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| Capernaum Miracle |
Time with Jesus - 27 Oct 2013
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| Sermon on the Mount |
Opinions vary as to exactly how many distinct statements into
which the Beatitudes should be divided (ranging from eight to ten). Most
scholars consider them to be only eight. These eight of Matthew follow a simple
pattern: Jesus names a group of people normally thought to be unfortunate and
pronounces them blessed.
Matthew
The eight Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3–12 during
the Sermon on the Mount, each begins with:
Blessed are...
1. ...the poor
in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:3)
2. ...those who
mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)
3. ...the meek:
for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)
4. ...those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)
5.
...the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)
6.
...the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)
7.
...the peacemakers: for they will be called children of
God. (5:9)
8.
...those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10)
In Matt 5:11-12, the eight
Beatitudes are followed by what is often viewed as a commentary - a further
clarification of the eighth one, with specific application being made to the
disciples. Instead of referencing third-person plural "they", Jesus
changes to second-person "you"
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| Peter's Statue in Capernaum |
1.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you
and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be
glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted
the prophets who were before you.
The Beatitudes unique to Matthew are the meek, the merciful,
the pure of heart, and the peacemakers. The other four have similar entries in
Luke, but are followed almost immediately by "four woes".
Luke
The four Beatitudes in Luke
6:20–22 during the Sermon on the Plain. Verse
20 introduces them by saying, "Looking at his disciples, he
said:" Then parallel to Matthew, each Beatitude begins with:
Blessed are you...
1.
…who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
2.
…who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
3.
…you who weep now, for you will laugh.
4.
…when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult
you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of man.
Verse 23 - "Rejoice in that day and
leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors
treated the prophets", seems parallel to the commentary in Matthew 5:11-12 which reads, "Blessed are you
when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against
you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you".
The four woes that follow these in Luke
6:24–26 each begins with:
Woe to you...
1.
who are rich, for you have already received your
comfort.
2.
who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
3.
who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
4.
when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their
ancestors treated the false prophets.
The fourth "woe" in verse
26 appears to be much the same as the commentary in Matthew 5:11-12.
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| Artist's impression of Synagogue |
These woes are distinct from the Seven Woes of the Pharisees
that appear later in Luke 11:37-54.
Jesus and the word “Woe”: “Woe” is a terrible curse word and
should never be used by Christians. Jesus declared “woe” over Korazin
and Bethsaida
and predicted the downfall of Capernaum. All three towns no longer exist. In
Matthew’s gospels Jesus is on record as saying:
21 "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed
in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and
ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will
be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to
the depths. If the miracles that were
performed in you had been performed in Sodom,
it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the Day of
Judgment than for you." Mat 11:21-24
NIV. 
He had performed many of His miracles in these towns. However, it
seems that there had been no repentance of sin in them. He states that if the
same miracles had taken place in Tyre, Sidon or Sodom, their townsfolk would
have responded and repented. Hence, on the Day of Judgement, their people would
be judged less severely than Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. The Word of God
always achieves the intended purpose. It’s interesting to note that Tiberius is
one of the few towns around the Sea of Galilee area, from those days, remaining
to this day.
Shalom
Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Sunday, 27 October 2013
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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OUR
BE-ATTITUDE
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It was inevitable that Jesus
Christ would draw the crowds. He had received a revelation from His Father
that He is the Son of God. He was either crazy, a liar, or it was true. Take
your pick. I made my decision sometime in the early 1950’s. For me, it is,
was, and always will be the truth. In the early days of His ministry, He was
followed by the crowds to the point where He often had to hide away. How do
you hide when you have the reputation as the greatest walking miracle worker
ever seen? If you can do so, please tell me!
Matthew 5 advises us that on
one occasion, He was on a mountain-side talking with His disciples. As He did
so, a great crowd gathered round Him. Then He began to speak. What the crowd
was about to hear, is the greatest and most remarkable “sermon” ever given. ±2000
years later, it remains unsurpassed as the simplest and most beautiful lesson
on the Kingdom of God, any person before or since has ever delivered. No man
or woman, other than Jesus Christ Himself, has ever lived up to the impossible
requirements of this sermon. Indeed, it is only “Him-possible” in and through
His life in us.
He set the ball rolling with
the beatitudes. If you boil them all down you find that there are eight of
them. They might possibly be considered as the eight gold medals of our
“Olympic Games” of life. Individually, it may be possible for us to achieve
one or two of them. Even a dedicated and committed Christian might succeed
and put four or five of them into practice in daily life. Most Christians
look at them, shake their head and say, “Don’t bother; they are beyond the
likes of you and me.”
I’ve heard it suggested that
there are 8 because if we only succeed with one per day, a week will not be
long enough for any of us. What we have to remember is that Jesus was not
speaking about what you and I can achieve. Forget that. It’s a pipedream. But
when we live in Him, as we are meant to, we find that they produce the most
wonderful lifestyle possible.
One day, Christians will
realise that none of us can live the Christian life. We aren’t supposed to do
it anyway. The beatitudes should force us onto our knees to cry out to God
for help. We can’t do it. If we could, we would have no need for Him. We
could say that these beatitudes are God saying, “This is how I live. Match it
if you can!” It’s a bit like the Old Testament Law. It was impossible for the
Jews to keep. The beatitudes are a type of Christian equivalent. “Here is My
lifestyle” says Jesus. Come to Me. Make Me your Lord and we will do it together.”
This makes me tremble. Please Lord; empower me to live like that!
Jim & Phyllida
Strickland
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6 Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too
powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them
out of the land. For I know that whoever you
bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed."
Numbers 22:6 TNIV
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We call them the beatitudes; the attitude to be,
When thinking of the Scripture; what it means for you and me!
We wish that we could find them, but they are very rare,
Very few are manifest of which we are aware.
Tell me where they’re hiding; they’re difficult to spot.
Life is very stressful, so most we haven’t got!
We aren’t poor in spirit if we are filled with pride.
Which means that from God’s Kingdom we run away and hide
Mourners will be comforted; that’s wonderful to know.
But mourning doesn’t happen, when we’re always on the go.
Meekness is a quality we seldom understand.
If we lose our temper, we’ll also lose the land.
Hungering and thirsting, in a quest for righteousness!
If we’d only do it, we won’t get in a mess.
But if we’re committed, to putting Jesus first,
We will never hunger and we will never thirst.
When we’re being merciful, we will not bear a grudge.
Or take a position, from which we will not budge
Jesus brought forgiveness and set the sinner free.
Having a pure heart is an impossibility,
For normal sinful people; the likes of me and you.
And though this sounds so logical it really isn’t true!
By the blood of Jesus, our hearts have been made pure!
We shall see the Master; that’s absolutely sure.
Are you a peacemaker? Is Christ your source of peace?
Take Him to your neighbours; and help them find release,
From their dreadful bondages, when He becomes their Lord.
We will all be sons of God when Jesus is adored!
Are you persecuted? Called a “righteous freak”?
Do you hear the comment, “Don’t listen to him speak.
He is just a hypocrite! So do not you waste your time.
He has no authority from Jesus Christ Divine!
Righteousness and heaven; what can he know of that?
Tell him that it sounds as if he’s talking through his hat.”
When they make such comments is when you should rejoice.
Shout out “Hallelujah” in your very loudest voice.
Jesus Christ has promised a reward for you on high.
Everlasting glory with His prophets in the sky.
Jim Strickland
Written 27 Oct 2012
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3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted. 5 "Blessed are
the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 "Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11
"Blessed are you when others revile you and
persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your
reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.
Matthew 5:3-12 ESV
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27 As He was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, "God bless
Your mother--the womb from which You came, and the breasts that nursed
You!" 28 Jesus replied, "But even
more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice."
Luke 11:27-28 NLT
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14 Blessed are those who wash their robes.
They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the
fruit from the tree of life.
Revelation 22:14 NLT
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