Mt. 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Lk. 6:20b “Blessed are you poor, for your is the Kingdom of God.”
In the Dead Sea Scrolls the term “poor in spirit” was used to represent the faithful members of the Qumran community. The Kingdom of Heaven is used in Jewish literature as a substitute for the Kingdom of God. “Poor in spirit” is also called “humble in spirit” in the Mishnah. It is also used as an abbreviation for the “poor and crippled in spirit” found in Isaiah. The expression appears in a renown poetic passage in the Thanksgiving Hymns of the Dead Sea Sect.
Isaiah 66:2; M:Avoth 4:4-40; 6:4, 5; M:Sotah 9:15; M:Yoma 8:9
Not knowing how “kingdom” was viewed by the Jews in Yeshua’s day often leads to misunderstanding. We take from this verse that the “Poor in spirit” (whoever they are) are the ones who are getting to go to Heaven. The Kingdom of God is something that is out there in the future after this life is over. Wrong!!! The Kingdom of God is now. It was a present day reality as far as Yeshua was concerned.
So, just who are the “poor in spirit?” Some verses from the books of Isaiah and Psalms give us the answer. Isaiah 57:15 says,“For thus says the High and Loft One who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 66:2 says, “For all those things My hands have made, and all those things exist,’ says the Lord. But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart - these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm “51:17). According to these verses the “poor in spirit” have a humble, contrite, broken, and repentant heart. They have an unqualified love for God and despise sin. Psalm 34:18 says they have a broken heart that is crushed with sorrow for sin. They are sorrowful for their own sins., have repented and turned to God, love His word and keep His commandments. The term does not mean that they are poor as far as possessions are concerned. It has absolutely nothing to do with poverty.
Sources: Isaiah 57:15; 66:2; Psalm 34:18; 51:17; 66:2; M;Avoth 2:5; 6:19
Mt. 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Mt. 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
What does “those who mourn” mean? Again, Yeshua was alluding to Scriptures from the Old Testament (Isaiah 51:3;, 12, 18; 54:11; 61:2; 66:13). The word “mourn” that is used here means a spiritual mourning, a yearning after God and the things of God. Those who are being comforted and have reached the end of their own strength and cry out to God in desperation and despair. Being comforted means that God saves them and makes them whole.
Sources: Isaiah 51:3, 12, 18; 54:11; 61:2; 66:13
Mt. 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
We are told here that “the meek shall inherit the earth.” Most Christians do not understand the Hebraic meaning of this passage. This is a quote from Psalm 37:9-11 where the Word of god calls the meek the uncompromisingly righteous that give tzedakah. All Yeshua had to do was quote this phrase and all of Psalm 37 would explode in the minds of the people that were listening to Him. This entire chapter is about the meek and what the righteous do. The meek are those who are waiting for and hoping for the Lord. They are the uncompromisingly righteous who deal kindly and give, for such are the blessed of God. Tzedakah or righteousness is the foundation al principle upon which true Biblical faith is built. One who is meek is recognized by his acts of tzedakah towards his fellow man. But, tzedakah goes beyond almsgiving, which is the way this verse is normally translated. In tzedakah there is no underlying motive. It is not tzedakah if we give expecting something back. The whole idea of “seed faith giving” is unscriptural. The motive of giving in order to get is not Biblical.
Sources: Psalm 37:9-11; M:Kiddushin 1:10; M:Sanhedrin 10:1
The concept of “inheriting the earth” was used by the rabbis as a synonym for the state of blessedness of the righteous after the resurrection. M:Kiddushin 1:10 says, “Whosoever shall do even one commandment shall obtain good, his days shall be prolonged, and he shall inherit the earth.” This Hebraic line of thought could help believers understand other difficult and often misquoted texts, such as “the wealth of the wicked shall be laid up for the righteous” (Proverbs 13:22). This in Jewish thought meant the law breaker would be put to death and his land and wealth handed over to those who did no crimes. The same principle is better explained in Psalm 49:10 where it says, “The fool dies and leaves his wealth to others.”
Sources: Psalm 49:10; Proverbs 13:22; M:Kiddushin 1:10
Mt. 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
Lk. 6:21a “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled.”
What does it mean to “hunger and thirst after righteousness?” We must look again to the Old Testament Scriptures (Isaiah 55:1; 65:13; Psalm 22:26; 37:17). It is the meek, the “poor in spirit who hunger and thirst after the things of God. What does it mean to be filled? It means that they are going to receive what they hunger and thirst for. They are going to be made whole.
Sources: Isaiah 55:1; 65:13; Psalm 22:26; 37:17; M:Avoth 4:2
The Biblical term “tzedakah” is often used synonymously with justice, truth, kindness, ethical conduct, help and deliverance. It is applied on post-Biblical Hebrew specifically to the relief of poverty as an act of justice and moral behavior. The word Tzedakah, designating any work directed towards aiding the poor, signified that the poor man’s fight for food, clothing and shelter is considered by Judaism as a legal claim which must be honored by the more fortunate. In Jewish thinking, tzedakah is not a matter of philanthropic sentiment, but an act of justice. The Torah contains a variety of laws applying to the tithe for the poor (ma’aser ani), the gleaning of the field (leket), the year of release (shemittah), and the field corner to be reaped by the poor (peah). Since the assigned gifts are legally considered the property of the poor, the owner is not entitled to decide who should receive them. They must be shared by all the poor who happen to come to the fields.
Mt. 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
A very important part of our relationship with our fellow man is forgiveness. Over and over again it is stressed in the Gospels that our relationship with our fellow man is just as important as our relationship with God. In fact, we cannot have a proper relationship with Yeshua and not have the same with our fellow man. Our prayers seeking forgiveness can be hindered when we do not extend forgiveness to a brother. “Does he have no mercy toward a man like himself, and yet pray for his own sins? (Eccl. 28:4). “He that is merciful to others shall receive mercy from Heaven.” BT:Shabbat 151b)
Sources: Eccl. 28:4; Psalm 18:25; Proverbs 11:17; BT:Shabbat 151b
Mt. 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
What does it mean to be “pure in heart?” Psalm 24:3, 4 says, “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Or may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands, and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.” Someone who is pure in heart has not lifted himself up to what is false nor sworn deceitfully. Falsehood can refer to worshiping false gods. Sworn deceitfully is one who is the wrong kind of liar. This may seem like a strange statement, but once again we must look at things from the Hebraic perspective. In Hebrew, a lie means something that is false with the intended motive on the part of the individual to deceive to one’s detriment. Someone who is pure in heart is not false in his relationship with his God or his fellow man. There are implications here that have a practical application in our every day lives. They have to do with how one is to act and to live in this world as God’s children.
Source: Psalm 24:3, 4
Mt. 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the Sons of God.”
Who are the “peacemakers?” Do you ever read about them specifically in the Bible? No! The only reference to peacemakers is in Job 25:2, and in that verse it is talking about God. You will find this concept used in M:Peah 1:1. “Those who make peace between men may have the reward of the resurrection in the world to come.” In Yeshua’s day, as today, it was believed that one could not approach God without first making peace with his fellow man (Matt. 5:23, 24). In the first century the people would have understood Yeshua to have meant that a man was to bring a trespass offering for such an offense to the Temple. Peah are the side curls hanging from the temples of the heads of the pious Jews. It is a reminder for the acts of Tzedakah that a man has. In the Old Testament, it says that they were not to cut the corners of their hair in order to remind them that they are not supposed to cut the corners of their fields, so the poor may glean from them. An example of this can be found in the story of Ruth and Boaz. “Sons of God” can be found in Hosea 1:10. What or who are the peacemakers? Remember, the Beatitudes are talking about relationships with one’s fellow man that brings them into a relationship with God. Possibly this verse might read, “Blessed are those who are calling men and women into peace that only God can give.” “Sons of God” reduplicate themselves. They enlarge the family by calling others into this same peace.
Sources: Job 25:2; Hosea 1:10; Mt. 5:23, 24; M:Avoth 1:12, 18; 3:14; M:Peah 1:1
Mt. 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for there is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Lk. 6:21b “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”
There are some scholars who make a good argument that this text is actually saying: “Blessed is the man who pursues righteousness.” This confusion in translation is easy since the Hebrew word radaf means both persecute and pursue. There is much support for this latest translation due to the fact that the context, even though the next two verses mention persecution, does not line up with persecution in verse ten. There is a shift in pronouns in verses eleven and twelve from the third person “they/theirs” to the second person “you/yours.”
From this one passage the church has developed the theology of suffering, the theology of martyrdom. There are possibly four mistakes in the translation of this one verse. First, it has nothing to do with persecution. Second, righteousness is not righteousness. Third, it is not in the future tense. And fourth, you don’t possess the Kingdom. The Dead Sea Scrolls provide a parallel passage to this verse. Yeshua is actually alluding (remez) to Isaiah 51:1 where it says, “Blessed are those who ‘run’ after righteousness.” BT:Baba Kamma 93a says, “Be rather of the persecuted, rather than the persecutors.” Biblical faith is a religion of works. But, it is not done upwards toward God, but outward toward our fellow man. Possibly a better translation of this verse would be: “Blessed are those who are running after the righteousness that only God can give,” or “Blessed are those who are running after God’s salvation.” Righteousness and salvation are often synonymous.
Sources: Isaiah 51:1; BT:Baba Kamma 93a
Mt. 5:11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My name’s sake.”
Lk. 6:22 “Blessed are you that when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.”
Mt. 5:12 ”Rejoice and be exceedingly glad; for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Lk. 6:23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For your reward is great in Heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.”
Verses eleven and twelve probably were not in the original discourse of the Sermon on the Mount. But if they were, Yeshua was not encouraging His disciples to go out looking for persecution or martyrdom in order to gain Heavenly reward. He was speaking about what the attitude of disciples should be when they are slandered or cursed by their fellow countrymen. They were not to be discouraged, but rather rejoice in the realization that their predecessors, the Old Testament prophets, faced the same kind of persecution Because of this, they would receive the same reward.
Sources: Deut. 22:13, 19; Neh. 6:13; 9:26; M:Arachin 3:5; M:Avoth 2:14-16; M:Sotah 3:5; M:Uktzin 3:12
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