Introducing the Beatitudes
INTRODUCING THE BEATITUDES
We seem to have been passing through decades of disillusion. Each rising generation is disaffected with the world it has inherited. Sometimes the reaction has been naive, though that is not to say it has been insincere. The horrors of the Vietnam War were not brought to an end by those who gave out flowers, saying, “Make love, not war,” yet their protest did not pass unnoticed. Today the younger generation continues to search for a place they can be at home. They feel alienated by the prevailing culture.
If today’s young people are looking for the right things (meaning, love, reality), they are looking for them in the wrong places. The first place they should be able to turn to is the one they normally ignore: the church. For too often what they see in the church is not a new society that embodies their ideals but another version of the old society they have renounced.
No comment could be more hurtful to the Christian than the words, “But you are no different from anybody else.” For the essential theme of the whole Bible from beginning to end is that God’s historical purpose is to call out a people for himself. This people is a “holy” people, set apart from the world to belong to God and to obey him; its vocation is to be true to its identity, that is, to be holy or different in all its outlook and behavior.
All this is essential background to the Sermon on the Mount. It describes what human life and human community look like when they come under the gracious rule of God. And what do they look like? Different!
THE CONTEXT OF THE SERMON
The Sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew’s Gospel toward the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Immediately after his baptism and temptation, he had begun to announce the good news that the kingdom of God, long promised in the Old Testament era, was now on the threshold. It portrays the repentance and the righteousness that belong to the kingdom.
The Sermon is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus. It is also arguably the least understood and certainly the least obeyed. It is Jesus’ own description of what he wanted his followers to be and to do. Here is a Christian value system, ethical standard, religious devotion, attitude to money, ambition, lifestyle, and network of relationships—all of which are totally at variance with those of the non-Christian world.
A MESSAGE FOR US
A majority of readers of the Sermon on the Mount, looking the reality of human perversity in the face, have declared its standards to be unattainable. Its ideals are noble but impractical, they say, attractive to imagine but impossible to fulfill. Others take the superficial approach and glibly assert that the Sermon on the Mount expresses ethical standards that are self-evidently true, common to all religions, and easy to follow. One wonders if they have ever read this Sermon that they dismiss as commonplace!
The standards of the Sermon are neither readily attainable by everyone nor totally unattainable by anyone. Jesus spoke this Sermon to those who were already his disciples and thereby also citizens of God’s kingdom and the children of God’s family. It describes the kind of people reborn Christians are (or should be).
The eight Beatitudes that begin the Sermon are the focus of this guide. The Beatitudes set forth the blessings God gives to those he is working in—blessings given not as a reward for merit but as a gift of grace. By working toward the standards Christ has given us and coming as close to the mark as humanly possible, we give evidence of what by God’s free grace and gift we already are.
SUGGESTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDY
1. As you begin each study, pray that God will speak to you through his Word.
2. Read the introduction to the study and respond to the question that follows it. This is designed to help you get into the theme of the study.
3. The studies are written in an inductive format designed to help you discover for yourself what Scripture is saying. Each study deals with a particular passage so that you can really delve into the author’s meaning in that context. Read and reread the passage to be studied. The questions are written using the language of the New International Version, so you may wish to use that version of the Bible. The New Revised Standard Version is also recommended.
4. Each study includes three types of questions. Observation questions ask about the basic facts: who, what, when, where, and how. Interpretation questions delve into the meaning of the passage. Application questions (also found in the “Apply” section) help you discover the implications of the text for growing in Christ. These three keys unlock the treasures of Scripture.
Write your answers to the study questions in the spaces provided or in a personal journal. Writing can bring clarity and deeper understanding of yourself and of God’s Word.
5. In the studies you will find some commentary notes designed to give help with complex verses by giving further biblical and cultural background and contextual information. The notes in the studies are not designed to answer the questions for you. They are to help you along as you learn to study the Bible for yourself. After you have worked through the questions and notes in the guide, you may want to read the accompanying commentary by John Stott in the Bible Speaks Today series. This will give you more information about the text.
6. Move to the “Apply” section. These questions will help you connect the key biblical themes to your own life. Putting the application into practice is one of the keys to growing in Christ.
7. Use the guidelines in the “Pray” section to focus on God, thanking him for what you have learned and praying about the applications that have come to mind.
SUGGESTIONS FOR MEMBERS OF A GROUP STUDY
1. Come to the study prepared. Follow the suggestions for individual study mentioned above. You will find that careful preparation will greatly enrich your time spent in group discussion.
2. Be willing to participate in the discussion. The leader of your group will not be lecturing. Instead, she or he will be encouraging the members of the group to discuss what they have learned. The leader will be asking the questions that are found in this guide.
3. Stick to the topic being discussed. Your answers should be based on the verses that are the focus of the discussion and not on outside authorities such as commentaries or speakers. These studies focus on a particular passage of Scripture. Only rarely should you refer to other portions of the Bible. This allows for everyone to participate on equal ground and for in-depth study.
4. Be sensitive to the other members of the group. Listen attentively when they describe what they have learned. You may be surprised by their insights! Each question assumes a variety of answers. Many questions do not have “right” answers, particularly questions that aim at meaning or application. Instead, the questions push us to explore the passage more thoroughly.
When possible, link what you say to the comments of others. Also be affirming whenever you can. This will encourage some of the more hesitant members of the group to participate.
5. Be careful not to dominate the discussion. We are sometimes so eager to express our thoughts that we leave too little opportunity for others to respond. By all means participate! But allow others to also.
6. Expect God to teach you through the passage being discussed and through the other members of the group. Pray that you will have an enjoyable and profitable time together, but also that as a result of the study you will find ways that you can take action individually and/or as a group.
7. It will be helpful for groups to follow a few basic guidelines. These guidelines, which you may wish to adapt to your situation, should be read at the beginning of the first session.
Anything said in the group is considered confidential and will not be discussed outside the group unless specific permission is given to do so.
We will provide time for each person present to talk if he or she feels comfortable doing so.
We will talk about ourselves and our own situations, avoiding conversation about other people.
We will listen attentively to each other.
We will be very cautious about giving advice.
8. If you are the group leader, you will find additional suggestions for you at the back of the guide.