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The Sermon on the Mount · Matthew 5
The Beatitudes: Blessings of Jesus
Jesus opened His greatest sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, by blessing all the people the world overlooks: the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted. Eight short blessings that turn the world right-side up and paint a portrait of the kingdom of God. Here is each one, in the King James words of Jesus, what it means, and how Christ Himself embodies it.
Blessed are the poor in spirit
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:3 · King James Version (public domain)
The kingdom begins not with the strong but with those empty enough to know they need God. To be poor in spirit is to come with open, honest hands, aware you cannot save yourself. That admission is not the end of hope; it is the door of the kingdom.
In Christ: He who was rich became poor for our sakes (2 Corinthians 8:9), and made Himself of no reputation (Philippians 2:7).
Blessed are they that mourn
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4 · King James Version (public domain)
Jesus blesses the grieving, those who feel the weight of loss and of sin. He does not rush us past our tears; He promises to meet us in them. The God who wept at a tomb comes near to comfort those who mourn.
In Christ: He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3), and He wept at the tomb (John 11:35).
Blessed are the meek
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
Matthew 5:5 · King James Version (public domain)
Meekness is not weakness but strength under God's control, the willingness to be gentle and to trust rather than grasp. In a world that says seize everything, Jesus says the gentle will inherit it all. He was meek, and He is Lord of heaven and earth.
In Christ: He said, I am meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29), and rode into His city on a donkey (Matthew 21:5).
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
Matthew 5:6 · King James Version (public domain)
There is a hunger deeper than the body's, to be made right and to see the world made right. Jesus blesses that ache and promises to satisfy it. Those who long for righteousness will be filled, by the One who is our righteousness.
In Christ: His meat was to do the will of Him that sent Him (John 4:34); He is Himself made unto us righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Blessed are the merciful
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
Matthew 5:7 · King James Version (public domain)
Mercy is love that stoops to the hurting and forgives the guilty. Those who show it will receive it, for we reap the mercy we sow. Having been forgiven so much, the merciful simply pass on what they have been given.
In Christ: He was moved with compassion again and again (Matthew 9:36), and prayed for those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34).
Blessed are the pure in heart
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
Matthew 5:8 · King James Version (public domain)
A pure heart is undivided, single in its love for God rather than pulled in a hundred directions. Jesus promises such hearts the greatest gift of all: they shall see God. What we most love shapes what we are able to see.
In Christ: In Him was no sin (1 John 3:5); He is the one who has truly seen the Father (John 6:46).
Blessed are the peacemakers
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
Matthew 5:9 · King James Version (public domain)
Peacemakers do not merely avoid conflict; they step in to heal it, at cost to themselves. In doing so they act like their Father, who made peace with us through the cross of His Son. To make peace is to bear the family likeness of God.
In Christ: He made peace through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20), and He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14).
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:10 · King James Version (public domain)
Jesus blesses those who suffer for doing right and for His name. The world's rejection is not a sign of God's absence but of belonging to a kingdom the world does not yet recognize. The reward is not later only; the kingdom is already theirs.
In Christ: He was despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3), and by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).
How the Beatitudes point to Christ
The Beatitudes are not a ladder to climb but a portrait to gaze at, and the face in the portrait is Jesus. He is the poor in spirit who emptied Himself, the one who mourned at a grave, the meek King, the hunger for righteousness satisfied, mercy in the flesh, the pure in heart who saw the Father, the peacemaker who made peace by His cross, the righteous One persecuted unto death. He lived every blessing He preached, and then He gives to us what we could never earn. To be blessed is, in the end, to belong to Him.
Questions people ask about the Beatitudes
What are the Beatitudes?
The Beatitudes are eight blessings Jesus spoke at the opening of the Sermon on the Mount, each beginning with the word Blessed. They describe the surprising people God calls happy and the kingdom that is theirs.
How many Beatitudes are there?
There are eight Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3 to 10 (a ninth verse, 5:11 to 12, extends the blessing on the persecuted). Luke records a shorter set of blessings and woes in Luke 6.
Where are the Beatitudes in the Bible?
The Beatitudes are found in Matthew 5:3 to 12, at the start of the Sermon on the Mount, with a parallel in Luke 6:20 to 23.
What does poor in spirit mean?
To be poor in spirit is to know your own need before God, to come with empty, honest hands rather than pride. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven belongs to exactly such people.