingredients go into the mix of producing a balanced spiritual person? And regarding the second, we can ask where we will enjoy the blessings described by Jesus here?

There are different ways of summarising the Beatitudes. We could say that here we have the basics of a real believer, the balance of a real believer, and the blessings of a real believer. Or we could consider them as the contrast between members of the two kingdoms, the challenges of living in the kingdom, and the consummation of life in the kingdom.

What is a kingdom member like?

The Saviour is not making suggestions here when he outlines the character of his people. Nor is he describing only those who have made more progress than others. Rather he is listing the qualities that marks each of them. So what does he say about them?

What does he mean when he says that each of his followers is blessed? The word can be translated as ‘happy’, although that would be inappropriate here because Jesus is not speaking about their inner emotional attitude when he says that they are blessed. Of course, he does mention some inner attitudes and outlooks of his followers, but what makes them blessed is the divine response and blessings that he will give to them in the future.

The first feature that he mentions is poor in spirit. Such an attitude is similar to humility in outcome, and it probably is the root of which humility is the fruit.  Jesus does not mean a person who is self-demeaning, who pretends that he or she cannot do anything. Instead the poor in spirit have realised that they have no resources within themselves in order to serve God. Yet every person has a mind and certain talents. Why can they not serve God since they have such helps? The answer is that sin has affected all of them. The person who is poor in spirit realises that he is a sinner and that his sin makes him poor in numerous ways. Instead of being wise, he knows his sin can make him act foolishly. Instead of being humble, he knows his sin can lead him to self-promotion.  The poor in spirit realise that they are creatures dependent on God and are called to be his servants. But they realise that they have no resources in themselves.

The second feature is mourning. Mourning does not mean the absence of joy because later Jesus commands his followers to be joyful. Instead, mourning is a response to something that is wrong, and the wrong that saddens them is sin, whether in themselves or in others. Sin defiles and destroys, and is going to lead people to hell. A member of the kingdom takes seriously the presence of sin. I recall reading a biography of a man who was involved in city mission work in New York. All I remember from the book is one statement that the worker was overheard to say by a man who came across him weeping. The worker was speaking to God and his words were, ‘O Lord, the sin of this city is breaking my heart.’

The third feature is gentleness, but it is not a weak gentleness. Gentleness is usually revealed when a person responds to a difficult situation. It is connected to kindness, to appreciation of the other person, to restraint and to not acting selfishly.

Fourth, each member of the kingdom longs for righteousness. Given that they have already been justified, the righteousness here is not a desire to have the imputed righteousness of Jesus. Instead, the desire is based on that fact. They long for a world in which there will be nothing but righteousness, and the evidence that they have this desire is that they live righteously now. Jesus will describe features of this practical righteousness later in the sermon, but we can say that real righteousness flows from an inner desire to practice the commandments of God.

Fifth, the followers of the King are marked by mercy. We often link mercy with the divine response to our confession of sin when God shows mercy to those who do so in the sense of receiving pardon. Yet mercy is a bigger concept than that because it extends to showing compassion in all kinds of ways. Jesus is saying that his followers will show compassion to those in need, whether that need is spiritual or physical.

Sixth, the members of the kingdom are marked by purity of heart. Jesus cannot mean a sinless heart, because if he did there would not be any members in his kingdom on earth. Instead, he is describing a sanctified heart, one that is marked by the features that he has already mentioned. It has been pointed out by commentators that a good word that explains purity of heart is sincerity. There is no hypocrisy. Instead, the individual is consistently genuine. He is not deceitful.

Seventh, a true disciple of Jesus is a lover of peace, but not just in the sense of enjoying a peaceful environment. In addition, he goes into situations where peace does not exist, and does so with the aim of bringing the peace of God into those situations. He is active with his peace-making. I suppose this involves bringing the gospel of peace to those who are separated from God by their sins. And it includes sorting out situations of contention. The implication is that the followers themselves don’t cause the problem to happen.

Lastly, Jesus mentions that the subjects of the kingdom will be persecuted because of their priorities revealed in their lifestyles. There is no merit in being persecuted because we are obnoxious or proud or insistent on our own rights. But when we are opposed because of our commitment to the Bible’s requirements, we are on the road that brings many blessings into our experience.

As we think about those eight features of the character of each member of the kingdom, it should not be difficult to work out that they describe Christlikeness. It would be helpful if we went through each and observed how they were seen in the life of Jesus. He was humble, he was the man of sorrows, he was gentle, he loved righteousness, he was merciful, he was sincere, he delighted in making peace, and he was opposed and ultimately killed. The original disciples would become like this by spending time with Jesus and imitating him. The same goes for us.

The blessings of the kingdom

The poor in spirit are said to have the kingdom. Those who realise that they are nothing and have nothing are described as those who have a real status and innumerable resources. Jesus says that the kingdom belongs to them, a reminder that in his kingdom everyone is made a king. Whatever they need at any time can be supplied. Paul reminded the Philippians that God could meet all their needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

The mournful are assured of comfort. As we know, this was the name that Jesus used of the Holy Spirit in his work in the hearts of his people. He comforts them regarding their own sin by stressing the promises of forgiveness and he comforts them regarding the presence of sin by assuring them that one day in the future they will live eternally in a sinless location.

The gentle are promised that they will inherit everything (what more could someone have than the earth?). In this life, it is the graspers who often get something. They may get what they want, but they cannot keep it forever. In contrast, the gentle will be given the restored Paradise by God and they will have it as their inheritance forever. They will be heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus of the eternal world.

Those who long for righteousness will be satisfied when they reach the world of glory, a world in which nothing unrighteous will ever be thought, said or done. It is almost impossible for us to imagine that kind of world. Yet Peter says that ‘according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells’ (2 Pet. 3:13).

The merciful are assured that they will receive mercy from God. We are not accustomed to thinking of believers as those who will receive mercy from God in the future. Onesiphorus showed practical aspects of mercy to Paul by looking for him diligently in Rome. Paul’s response was ‘May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me – may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day! – and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus’ (2 Tim. 2:16-18). Mercy is the unworthy receiving what they did not deserve. In the parable of the sheep and the goats, the sheep showed mercy to various people in need, and the verdict on the Day of Judgement was linked to that mercy.

The pure in heart will be given insight into who God is. People are divided regarding what kind of sight is meant here because we are told elsewhere that God is invisible. Some suggest that what is meant is that we will see Jesus physically and in that way we will see God. Such an experience will occur for God’s people and it is certainly true that the Saviour will instruct the redeemed about God. In whatever way it will happen, we are reminded that the primary experience of glory is interacting with God. Maybe the important word is ‘see’, which implies the willingness to look. In the eternal world we will be taken up with God.

The peacemakers will be regarded as being like God. Obviously peace-making will not take place in the eternal world. Neither God nor believers will engage in it. But in the period before the end, both God and his people will do so. The Lord desires peace with sinners through the gospel and he desires peace within the church as well. Evangelism is peace-making, and believers engage in it whenever they speak about Jesus. Churches are intended to be places of peace.

There are three ways in which believers are said to belong to God’s family. One is regeneration which describes the new life they are given; a second is adoption which refers to the status they have been given; and the third is likeness or transformation. The third one is the evidence of the first one – new life brings desires for peace.

The persecuted are assured that they possess the resources of the kingdom. It is possible for people to be in trouble for various reasons which may not be connected to righteousness. For example, some Christians may decide to get involved in a political movement that may lead to problems for them. Their political opinions are their own choice and may be no more righteous than the alternatives. The blessing here is only for those who are persecuted for following the ways of God. Whatever they lose now because of their commitment to the kingdom, they cannot lose what is kept for them in heaven.

Application

A member of the kingdom is a changed person on the inside. His behaviour flows from within. He has learned that he has no resources in himself, but that he has ample resources in God. In other kingdoms, the changes are external because no one has the power to change the hearts of the subjects. It is the opposite in the kingdom of God. The poor in spirit, that is those who have nothing in themselves, mourn over sin, are gentle, are hungry for righteousness, are merciful, are sincere in heart, love peace and remain this when they are persecuted. This is the consistent character that they have.

The members of the kingdom realise that there is a present and a future experience of it. Some details can only be done in the present (such as peace-making) whereas the fullness of the blessings can only be known in the future aspect of the kingdom. They use some of its resources now, receive some comfort now, experience mercy now, long for righteousness now. Yet it will be in the new heavens and new earth that fullness will be known, that comfort will be unsurpassable, that they will have their inheritance, that they will see God and experience his incredible mercy. 

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