beatitudes

Persecuted

April 25, 2024April 25, 2024Leave a comment

Matthew 5:10 NIV: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Growing up, I recall hearing tales of people in other countries getting persecuted for their faith. Stories of martyrs losing their lives or individuals meeting in secret to study the word of God. Thank goodness that wasn’t me, I’d think; I don’t know if I’d be strong enough to endure hard things like that! I would skim over this verse as irrelevant with those images as my reference point.

In jumping into this verse, however, I now see a new angle. First, let’s look at the word persecute. In Greek, the word dioko‘ means aggressively chasing like a hunter pursuing a catch. The feeling of being hunted stirs up fear, but the bigger question is, who is actually being hunted?

Jesus states this promise is for those hunted down because of righteousness. Righteousness is the church word scattered all over the Bible because it’s the ultimate goal for Christians. The term means to be upright, approved of by God, or just. In the simplest terms, it means living the “right” way.

I spent some time contemplating what living the right way might look like. Do you have an image of this? I thought of things we can see in others that demonstrate righteousness, like the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Ultimately, though, I kept returning to the summed-up concept of righteousness that Jesus taught: to love the Lord with every part of us AND to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Is it noble to be hunted, hurt, and attacked for proclaiming we are Christians, carrying our Bibles in public, and protesting what we feel is right? Perhaps. But the kingdom of heaven is promised for those who are attacked and persecuted for radically loving the least of these. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35 NIV

Peacemakers

April 11, 2024Leave a comment

Matthew 5:9 NIV: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

There are very few of us who relish conflict. Some of you would say you avoid it at all costs, while others don’t look for conflict but don’t mind addressing it when it comes up. One thing is absolutely sure: conflict is unavoidable. In this verse, Jesus extols the peacemakers. The Greek word is actually a compound of two words, eirena (peace) and poieo (make). The crucial part of this is understanding eirena which does NOT mean “ignore conflict” and does NOT mean “stop fighting”. Interesting, because many of us, when thinking about peace, naturally think it means an end to the battle or the absence of conflict. Actually, the Greek word eirena means to join together into a whole. It is true that when two opposing forces unify into some type of compromise, there can be rest, and fighting might stop, but the key is joining together.

I wanted to visualize this with clay, and importantly, I wanted the two varied opposing clays (represented with black and white clay and buckets) to maintain their individual properties. Peacemaking doesn’t imply that the two suddenly become white, or suddenly become black, or even are so mixed together that they become gray. I think that making peace includes staying true to your individuality while being able to come together and join with someone or something radically different. There is tremendous beauty and strength when we join together, respecting differences but united for a common purpose.

The promise that such individuals will be “children of God” fits, doesn’t it? To be a child of God symbolizes full access to the inheritance that God offers. Think of an idealized childhood; it would incorporate absolute security, freedom for creativity and spontaneity, pure innocence, and realized unconditional love. The promise of being a child of God makes me want to do better at peacemaking!

Pure in Heart

April 3, 2024Leave a comment

Matthew 5:8 NIV: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Whenever I actually get out paint, whether acrylic or oils, one of the more frustrating elements is keeping white, pure white. Just the slightest leftover color from a not-quite-clean-enough brush quickly muddies the pristine white. This experience is precisely at the root of the concept of pure in heart.

Pure, in Greek, is the word katharos which means clean, clear, or pure BECAUSE of an unmixed state. In Christianity it also means clean or pure due to being free from sin, guilt, corruption, etc. Jesus adds the modifier “in heart”, letting us know this isn’t about physical purity. This was a radical idea, as most of the world religions at this time, such as Judaism, Roman, Greek, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian Religions, considered purity rituals as a means to clean the body. The heart is symbolic as the center of our being. The Greek word kardia is defined as inner thoughts and feelings and our desire producer. To be pure in heart is to have our inner thoughts, feelings, will, and motives free from guilt, deceit, and sin.

The promise for this feat? To see God. Many Greek words are translated as “see”. This one is horao’, which means to see with the mind, perceive or discern. This type of seeing isn’t a physical undertaking. God is actually all around us and present in our circumstances at this very moment. Most of us, though, don’t perceive him.

In this piece, I wanted to depict the inability to see God as a consequence of our inner thoughts and feelings. Our anger, fear, pride, deceit, and distractions taint the purity that God’s spirit is working out in us. As we allow him to make our hearts pure, this promise will come to fruition, and we will be aware of and see God already at work in our lives.

Mercy

March 30, 2024March 30, 2024Leave a comment

Matthew 5:7 NIV: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

When I showed my son this art piece this morning and told him the verse, he asked, “What is mercy?” That is the essential question to understand this verse. The Greek word used twice here is elee’o, and the definition is to be kind, gracious, compassionate, or merciful towards the afflicted or miserable with the desire to relieve them”. Do you notice this has several components? It is not just being kind but being kind in a specific situation where someone is suffering, guilty, or in pain. The motive of the mercy giver is crucial, hoping to ease the guilt or alleviate the misery.

Like all the beatitudes, the promise is God’s response to our actions of mercy. In this case, it is the gift of mercy from God to us individually. I wanted to imagine a scenario of giving mercy that I could relate to, a compassionate offering to someone afflicted or in pain due to wrongdoing. As a parent, I have been provided umpteen opportunities to show compassion, and I have not always chosen the merciful approach. So often, the idea of justice whispers, “But he deserves punishment, or he should hurt as much as I do.” Mercy, however, doesn’t desire pain or punishment but healing.

When we show mercy, God shows us mercy. He takes our guilt, shame, and death sentence that we deserve and sets us free to live a life of wholeness and love.

Hunger and Thirst

March 21, 2024Leave a comment

Matthew 5:6 NIV: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Have you noticed that when you are really thirsty or hungry, it’s hard not to focus on that nagging lack of something to eat or drink? It’s as if you get consumed thinking and planning how to quench that need. The Greek words for these are severe. The word for hunger is peinao’, meaning to crave, be famished, or be starving. The word for thirst is dispao’, meaning parched, suffer thirst, yearn.

This isn’t just a missed breakfast, so your stomach grumbles for lunch. No, this is a hike in the desert without water, and all you can think about and ache for is one precious drop of water. Our longing, however, should be for righteousness, which admittedly is such a “churchy” word. At the core of righteousness is being made right in the eyes of God. Things that come to mind are integrity, virtue, and purity. Before Christ, this was achieved by DOING the right thing. The gospel’s good news is that now our righteousness comes through Christ.

This verse promises that when we long for Christ, our source of righteousness, we will be filled. The word for filled means to fatten, fill, or satisfy. I pictured this not just as a cup of water when thirsty but as an overflowing, neverending source to completely satisfy us and bring joy. This fits with Christ’s statement in John 4:14: “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

The challenge is to consider what we hunger and thirst for. Do we look to things, achievements, love, identity, or projects to quench our restlessness, or do we long for more of Jesus? Only He will truly satisfy.

Meekness

March 6, 2024Leave a comment

Matthew 5:5 NIV: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

Somewhere along the way, the word meek became synonymous with weakness. That may have come from the simile, as meek as a lamb or as meek as a mouse. Both animals conjure up images of being docile (in the case of the lamb) or timid (in the case of the mouse). The Greek word for meek is praus which is defined as gentle strength, or power without harshness. It is, in fact, the opposite of being weak. Someone meek has the strength of restraint and self-control. There is a quiet force in meekness that works without violence or cruelty while staying resilient to outside forces.

With such steadfast, gentle power comes the promise of this verse that such a person will inherit or receive the earth. Literally, this word means the land, ground, world, etc. Let us recall, though, what inheriting land means in the context of the Bible. From the earliest chapters, God promised the Israelites that they would inherit the promised land if they remained faithful to God. The inherited earth symbolizes a spiritual inheritance of restored intimacy with God and human flourishing.

This, to me, wraps up what is fortunate or blessed about being meek. I don’t necessarily care about being gifted “the earth” or “land,” but I do desire the gift of intimacy and wholeness. It is mine if I practice meekness. I must use quiet strength in the face of injustices (imagined in my art as heavy metal boxes depicted with unbalanced scales), not violence or unbridled rage like the group in the back.

Those who Mourn

February 28, 2024Leave a comment

Matthew 5:4 NIV: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Continuing on with the Beatitudes. This is another striking statement, considering that this promise concerns being blessed or fortunate. Let’s look at the two descriptive words in this verse. First is mourning- the Greek word pentheo‘ means to grieve over death in its proper form; however, it also means to grieve over a personal hope (especially a relationship) that dies or ends. This much broader definition is the one used in this verse. It doesn’t take very long in life to have occasion to grieve. We grieve the loss of loved ones, friendships, marriages, dreams, childhoods, health, jobs, etc. One thing inherent to grief is that it is distressing. In fact, Merriam-Webster uses the term “to cause to suffer.”

I know few who would choose to go through grief, so why would the Bible call it fortunate to suffer a loss? To have a hope die or love end? The answer comes in the second word: comforted. The Greek word is parakaleo’ which in literal terms means “to call” from “close beside.” It is used, though, to mean encourage, comfort, refresh, or cheer. It strikes me that it takes others to comfort, whether that be someone sending a card, bringing food, mowing a yard, sitting in silence, giving a hug, or texting to check-in.

Those who have gone through a staggering loss often mention feeling overwhelmed by the kindness of others. Grief is an opportunity for us to put love into action by comforting those we care about. Since we cannot avoid loss, the blessing that comes is the sincere comfort others bring.

Poor in Spirit

February 21, 2024Leave a comment

Matthew 5:3 NIV “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

I’m starting a series on the Beatitudes, which is part of a more significant portion known as the Sermon on the Mount. This teaching by Jesus is full of powerful wisdom and is the first recorded sermon in Matthew. This seems to be the first public time that Jesus started to outline the concepts for his followers. He was saying this is what the Kingdom of God is all about.

Knowing this, it’s hard to believe that his first words were, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

The word in Greek for blessed is makarios, meaning to become large or long, and used to mean fortunate, well-off, happy, or blessed. Spiritually, it means experiencing and living into God’s benefits and grace. Almost in complete contrast to blessed is the word poor or ptochos in Greek. It means to crouch or cower like a beggar and to be deeply destitute. By itself, this word is used in terms of socio-economic or tangible goods. However, Jesus says poor in spirit. The word in Greek for spirit is pneuma. It is literally air or breath, often used in the New Testament to refer to the Holy Spirit.

Our “spirit” is different than our soul (the Bible uses the Greek word psuche or psyche for this). Our soul is the totality of our personhood; it combines our will, emotions, and thoughts. Our soul, though, needs the spark, the “spirit” or breath of God, to be living. Think of spirit as breath itself, which allows us to be alive. When I think about being poor or destitute in spirit, I think of all the ways the spark of life can cower. This is when our spirit is beaten down, flattened, or belittled. It’s when we think, “Do I have anything left in my tank?” I pictured this initially as a deflated balloon, so I included these in my image. I wanted to depict an expression of exhaustion on my subject but face upward in hope.

So why is there hope, and why is this person blessed? Jesus says it’s because they have the Kingdom of Heaven. By the way, though Matthew uses the phrase Kingdom of Heaven, the other gospels use Kingdom of God, so we can use them interchangeably. The Kingdom of Heaven or God is a bit vague because we clearly can’t physically look around and see the Kingdom of Heaven. And yet Jesus always talked about it, constantly telling parables to explain how the Kingdom operates. Paul does help out a little when he says in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

In this art piece, I depicted righteousness, joy, and peace as perfection – a utopian landscape, because ultimately, isn’t that what we aim for in the end? I also added Helium/inflated balloons to represent the “refilling” the spirit gives us in the Kingdom of God.

The final question for me is why the poor in spirit have the Kingdom of Heaven? I suppose it could be because in their desolation and discouragement, they are willing to embrace and step out into the Kingdom of Heaven offered. There’s nothing left to lose, so why not risk it? I think the Kingdom is an offer for all of us, but our false sense of self-sufficiency and distractions chasing other “kingdoms” keep us from seeing what is right outside the door.