The Good Life of the Kingdom
For Meditation (Corey Widmer)
We've spend the last 2 months making our way slowly through the Beatitudes, verse by verse. Each week, we've encountered a new and surprising way that Jesus casts an unexpected and inverted vision of the good life. We're going to spend one last week in the beatitudes, but this time we're going to look at them as a complete whole. There is a logic in the flow of the beatitudes as a whole that maps the path of life that Jesus sets for his followers.
As you prepare for worship this Sunday, read through the beatitudes slowly and consider them as a whole. Can you see a pattern within them? Is there a reason why they flow the way they do? What portion of the beatitudes will most stay with you? Ask the Lord to deepen this vision of the good life in us.
Matthew 5:1–12
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed 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 children of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
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. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.