Truly Blessed in an UpsideDown World

Introduction
Everytime I pray, I always mention a request that God bless me and my
family throughout the day. It has become a regular part of my prayer,
it’s almost automatic. I say the prayer even without thinking about it.
During times when I catch myself saying that prayer, I ask myself if I
really understand what I’m asking for.
We all want to be blessed. We all pray for blessing in our lives. Who
doesn’t want a blessed life? And we think of blessing, we often think of
ease, a life of abundance, a life free from troubles and conflict. I’m sure
most of us are thinking of the ideal life when we pray for blessing.
So it can be shocking therefore that when Jesus talked about the blessed
life, he was thinking about something else. It is worthwhile to reflect
on the words of Jesus when he gave his sermon on the mount. What he
preached shows us a completely upside-down understanding of what
blessed life is. Those who are truly blessed in life are the complete
reverse of what the world defines as blessed.
Bible Verse
Here are the words of Jesus, as recorded in the Book of Matthew 5:3-12
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. "Blessed are
the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. "Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. "Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they shall see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
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shall be called sons of God. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are
you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of
evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your
reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who
were before you.
The Greek word for "blessed" is a word that means being supremely
blest; one that is very fortunate, well off: - and therefore, on who is
absolutely happy in life. I have to admit I haven't experienced that kind
of blessed state yet.
But the passage suggests that when one lays oneself under the mercy
and absolute rule of God, He will take His people where they have
never gone before. And in that world, everything is upside down.
The Poor in Spirit
We don’t like the feeling of being dependent, of being overly reliant on
other people. We'd much rather be independent, we'd like to stand on
our own.
We may have experienced being down and out, and having to beg for
help from other people. We felt like mendicants. Para kang
namamalimos. Para kang pulubi. And we don’t like the feeling of being
under the mercy of someone. Ayaw natin ng pakiramdam ng may
malaking utang na loob.
And so we’ve learned to stand on our own, and strive to not be
dependent on other people.
Unfortunately often we’ve transferred this attitude to our relationship
with God. Without thinking about it, we think God might be just like
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other people. And we’re unaware of what we’re missing out on what
God’s blessing because we have this stance of not being totally
dependent on God.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” The blessing is that those
who are poor in spirit, those who are utterly dependent, will
experience the absolute rule of God. One becomes under God's power
and authority.
By implication, those who feel they can take care of themselves, those
who are not utterly dependent of God, will not be ruled by God
Those Who Mourn
There is a longing in the heart that cannot be filled when one mourns
for a loved one who’s passed on from this life. As a song from a famous
musical said, “There’s a grief that can’t be broken. There’s a pain, goes
on and on.” I know that feeling. I’ve felt it when I mourned for my
mom who died at a young age of 50.
I know that life tells us that we should move on. But there will always
be something inside us that will continue to hold on to the grief. And
perhaps, we are really not meant to fully move on. Perhaps we are
really not meant to fully give up our grief. Perhaps we are meant to
always be aware of someone precious or something valuable that we’ve
lost, that we ought to mourn for.
Because we find in the words of Jesus that those who feel sadness for
someone of something lost, are the ones that God takes special care of.
Jesus said “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
To mourn is to grieve, to wail before the death of someone we love. Or
when we lose something very valuable, that we can never get back.
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And in a world where there is so much injustice, it is so easy for the
powerful to bully the poor, and take away what’s most precious to
them. Their land. Their means of livelihood. Their dignity. Even the
lives of their loved ones. Those who mourn are invited by God to
Himself and they are comforted
The Meek
Next: Jesus said: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the
earth." (Matthew 5:5)
The meek are people who are very gentle, very undemanding. They do
not demand for their rights. To be meek is to be the complete reverse of
being aggressive, or of being demanding, of always insisting on one’s
rights.
It does not really say that the meek are those who do not have the
power to demand their rights, or those who are in no position to insist
on their privilege. You may have power and you may be in the position
to do so. Nonetheless, you do not exert your rights and privileges, in
the eyes of the world, you are meek.
And yes, it is the meek in the world that are most taken advantage of
by people who are aggressive and are demanding of their rights. You do
not hold on tightly to your rights and privileges. You are willing to let
go. Not because you’re forced to, but because you choose to. Because
you don’t have to.
The incredible thing in this passage is that it is the meek that are given
an astounding promise: that they will inherit the earth. We all
understand what an inheritance is. Pamana. An inheritance is granted
only by the one who owns it to his offspring, or to people the owner

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wills to give it to. In our present world, an inheritance is received only
after the death of the owner
What's to be inherited? The earth. Land has always been among the
most favored kind of inheritance. Money may be spent away. Valuables
may get destroyed. But land has a quality of permanence. Land will
always be there. The mind-blowing thing is that the land being
referred to here is the entire earth. The whole world is the inheritance
I cannot imagine this happening in this world today. I believe that
what Jesus was hinting at here is that there will come a time when the
entire earth will be up for inheritance. And it is those who are not
insisting on their privileges, those who are not demanding their rights,
and by inference I guess, those who understand the fleeting nature of
life on earth today, and those who believe in the coming world to be
recreated by God, the New Heaven and the New Earth spoken of John
in the Book of Revelations—these are the people who will inherit the
earth.
Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
Justice is very difficult to achieve in our present society. The justice
system is so imperfect and flawed, that people get falsely arrested and
may languish in jail for years without getting a fair hearing. Lawyers
may refuse to render service if you cannot afford them. Judges may be
bribed and render wrong judgment. The poor who are innocent may
suffer for decades in jail, but the right who are guilty may go scot free.
But while, justice may be difficult to be had in our present time, in this
society we live in today, there is a kind of satisfaction that is available
to those who long for justice and righteousness.

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Jesus talked about it in the sermon on the mount. In the Gospel of
Matthew, Jesus said: (Matthew 5:6) “Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."
We all understand hunger and thirst. If you’re famished, If you have
not eaten anything for quite some time, you understand the craving for
food, to body crying out to satisfy its hunger. If you have not taken in
water for some time, you are dehydrated. You crave for water. Every
inch your body cries out for water. We understand the feeling of
hunger and thirst.
What Jesus said is that those who have a desperate craving, this sense of
hunger and thirst, for justice, righteousness, of equitable treatment,
because they are denied justice and righteousness--they are the ones
who will received justice and righteousness. They shall be filled. They
shall be given what their hearts desire in abundance, a veritable feast,
just like an abundance of the choicest food and the best of wine, and
they shall be satisfied.
This longing for righteous relationships, of equity in how we people
treat one another, is inherent in our being humans, it’s built into our
humanness, just as hunger for food and thirst for water is part of being
human.
The Merciful
Jesus said: (Matthew 5:7) “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall
receive mercy."
Mercy is when one withholds punishment from someone who deserves
punishment. To be merciful is to be actively compassionate. And the
way it was expressed in the scripture connotes that this is not about a

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single instance or occasional showing of mercy to a person. This is
about showing compassion as a way of life.
The promise here is that those who show mercy as a way of life, those
who live a merciful life, they shall receive mercy.
If we really think about it, we realize that we need the mercy of God.
How many times have we violated God's laws? If you're like me, I've
done so countless times, too many to count. And God's justice requires
recompense for everything we've done, both good and bad. Sure we'd
love it if we received rewards for our good deeds. But justice dictates
that we receive punishment for the evil thing's we've said and done. So
we should expect so much punishment.
But God is not just a God of justice but also a God of mercy, and his will
for justice, to impose punishment for evil deeds, is balanced by His
merciful heart, as he desires to withhold the punishment we deserve.
The passage tells us, that we reflect the heart of God as a merciful
Person, then the mercy and compassion we extend to people goes right
back to us in terms of God's mercy extended to us.
Pure in Heart
Jesus said: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
A pure heart means a heart that is clean before God.
Yes we all do commit sin. But if we keep short accounts before God, if
are diligent in examining ourselves everyday, several times in a day
even, and we take whatever sins and offences we've caused before God,
and we confess these things before Him, and by faith, knowing the
atoning work of Christ on the cross, we receive God's forgiveness-- by

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doing these things regularly, we keep our hearts clean before God. We
can have pure hearts.
And God promises that people who keep their hearts pure begin to see
things more clearly. The passage says "you will see God". And yes,
when we all pass on from this life, we will see God face to face, if we
are truly His children.
But I believe that even in our present age, if we keep our hearts pure,
we will begin to "see" God. Not in a literal sense of course. But we can
begin to see how God works in the lives of people. We begin to see
God's silver lining beneath the dark clouds of life. We get a peek at
God's purposes and intentions for what He is doing in our lives. We get
to see God at work, and we get the privilege to get invited to participate
in His work.
Indeed, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
The Peacemaker
There is so much way going on all over the world. There are wars going
on in the Middle east and Eastern Europe. There is civil unrest in
Valenzuela. There's so much gun violence in the US. Even here in the
Philippines, the leftist rebellion has been going on for decades.
On a personal level, we also get involved in many conflicts, like
arguments at work, fights with our spouse, court litigation with an
opponent.
And during these times, how good it is to always have someone who
can do the difficult work of peacemaking, of helping opposing people
settle their differences and coming to an agreement. This is the kind of
work that followers are Jesus Christ are somehow expected to do.
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We get this sense from Jesus. Jesus said: “Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God."
Peacemakers take it upon themselves to bring opposing camps to sit on
the same table to thresh out their differences. People who are angry at
each other will not do this intentionally. It requires a third person,
personally known to both parties to convince them to sit face to face
and begin the arduous work of clarifying issues, finding common
ground, and resolving contentions issues. This is tough work. It can be
thankless job. I guess many times their efforts will fail. But they keep
trying until the issues are resolved.
You can understand why Jesus said, blessed are the peacemakers. And
you know what? Peacemakers are assured that they are children of God
If there is anything that distinguishes a follower of Jesus Christ, it
should be his work in the service of the Prince of Peace himself. The
work of Jesus the Messiah is reconciliatory work, it is the work of
reconciling the world to the Father. He did this by his death on the
cross. His blood had the effect of atoning for the sins of men and
therefore reconciling them to God.
And the invitation to follow Jesus involves taking part in His
reconciliatory mission, to proclaim the Gospel of His Kingdom, so that
those who submit to him may be reconciled to God. And those who
follow Him should also be involved in establishing peace and
reconciliation in a war-fractured world. The work of peacemaking is
the work of a Jesus follower. And if you are a Jesus follower, you are a
child of God.
The Persecuted

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We've seen the tragic mass migration of refugees from countries like
Syria, as they flee the horrendous life threatening conditions of people
in that war-torn country. Many have fled at the height of the war in
the Middle East. Many Christians in Africa and even in China have
been tortured and massacred by extremists because they refused to give
up their faith.
In a world that is increasingly being fractured along racial, religious as
well as ideological lines, we will see more and more people being
persecuted for the way they look, the way the live, and the faith they
believe in. This is evil.
It is therefore commendable that certain individuals and groups,
scandalized by such evil, make the difficult choice of going to these
war-torn areas to working in behalf of victims. There are people who
have a strong sense of justice and righteousness, they cannot help but
work for the welfare of the marginalized, the people who seek refuge,
the people who are fleeing from persecution. In doing so, these people
who work for righteousness' sake often become persecuted themselves.
These people go through so much suffering themselves in the course of
helping people who are being pursued and harassed by those who
consider them enemies.
Jesus consider these people blessed. Jesus said: “Blessed are those who
are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven."
Are you Truly Happy?
What makes you happy? What makes you feel satisfied?

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I think whatever it is that makes you happy tells a lot about who you
are, and what's truly important to you. There are people who are
happiest when they are travelling and going to strange and exotic
places. I know people who are happiest in social settings and they are
surrounded by friends and family. Other people I know are happiest
when they are doing creative work like writing, composing music,
painting, or even baking. There are others that feel happiest when they
are shopping in the mall.
Not many people will say they are happiest when they are doing the
work of God. There is a kind of happiness, or perhaps more accurately,
joy when do things that are very close to the heart of God. There is
special sense of blessedness when passionately pursuing the mission of
God,
Jesus said: (Matthew 5:11) “Blessed are you when others revile you and
persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my
account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for
so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
It sounds strange that the Lord Jesus would call blessed the things we
would normally not associate with blessedness: being reviled, being
persecuted, having people say evil things against you. Who would want
that to happen to himself?
But Jesus said that when these things happen to us on His account,
meaning we experience ridicule, slander and suffering because of our
faith in Him, we are blessed. And not only that, we should rejoice, we
should feel happy for it, because there is a bold promise attached to it:
“your reward is great in heaven!”. Something beautiful, something very
precious and valuable awaits those who suffer for Christ, and they are
stored up for them in the heavenly realm.
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Summary/Call to Action
Let us, therefore, we begin to think differently about life, about what it
is that will truly make your life blessed.
The poor in spirit receive God's kingdom. The mourners are comforted.
The meek are inheritors of the earth. Those who crave for justice
receive in full measure. Those who show mercy, receive mercy. Those
with pure hearts see God. The peacemakers are called children. The
persecuted receive the kingdom, with great reward.
And Jesus attests that they are the most blessed of all. The whole point
of the passage is that Jesus was making an earth-shaking announcement
about the new covenant. The values he upholds, and the ones he called
blessed are almost a complete reversal of everything we idealize as a
blessed life in this world. And God promises to be absolute ruler in
your life. The Kingdom of God is ours! He will take charge as King in
your life.

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