Are the Beatitudes Relevant Today?

Bishop Spong states that many scholars believe the Sermon on the Mount is a beautifully crafted piece of work based on Psalm 119, a hymn to the beauty and wonder of the Torah, which was used by the Jews as part of a 24 hour vigil called Shavuot, that marked the Jewish annual celebration of the time when, according to their tradition, Moses received the Torah directly from God on Mount Sinai.

In that case, Matthew had a clear agenda to present Jesus as the "New Moses."

The first two verses of Psalm 119 read in the King James Version as:
"Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart."

I believe that Jesus may have used the form of these verses as a model for the Beatitudes, but the Beatitudes have a very different aspect to that of Psalm 119. They address more fully what "right living" should be.

It is interesting that Verse 1 of Psalm 119 alludes to "the way", which is what the early disciples of Jesus were called, "Followers of the Way". It has to be remembered that the early followers still thought of themselves as Jews, and would therefore have kept the traditions alive in those formative years.

I would appreciate knowing what thoughts readers have on this subject. Please write your comments in the available space below.

It's well recognized that the Beatitudes are the bedrock of Jesus' teachings, and have been researched by scholars for centuries.

I have started a series on My Blog based on the work of C. E. (Bill) Bottum, Jr. Bill was a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and used the Beatitudes as an ethical base to run his company (Townsend & Bottum, Co.). Many people attest to his character through their business dealings with him. Bill died two years ago, after a well deserved retirement.

He started to work on the Beatitudes while researching the New Testament for information to teach a Sunday School class. He became so engrossed in it, that he worked out a way to use them as ethical practices in his business, and wrote his company's principles around them.

What he did was to weave other passages from the Gospels into the fabric of the Beatitudes, and so show clearly how they were the foundation of Jesus' basic teachings.

In fact, Bill did not stop there. He was so convinced that it was still applicable in the modern industrial world that he adapted the practices of his company to comply with them, and his company was run along those lines until it was bought out.

A review of the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels reveals how they can be related back to the Beatitudes.

Clicking on the following link will take you to a chart showing the Gospel references that pertain to each Beatitude.

Gospel References to the Beatitudes

As the centuries have passed, it has become easier and easier to conjecture that following the Beatitudes is not just impractical, but that they would not work in our complex, modern civilization. On the other hand, following the same precepts of conquest and "peace" cycles in the world has not brought real peace.

I am convinced that the essential message of Jesus as described in the Beatitudes can be incorporated into our way of life, and make it more wholesome, content and equal.

The word "blessed" which is used in each of the beatitudes, is a very special word. In the Greek the word is "makarios". Makarios literally means "fortunate", "happy", "well-off", or "in a privileged situation". It describes a well-being that is serene and untouchable - a well-being that transcends the chances and changes of life. Christian blessedness, as Jesus sees it, speaks to a kind of joy and happiness which nothing in life or in death can take away. It is happiness whose roots are solely in the faithfulness and presence of God.

This gives us an anchor from which we can look ahead to the beatitudes and from them look back towards it to focus on the meaning of blessedness. And so we can begin our quest for the meaning of the beatitudes in our modern world.

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The New Testament was written in Greek, and the Greek word for "to mourn" is the strongest word for mourning in the Greek language. It is the word used not only for mourning the dead, but for the passionate lament for one who was loved. We see the same word used in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament. It is the word which is used of Jacob's grief when he believed that Joseph, his son, was dead (Genesis 37:34). It is defined as a grief which takes such a hold on one that it cannot be hidden. Not only is it the sorrow which brings an ache to the heart; it is the sorrow which brings the unrestrainable tears to the eyes.

Many people in the hour of their sorrow have discovered their fellow being and their God as never before. This is because sorrow can do two things. It can show, as nothing else can, the essential kindness or compassion of our fellow beings; and it can show as nothing else can the comfort and compassion of God.

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As the First Beatitude describes what the attitude is to be toward self and the Second Beatitude describes what the attitude is to be toward our fellowman, the Third Beatitude describes what our attitude is to be toward God. Meekness tears down the man-made barriers that have prevented the free flow of the power and spirit of God from reaching us.

The Greek word for "Meek" is "Praus" which can have three meanings. (The Gospels were written in Greek, not in the native Aramaic of Jesus). Those three meanings are:

1. The positive mean between excessive anger and total indifference.

2. An animal that had been domesticated and trained to obey the word of command was described as "meek".

3. The Greeks used the word to describe a person who was humble - a person who had cast off all arrogance, hubris and conceit. Humility can be the foundation of maturity and personal growth, as we then come to the realization of our own imperfection and need to develop and improve.

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This story was told by our minister in his sermon on the Third Beatitude - "Blessed are the Meek":

Once upon a time, twins were conceived in a mother's womb. Weeks passed and the twins developed. As their awareness grew, they laughed together for joy:

"Isn't it great that we were conceived? Isn't it great to be alive!"

Together the twins explored their world. When they found their mother's cord that gave them life, they sang for joy:

"How great is our mother's love, that she shares her own life with us!"

As the weeks stretched into months, the twins noticed how much they were changing.

"What does it mean?" asked the one.

"It means that our stay in this world is drawing to an end," said the other.

"But I don't want to go," said the one. "I want things to stay the way they are."

"We have no choice," said the other. "Maybe there is a life after birth!"

"But how can there be?" responded the one. "We will shed our life cord, and how is life possible withour it? Besides, we have seen evidence that others were here before us, and none of them returned to tell us that there is something more. No. I am sure this will not work at all."

And so, the one fell into deep despair, saying, "If conception ends in birth, what is the purpose of life in the womb? It's meaningless! Maybe there is no mother after all."

"There has to be!" protested the other.

"Have you ever seen our mother?" said the one.

And so the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear.

Finally the moment of birth arrived.

When the twins passed from their old world, they opened their eyes.

And they cried.

For what they saw and experienced exceeded their fondest dreams and expectations.

The Fourth Beatitude further develops the attitude towards self seen in the First by an almost paradoxical idea of filling the self with the strongest of spirit and drive in contrast to the emptying of the self-seeking spirit in the first.

This purposeful drive needs the safeguards of the first three beatitudes because it can lead to evil, as well as good without those safeguards.

It also protects from a possible failing in the Third Beatitude of becoming to passively waiting for God to do everything.
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These two attributes that Jesus taught his disciples are best identified respectively in two of Luke's Parables.

The Parable of the Friend at Midnight Luke 11:5-13 in which Jesus illustrates the importance of persistence in prayer being the only moral, and the argument is, of course, indirect.

The Parable of the Widow and the Judge Luke 18:1-8a in which perseverance achieves its end in everyday Human relationships which signify how much more it can achieve in our relationship with God.

More information is available for Persistence and Perseverance on my blog.

"Ethics in Business" needs to begin with two fundamental postulates which are "givens" and not debatable. These are (1) the product or service is beneficial to humankind; (2) business will be conducted with absolute integrity.

The Beatitudes would tell us that people would come before profit. This seems to be a complete contradiction to today's business environment. However, it seems that today's environment is not conducive to solving our economic or societal problems. Symptoms are addressed, not root causes.

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As was found with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa in 1997, perhaps we should consider an entirely different process to solve the problems that seem to overwhelm our business environment.

Another aspect which seems to be lacking is that of leadership. Again, referring to the Beatitudes and Jesus' ministry aren't we looking for a leader who puts the greater good before self? Who among our business leaders can we say would embody this characteristic?

I have a section below in which you may voice your opinion and agree or disagree with this premise. I encourage you to do so.

Since the election of last November in the U.S. and the consequent crisis in the economy, I have wondered about the relationship of the beatitudes with the political process.

I especially think of the Second, Third and Fourth Beatitudes. They touch on Sensitivity, Humility and Persistence.

I believe that Sensitivity in politics is determined by the way each politician understands the needs of their constituents, and the responsibility they have to bring about legislation which covers those needs. It also reflects on their own responsibility as representatives of their constituents.

One can see how humility shows in politics simply by observing how each politician acts and reacts to his/her position by choosing to bypass their ego in an effort to pass legislation that answers the needs of their constituents. It can also be seen in the way they interact with each other, especially across party lines.

Politicians, by their nature, are persistent. What we need to look for is how they channel that persistence. Do they listen to their peers and constituents, or do they persist along their own lines, without regard to those they represent and interact with.

These are just some thoughts that I hope will encourage you, the reader, to expand on, and if you like, that you can add as comments in this Lens.

Thank you for reading this far.