Summary: This passage is commonly known as the Beatitudes. The compact Bible dictionary by Zondervan states that beatitudes [or blessedness] is “a word not found in the English Bible, but meaning (1) the joys of heaven, or (2) a declaration of blessedness.
These words are spoken from Jesus as an introduction of the Sermon on the Mount.
Focus Verse:
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
Reflection:
Followers of Jesus are to be unique and identified as such because of how we live. Many of our key qualities as disciples of Jesus as laid out in the Beatitudes overlap with qualities also found in good deed doers, community leaders, activists, leaders of oppressed groups and good neighbors. But as followers of Christ there is also a promise attached to each of the beatitudes. The first half of verse is a trait which, if held in the pursuit of holiness, is given a promise. The world does not reap the benefit from these promises unless they turn their hearts over to Jesus.
Be in the world but not of the world. Our church wide initiatives for this year, “eradicate systemic poverty, dismantling structural racism, and building congregational vitality” are definitely ideals that the world needs more of, especially in the coming days when Christians may see more opposition in America than ever before in history. Let us not forget that Jesus is our hope, our desire and our reason for living. Without Jesus it doesn’t matter how many good deeds we do, we will be judged and He will say “depart from me, I never knew you”.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for showing us the way through your Word, the Bible. Thank you for your teachings like the Beatitudes which give us a standard and a promise for your kingdom. Remind us to always put you at the forefront of everything that we do so that we are not just another do-gooder but your disciples, your representatives to the world. The salt of the earth.
