We are Blessed
Matthew 5: 1-12
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen. The sermon text for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany is the Gospel reading Matthew 5. Our society has a very different definition of what it means to be blessed especially when you compare it to the one that Jesus gives to us in our Gospel reading for today. The world tells us that those who are wealthy, talented, and successful are the ones who are blessed. The world tells us that those who are attractive, athletic, and active are the ones who are blessed. The world tells us that those who are happy and fortunate are the ones who are blessed. We spend a great deal of energy and time trying to obtain the things that I just mentioned. These things are not necessarily wrong, but they can be a stumbling block to all of us. We will be tempted to think that these temporal blessings are all that matters. We will be tempted to place the world above the Heavenly Kingdom. For example, we will be tempted to spend more time getting our children and grandchildren trained for worldly success then we spent catechizing them in the faith.
In our Gospel reading for today Matthew records one of Jesus most famous sermons called the Sermon on the Mount. When we look at the words of our Lord we see that He has a completely different definition of what makes a person blessed. Jesus said these words. “Blessed are those who are pour, who mourn, who hunger and thirst”. In our Lord’s words we see a great reversal. We see that Christ’s definition of who is truly blessed and what the word says is completely different. What is important for us to understand is that the world is misleading us. What is important to understand is that the words of Jesus are true.
That is the message that Paul states in our epistle reading for today. He said these words. “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the word?” Paul is telling us that the wisdom of God is far greater than the wisdom of this world. He tells us that the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men. He tells us that the wisdom of God is found in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus Christ tells us who is truly blessed. He said these words. “Blessed are those who are poor, who mourn, who hunger and thirst”. What Jesus tells us is opposite of what the world tells us. We know that what our Lord says is true and right but what does it mean?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. To be poor in spirit means that we understand that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation for ourselves. To be poor in spirit means that we recognize that we need God to save us from the debt of sin. To be poor in spirit means that we are beggars before God asking Him to be gracious. The poor in spirit are blessed for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. The poor in spirit receive the kingdom of heaven through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus took the debt of our sin and took it to the cross and there He paid for it. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, means that we are blessed because Jesus Christ has earned salvation for us.
Now that we have been redeemed by Christ Jesus we view the world in a very different way. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”. We mourn when we see the sins of the world. We mourn when we see the wicked things that happen around us. We mourn because of the sin that resides in our own heart. Those who mourn will be comforted with the Gospel. Those who mourn will be comforted by the knowledge that God’s justice will prevail. Those who mourn will be comforted by the fact that God’s goodness is greater than evil. Those who mourn will be comforted for we will be brought to heaven where there is no sadness or pain.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”. The meek are humble before the Lord because He is our Savior. The meek are moved by God to place others before themselves, listening to others and caring for those around them.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”. We have received the righteousness of Christ. We desire to be continually fed and strengthened by the Gospel for the Lord is the only one who can truly satisfy us here and now and forever.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy”. The Lord is merciful to us. We receive Christ’s mercy and we are moved to be merciful to others. These words of Jesus describe the Church of Christ as a community of people who freely forgive those who sin against them. These words of Jesus parallels the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. We are blessed when God’s mercy is given to us and when we are merciful to others.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”. The Holy Spirit has created faith in us so that we believe in Jesus Christ. When the Holy Spirit worked faith in us, He performed a heart transplant. He removed our dead, unbelieving heart and created a new heart in us. A pure heart is cleansed of its own worldly ideas and is filled with what God says in His Word. The Lord has now declared us righteous and because of that we will be able to see God face to face.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”. We sin much and we don’t deserve to be blessed by God and yet God has graciously made peace with us through His Son. We have peace with God through Christ Jesus. Because we have that peace we have the desire to proclaim the peace of Christ to our neighbor.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. This last blessing does not seem like a blessing at all. We recognize the clever, raging, wicked ways of Satan, who will stop at nothing in his attacks against God’s kingdom and its Divine truth. We are Satan’s enemies; therefore we should expect trouble in our lives. He will try and turn the world against the church and make the life of the Christian difficult. But we are blessed by God’s grace. The Lord will give us strength now and He will deliver us from this world and bring us into His full presence.
The world in its wisdom would look at these words of Jesus and ignore them, ridicule them, and despise them. The world has a different view of what it means to be blessed. The world teaches us that those who are blessed are the ones who have earthly success. In our text for today Jesus tells us who is truly blessed. You are blessed. You are blessed because you are loved by God. You are blessed because Jesus Christ died for you. You are blessed because the Lord has forgiven you. You are blessed because you are right with God. You are blessed because Jesus rose from the dead giving you the assurance that death has been defeated for you. You are blessed because you will be in the full presence of God for all eternity. Amen.