The Beatitudes are referred to the account of ?Sermon on Mount? preached by Jesus, recorded in Mat 5: 3-12 in New Testament. It is one of the most quoted passage of Bible, not only among the Christians, but among others as well. . Similar list of beatitudes is also given in Luke 6:20-23.
Q. What is the meaning of ‘Beatitudes’? And how does it relate to word ?Blessed? used in Matthew 5:3-12?
The word ?Beatitude? is not found in the English bible. But it is derived from Latin word ?Beatus? meaning ?Happy? or ?Blessed?, the meaning of which is very close to original Greek word Jesus that employed . The word in Greek for ?Blessed? is ?Makarioi? which means ?happy, supremely blessed, fortunate?. Before we look into the beatitudes, let us look at the similarity and differences in the gospel accounts of Matthew 5:3-12 and Luke 6:20-23.
In Matthew, all the 8 beatitudes are written in third persons (?those?), except the last one. On the other hand, in Luke, Beatitudes are in second person (?you?), followed by the list of ?Woes? too. (Luke 6:24-26) The sites where Jesus preached the message are different. (Mat 5:1 ? ?On the Mount? and Luke 6:17 ? ?On the plain?) Bible scholars differs on their views regarding these 2 accounts, whether they are
a) Different records of the same sermon, or
b) Two different sermons with similar subject
Peoples often point out to such differences to discredit the legitimacy and reliability of gospel records. But these minor differences actually serve as an evidence of the genuineness of these records. [Consider an example of Professor giving homework to his students. If two students have identical, word by word solutions, Professor would first suspect ?copying or cheating?!] Apart from these small differences, there is a exceptional unity and order of thought and substance in the gospels.
Beatitudes are the great paradox to the worldly belief of ?blessedness? and ?happiness?. It is no wonder that it does not make sense and almost appears to be a contradiction to the carnal mind.
The beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount also defy the great expectations of an earthly kingdom, which Jews believed Messiah would establish! For how can you establish a worldly kingdom by the Weak and the Meek? How can you be merciful to your oppositions? How can you be peacemakers, if you are to set a kingdom? How can you let people persecute and insult you? It is obvious that Jesus not talking about earthly kingdom. But he is offering ?Kingdom of Heaven?.
The more we learn about the beatitudes, the more we realize that these characteristics are not something you can get instantaneously. It is a subtle, step-by-step change. There are not set formulas to accomplish them. Only thing you can do is to allow God to totally transform you from inside. And it is very difficult to give up control of our life and let God be in charge.
The Sermon on the Mount
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