The Beatitudes: Jesus the Example
The Beatitudes: Jesus the Example.
Please read Matthew 5:3-11.
As the disciples discovered in their three years of ministry with Jesus, He was the perfect example of each of the Beatitudes. If they were wondering what the Beatitudes meant when He spoke them, they surely gained understanding as they saw Jesus live them out.
He was poor in spirit. He emptied Himself of heavenly glory to come to earth and remain totally dependent on the Father. He made Himself spiritually poor, compared to his status in heaven. He was a shining example of vulnerable humility. While full of splendor and divine power, Jesus accepted the call to identify with the spiritually helpless, and put flesh on.
He mourned. He was a “man of sorrows,” transparent in His grief. He cried human tears of grief over the loss of a close friend. He grieved deeply in the Garden at His looming Passion. He took on the burden and mourned often over the brokenness of the world lost in sin and how the people are like sheep without a shepherd.
He was meek. He was willing to submit His power to the control of the Father. His gifts were guided by God, and His strength was focused on serving the weak. Instead of taking advantage over others less gifted, His power was invested in the powerless. His obedient humility put Him in a position of strength.
He hungered and thirsted for righteousness. He yearned to be the light of the world through His goodness and through His right standing with God the Father. He fulfilled His calling to be the Bread of Life and the eternal source of living water. He humbly wore the robe of righteousness. He desired in His life to sow into the fields of the world the seeds of heavenly justice.
He was merciful. He was the living embodiment of mercy, willingly sharing in the misery of others. He spent His life healing, forgiving, loving, blessing. Every day, every hour, He intentionally reflected the chief attribute of God… mercy and compassion.
He was pure in heart. His motivations were pure as He put into practice a single-minded passion to please the Father. His natural impulses were spotless, His reflex actions were without blemish. His innermost being was unmixed with sin or darkness, thus His vision of God was perfectly clean and clear.
He was a peacemaker. He established peace between God and mankind, removing God’s judgment by redeeming the world of sin. Human beings no longer have to fear being God’s enemy. He healed broken relationships, He restored peace between those in conflict. He brought people peace of mind and heart, and He proved Himself to be the Prince of Peace.
He was persecuted for righteousness’ sake. He was constantly mistreated because of His goodness. They disfigured His appearance. They marred His form. He was despised and rejected. He was stricken, smitten, and afflicted. He was pierced and oppressed. He was daily under the attack of the evil one. He was an unblemished lamb led to the slaughter. (quotes from Isaiah 52 and 53).
Jesus incarnated the Beatitudes. Jesus was Himself a Beatitude, a Blessing, to all people. He is the picture we should all be looking at. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2).