Matt 5:1–12 — The Dynamics of Kingdom Righteousness: Beatitudes 1 and 2

Introduction to the Beatitudes

I have titled this section on the eight Beatitudes “The Dynamics of Kingdom Righteousness” because I believe the best way to understand them is through the lens of righteousness. Notice how this theme appears in several of the Beatitudes. In verse 6, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Again, in verse 10, he says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Righteousness provides a helpful way of understanding all eight Beatitudes.

Preparing Our Hearts for Kingdom Righteousness

This theme also prepares Christ’s hearers for the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, which we could summarize as a call to kingdom righteousness. Christ wants his disciples to hunger and thirst for righteousness and to grow in their love for God and their devotion to him.

In Matthew 5:20, he tells them that unless their righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven. I do not believe he is referring there to the imputed righteousness of Christ, as though he were speaking simply of justification and the gift of Christ’s righteousness. He is calling his disciples to pursue a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. Their righteousness focuses on external behavior; he calls his disciples to righteousness of the heart.

The theme appears again in chapter 6, where Jesus tells us not to be anxious about our lives, our food and drink, or our clothing. The Gentiles strive after these things, but his disciples are to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Righteousness is thus a key theme that helps us understand the entire Sermon on the Mount.

The Beatitudes prepare our hearts for this call. Jesus will explain the deeper righteousness of the heart that he desires, and he will give us commands concerning it. Before he does so, however, he encourages us with these eight blessings.

We can easily misinterpret the Beatitudes as simply calls to obedience. We read “Blessed are the meek” as a command to become meek, or “Blessed are the merciful” as a command to show mercy. Those are valid implications, and Jesus will develop them later. In chapter 6, for example, he speaks of forgiving others as an outflow of our own experience of forgiveness and grace. He also warns that if we do not forgive others, our heavenly Father will not forgive us.

Yet that is not the primary point of the Beatitudes. At this stage, Jesus is not directly commanding us to become more meek or merciful. He is focusing on what is true of us in Christ—the blessings we have in union with him. In effect, he tells his disciples: Although you are poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven belongs to you. Although you mourn, you will be comforted. Although you are meek, you will inherit the earth.

These are statements of fact about who they are in union with him. Ephesians 1 expresses the same truth when Paul says that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Jesus is describing the blessings that belong to those who have heard his call and become his disciples.

Recall his proclamation in Matthew 4:17: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Then, by the Sea of Galilee, he calls Simon and Andrew to follow him. The disciples have heard his invitation to receive the kingdom, repented, and become his followers. Now he sits down to teach them about all the blessings they have in him.

Before Jesus gives us the imperatives of kingdom righteousness, he wants us to have the right frame of mind. Before we ask how we can be salt and light in the community around us, we must learn to pursue righteousness with humility. The Pharisees pursued it proudly, seeking to accumulate good deeds and display them before others. They wanted a righteousness that would give them status in the world and in their religious community.

That is not the righteousness Jesus calls us to pursue. Kingdom righteousness flows from humility and grace, from resting in Christ and first receiving and enjoying the spiritual blessings we have in him.

Blessed Now in Light of the Future

Before we consider the first two Beatitudes, we need to understand the word “blessed.” The term “Beatitudes” comes from Latin and refers to blessings. Each Beatitude has two parts: “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” followed by “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”; or “Blessed are those who mourn,” followed by “for they shall be comforted.” How does the blessing relate to the second half of each statement?

The question involves the relationship between the present and the future. The first and eighth Beatitudes both conclude in the present tense: “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (vv. 3, 10). The intervening Beatitudes use the future tense. The third, for example, says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (v. 5).

Clearly, our blessedness is connected with these promises. We are blessed because the kingdom belongs to us and because we will inherit the earth. But when do we experience that blessing? Is Jesus speaking only of a secure future—of going to heaven, receiving comfort, and being satisfied when he returns and all evil is removed? Or is he also speaking of the present?

There is certainly a future dimension. We do not inherit the earth now; we are pilgrims here. We will inherit the new creation when Christ returns. Yet I believe the emphasis of these Beatitudes is on how that secure future reaches into the present and makes us blessed even now, despite our apparent lack of blessing.

Mourning does not seem to be a blessing. Yet Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” He is not merely saying that we will receive comfort when he returns. We are blessed now because that promised comfort already reaches into the present and gives us joy in the Holy Spirit. There is a beautiful tension here as Jesus brings the present and the future together.

His disciples are already blessed, even though they suffer persecution, hunger, thirst, and the other difficulties of life in this world. The religious establishment may despise them as poor, ragged followers of a wandering prophet, people who have nothing. Yet the kingdom is theirs. Christ has purchased it for them and brought it into their lives.

When he announces that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, he does not mean merely that it is approaching. The kingdom has arrived because the King has arrived. Christ brings its spiritual blessings to us, and as we believe in him and receive him, we enter the kingdom even now.

The Reversal of Our Present Condition

The Beatitudes capture this mixture of sorrow and joy: we suffer, yet we rejoice because the kingdom of God is present in Christ. A helpful way to paraphrase each Beatitude, then, is to bring out its paradox.

Consider the first: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Poverty of spirit does not, in itself, make us blessed. Rather, Jesus is telling his disciples that although they are poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven already belongs to them through union with him. They have entered his kingdom of grace and salvation. In the midst of their poverty, they are blessed as future inheritors of that glorious kingdom.

Their present condition will one day be reversed. Mourning will give way to comfort; meekness and powerlessness will give way to inheriting the earth. Because that reversal is certain, secured through Christ and his ministry, we can begin to enter its reality now. Fixing our hope on the age to come gives us strength to live Christlike lives and endure suffering, loss, and meekness. What a blessing it is to live in union with Christ.

Luke 6:20 and following provides a helpful parallel. Luke does not record the Sermon on the Mount in the same fullness as Matthew, but he includes Beatitudes and adds a small, significant word: “now.” In verse 21, that word highlights the contrast between the disciples’ present condition and the future reversal.

Luke also records woes, the opposite of blessings. The blessings belong to Christ’s disciples, the people of his kingdom. The woes apply to people such as the Pharisees, who think themselves righteous but remain far from the kingdom. Here, too, Jesus uses “now.” In verse 25, those who are full now will be hungry. They believe they have righteousness and lack nothing, but their condition will be reversed. Likewise, Jesus says, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”

This contrast helps us understand Matthew’s Beatitudes. The “now” in Luke brings into focus the difference between our present condition and what awaits us in the age to come.

The Eight Beatitudes and Righteousness

Before concentrating on the first two Beatitudes, let us briefly consider all eight through this theme of kingdom righteousness.

The first Beatitude, in verse 3, concerns knowing your lack of righteousness. Poverty of spirit means that you do not consider yourself spiritually rich or congratulate yourself on your righteousness. You know your need. Yet you are blessed because the kingdom belongs to people like you.

The second, in verse 4, concerns living in the comfort of righteousness granted. Although you mourn over your lack of righteousness, you are blessed because you will receive comfort through the righteousness Christ gives you as a free gift. We will consider that connection more closely shortly.

The third, in verse 5, concerns relying on the inheritance of righteousness. The meek have no power or voice in this present life, yet one day they will inherit the earth. You can live now in the blessedness of knowing that you will be vindicated. You do not need to vindicate yourself. You can be meek because that future inheritance is yours.

The fourth, in verse 6, concerns hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Here Jesus begins to move toward the imperative. He has spoken of our blessedness even though we lack righteousness and must receive it from him. Now he speaks of our desire for actual righteousness as we grow in sanctification. Hunger and thirst may seem to describe a negative condition, but those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed: they will be satisfied through Christ’s work in them by his Spirit.

The fifth, in verse 7, concerns forgiving others who lack righteousness. Knowing your own lack of righteousness enables you to have mercy on others who share that need.

The sixth, in verse 8, concerns seeking righteousness of heart: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” This returns us to the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. Christ calls his disciples to more than external righteousness; he calls them to purity of heart.

The seventh, in verse 9, concerns pursuing righteousness in our relationships: “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Finally, the eighth concerns being persecuted for righteousness: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The First Beatitude: Knowing Your Lack of Righteousness

What does Jesus mean when he says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”?

Spiritual Poverty and Economic Poverty

In Luke 6:20, the parallel reads simply, “Blessed are you who are poor,” without the words “in spirit.” Some have therefore argued that Jesus is pronouncing a blessing on the economically disadvantaged as such.

This interpretation became prominent in liberation theology, particularly among Roman Catholic theologians in South America during the 1970s and 1980s. Amid poverty and economic oppression, these theologians emphasized Jesus as liberator and spoke of God’s preferential option for the poor. On this reading, Jesus blesses those who are literally poor. It seemed almost to imply that the rich would go to hell and the poor to heaven. I do not think its advocates generally stated the matter so explicitly, but that seemed to be the implication.

That is not what Jesus is teaching here. Matthew’s phrase “in spirit” makes clear that he is speaking primarily of spiritual poverty, rather than economic poverty.

There is a connection between the two. Those who are materially rich often find it harder to recognize their spiritual need and trust in Christ. This does not mean that a rich person cannot be saved, but wealth can hinder a person from seeing that need. Economic circumstances matter, yet they are not the primary point of this Beatitude.

The Poor as God’s Humble People

The Old Testament helps us understand this language. References to “the poor” occur throughout the Psalms; even a simple search in a Bible concordance reveals how frequently the word appears there. The psalmist repeatedly cries, “I am poor and needy.” Psalm 34:6 says, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”

The focus is on the psalmist’s spiritual need as he cries out for deliverance and salvation. “The poor” is a biblical designation for God’s humble people. Psalm 35:10 asks, “O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”

Likewise, 1 Samuel 2:8 says, “He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap.” Mary echoes this theme in the Magnificat in Luke 1. This language describes God’s people in their need, crying out to him for help and deliverance.

Good News to the Poor

The theme comes to a climax in Isaiah 61, a passage crucial to understanding the first two Beatitudes. Jesus himself read from it in the synagogue and declared, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

Isaiah describes the ministry of the anointed Messiah:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.

Both the first and the second Beatitudes allude to this passage: good news comes to the poor, and comfort comes to those who mourn. Jesus’ use of Isaiah 61 in Luke 4 shows how central it is to his ministry.

We find the same connection in Matthew 11. John the Baptist, then in prison, had heard about Christ’s works and sent disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Jesus did not answer by quoting the whole passage from Isaiah, but he alluded to it:

Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

The poor receive the gospel. This is the key to understanding the first Beatitude. Jesus is not speaking of economic poverty in itself, although economic and spiritual poverty often go together, and God’s humble people are frequently poor. He is speaking of the spiritual poverty of those who know their need of the gospel.

We might paraphrase his words this way: Blessed are those who recognize and deeply feel their lack of righteousness and their need for righteousness to be given to them so that they may inherit heaven.

“For Theirs Is the Kingdom of Heaven”

Even though you are poor in spirit, struggling with sin and deeply aware of your need, you are blessed. You may feel that you are not a very righteous person. Yet it is precisely people like you who are heirs of the kingdom of heaven.

We who have come to Christ in humble faith, acknowledging and confessing our sins and trusting in him alone, have a right and title to heaven itself. Christ has secured it by his death and resurrection and by his perfect obedience in our place. As the true Israel, he fully obeys God’s law and brings the kingdom to us through his obedience and righteousness.

Because the kingdom is ours, we can be certain that we will enter heaven through Christ’s righteousness. Even now, while we remain conscious of sin, guilt, and our lack of righteousness, we can experience the joy of assurance. We belong to Christ, and heaven is ours.

To paraphrase the first Beatitude: Being a Christian entails being poor in spirit—knowing your deep spiritual poverty and lack of righteousness. Yet count it all joy and consider yourself blessed, for it is precisely such people who are spiritually rich as heirs of the heavenly kingdom.

Do you see the paradox, the sorrow and joy held together? This is the beauty of the gospel. Jesus proclaims the gospel of the kingdom, bringing good news to those who are spiritually poor.

The Second Beatitude: The Comfort of Righteousness Granted

The second Beatitude follows closely from the first: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” It describes living in the comfort of righteousness granted. To understand that connection, we must first consider what “mourning” means.

Mourning over Sin

Just as poverty can refer to material poverty, mourning can refer to grief over someone’s death. That usage is common in the Old Testament, but it is not the only one.

Mourning can also refer more broadly to sorrow caused by suffering. The Psalms speak of mourning because of the oppression of the enemy. This is not necessarily grief over a death; it is sorrow under persecution, such as David experienced when Saul sought to kill him.

There is a further use of mourning in connection with repentance. Jesus announced, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” I believe this is the kind of mourning he has in view in the second Beatitude, and we find it in the Old Testament as well.

When Israel’s apostasy and idolatry brought God’s judgment, the temple was destroyed and the people were sent into exile. This was a terrible crisis in the life of God’s people. In exile, they came to recognize their sin and mourn over it.

Daniel provides an example. Living in Babylon, he recognized the depth of his nation’s sin. In Daniel 9, he sought God with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes, confessing both his own sins and those of Israel. Daniel 10:2–3 also describes three weeks of mourning and abstinence from delicacies, meat, and wine.

Mourning, then, can refer specifically to grief over sin. As we saw when considering repentance, there are two parts: grief and conviction over sin, and turning from it. The mourning described here is the first of these.

Jesus is telling his disciples that, as Christians, they mourn over their sin and lack of righteousness, yet they will be comforted.

Comfort through Forgiveness and Justification

If the mourning is over sin, then the comfort must concern the forgiveness of sin. We must understand the two halves of the Beatitude consistently. We cannot take the mourning spiritually, as grief over sin, and then understand the comfort only as consolation after bereavement or suffering. The comfort Jesus promises answers the grief he describes: it is the comfort of forgiveness and justification.

The Old Testament serves as our dictionary for this language. To understand terms such as “poor,” “righteousness,” and “comfort” in the New Testament, we must attend to their Old Testament use.

Isaiah uses comfort in connection with forgiveness. At the great turning point in his prophecy, after the emphasis on judgment in its earlier chapters, we hear these wonderful words:

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned. (Isa. 40:1–2)

The exile is coming to an end, and Jerusalem’s iniquity is pardoned. Here is the connection: God comforts his people by assuring them of the forgiveness of their sins.

We see the same truth later in Isaiah 61, the chapter that speaks of good news to the poor and comfort for those who mourn. Verse 10 gives us a marvelous prophecy of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness:

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

This looks ahead to the free gift of Christ’s righteousness, which we wear like a garment. The sackcloth and ashes of mourning are put away, and we are clothed in a beautiful robe of righteousness. Covered in Christ’s righteousness, we rejoice in the salvation he gives us.

Again, although Jesus says that those who mourn “shall be comforted,” the future reaches into the present. Even now we are blessed. We mourn our sins and our lack of righteousness, yet we receive the comfort of free justification. That comfort is not reserved entirely for Christ’s return; it already turns our mourning into dancing and rejoicing.

Christ Came to Call Sinners

Perhaps the simplest way to express the message of these first two Beatitudes is with Jesus’ own words in Matthew 9:13: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The “righteous” are those who think themselves righteous, as the Pharisees did. The sinners are those who know that they are not righteous, who recognize their sin, their struggles, and their need. These are the people Jesus came to call and to whom he gives grace and mercy.

Blessed are you, Christian, if you mourn and grieve over your sin. You will be comforted, and through Christ you are comforted even now.

Isaiah 57:15 expresses this beautifully. God is the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy. He is perfectly holy and righteous, and he demands perfect righteousness. Yet this is what he says:

I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.