(3) The poor in Spirit:
Those who are destitute of the proud, haughty, arrogant spirit of the world; destitute of spiritual possessions and who know their true condition and long for a better spiritual state; conscious or their need; will enter the kingdom will belong to it; describes a state of mind lowly and reverent before God; humble, not proud; contrite, not rebellious
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart …Psalms 51:17
(4) They that mourn:
Those who mourn for their own sins and over the sins of others; springs from sympathy with God, whose will is so grievously disregarded and thwarted by men.
(5) The Meek;
Primary meaning is mild, gentle:, those that suffer in love; those who in strength of love boldly yet meekly, meekly yet boldly, bear injustice, and thereby conquer; opposed to arrogance; opposite of ambitious and self-seeking; enjoyment of earthly blessings belongs not to those who grasp for them and assert and maintain with vehemence and care their right to them, but to those who hold them lightly, and rank them inferior to spiritual blessings and are not burdened by them while they possess them; they are not harassed by the fear of losing earthly possessions. Selfish people may possess the earth, but it is the meek alone who inherit the real blessings of this earth and of the spiritual kingdom; the meek will enjoy the temporal blessings more than others and finally will triumph over the earth in the kingdom of God.
(6) They that hunger and thirst after righteousness:
Not just desire righteousness, but show who has an intense desire that must be satisfied. The greatness of the soul is measured by the number, the intensity, and the quality of its desires. This is the highest and the best desire. The promise is to those who have such an intense desire for righteousness is that "they shall be filled." A citizen of the kingdom of heaven must have a deep longing after goodness, godliness, and the qualities that belong to heaven and not after wealth, honor, or worldly fame. The promise is that "they shall be filled "; not partly filled, but completely satisfied or filled. Life is a series of desires and their disappointments or fulfillments; to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness in the kingdom of heaven their desires shall be fulfilled.
(7) The Merciful;
Includes the idea of compassion; those who pity, sympathize with, and help to relieve, all misery and suffering; this is the natural outward expression of the inner hungering after righteousness. Mercy is near akin to forgiveness and love; it relieves spiritual want and darkness as well as temporal; those who are merciful are merciful not only to the guilty, but extend pity to the suffering and help to the needy. The promise is the merciful shall obtain mercy; Comprises every degree of sympathy and mutual love and help; we may show mercy, not by giving money to help the poor, but by word; if we have no other way, we can show mercy by the sympathizing tear. Showing mercy to others proves that we have a state of heart which makes if safe for God to extend mercy to us; for God to forgive the unmerciful would be to encourage that sin of vengeance.
(8) Pure in Heart:
Contrasted to the external or bodily purification the Jews and especially the Pharisees were scrupulous. Those who are pure, sincere, clean in motive and purpose; state of heart which repels, loathes, every vile or sinful thing. James 4:8 purify your hearts. The promise to those who are pure in heart is they will see God. To see God is to enjoy God. 1 John 3:2 … we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
(9) The Peacemakers:
One who loves God and man and who utterly detests, abhors, and abominates all strife, wars and dissensions; peacemakers carry with them the spirit of peace and quietness; like Jesus, seeks to reconcile men to God and to bring divine peace into the lives of men; the promise is they shall be called Sons of God. God is God of peace, and the kingdom of God is a kingdom of peace, all subjects must be peacemakers.
(10-11) Persecuted for Righteousness' Sake:
one must be ready and willing to endure persecution which relates to peacemaker; the kingdom of heaven will encounter opposition; there is antagonism between good and evil, truth and error, right and wrong, Jesus and Satan; evil forces are at war against the forces of righteousness; 2 Tim. 3:12 … all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
(12) Rejoice and be exceeding glad:
Those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake are to rejoice and are to be exceeding glad that they are counted worthy to suffer for the kingdom of heaven. Jesus knew that those who would enter his kingdom and prove faithful would be persecuted; he prepares them for this by foretelling them and then promising to be with them. He reminds them that they would have to suffer greatly as did the prophets of old;
Jeremiah was scourged…
Jeremiah 20:2
Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord.
Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, was stoned…
2 Chronicles 24:21
But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.
According to Jewish tradition, Isaiah was sawn asunder by Manasseh.
Elijah's life was sought, and many other prophets were persecuted; and within two years Jesus was killed.
Persecution made them partakers of Christ's suffering and therefore of his glory.
Romans 8:17
and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
The disciples were to rejoice because "great is your reward in heaven."
Though the crown of glory will be a free gift to those who have suffered, nevertheless it will be a reward for the suffering. The more faithful one is to the Lord the more difficult will be the life in the service of God; the more zealous and faithful, the more assurance they have of a rich reward in heaven.
Matthew 5:1-12
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
[2] And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
[3] "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[4] "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
[5] "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
[6] "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
[7] "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
[8] "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
[9] "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
[10] "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[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.
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