So Brad and I are going through, studying and memorizing the beatitudes from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I've read it a million times, and I've always had a tough time figuring these things out. They just never made sense to me. I've been going back through Dallas Willard's book The Divine Conspiracy, where he really unpacks these things, and I finally feel like I'm getting them, having one of those "ah-ha" moments.

The beatitudes, in particular, are not teachings on how to be blessed. They are not instructions to do anything. They do not indicate conditions that are especially pleasing to God or good for human beings.

No one is actually being told that they are better off for being poor, for mourning, for being persecuted, and so on, or that the conditions listed are recommended ways to well-being before God or man. Nor are the Beatitudes indications of who will be on top "after the revolution". They are explanations and illustrations, drawn from the immediate setting, of the present availability of the kingdom through personal relationship to Jesus. They single out cases that provide proof that, in him, the rule of God from the heavens truly is available in life circumstances that are beyond all human hope.

I'm taking a couple each day, memorizing them, and digging deep into them, and really starting to get it. I'm probably the only one who didn't really fathom what the heck Jesus was talking about in these, but it's starting to make sense. The more I dig into Jesus's teachings, the more I figure out that he was the smartest guy ever.

Tags: Beatitudes, Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard