Matthew 5:3a

Matthew 5:3
I believe the first word that Jesus utters in this sermon is shocking. The people are looking for a kingdom and Jesus says, “Blessed…” They are looking for what they might possess and Jesus speaks of what they ought to be. “Blessed” is a wonderful word, full of meaning. The Greek is makarios and was used concerning the island of Cyprus because it was considered the “happy isle.” The Greeks believed that it had such richness that a person would never have to venture beyond its borders to find a perfectly complete, happy life. It had all that was needed; it was self-contained. Therefore, for a person to be called blessed would say that his joy and completeness was found within himself and not based on his circumstances.Our English word “happy” would be a poor understanding of the word blessed. Happy begins with the root “hap” which refers to something that happens, that is, occurs by chance. Therefore, human happiness is dependent on luck and the changing circumstances around us. But the Lord’s blessedness does not change because of one’s circumstances. The Lord’s joy can be found and maintained through pain, sorrow, loss, or grief. It cannot be taken away or affected by any earthly variant.

But neither can the blessedness of the Lord cannot be pursued, at least not directly. The blessedness Jesus speaks of is the result of who a man is. Therefore, a person pursues the inner character the Lord describes and the result is blessedness. How different from human thinking. The world tells us to chase pleasure and pursue happiness, but Jesus tells us that such pursuits will cause one to lose his life (Mt. 16:25). It ought to be a matter of comfort to us. We do not have to be disappointed that we do not possess what others possess or cannot do what others do because that is not where joy is found anyway. True joy, true blessedness is found in having a character like Jesus. All other pursuits for happiness are a waste of time.
Berry Kercheville