Matthew 5:3-12·~1 min

The Beatitudes

Jesus blesses the poor in spirit and those who mourn, linking need and sorrow to kingdom favor.

“³Blessed are the poor in spirit, ⁴Blessed are those who mourn,

Jesus blesses the meek and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, naming quiet desire and longing for what is right.

⁵Blessed are the meek, ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

Jesus blesses the merciful and the pure in heart, joining outward compassion to inward cleanness.

⁷Blessed are the merciful, ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,

Jesus blesses peacemakers and those persecuted because of righteousness, tying peace and suffering together.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, ¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

Jesus blesses those insulted, slandered, and persecuted because of him, and he calls them to rejoice because of their reward and the prophets before them.

¹¹Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

Section summaryJesus names as blessed those marked by poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness, hunger for righteousness, mercy, purity, peacemaking, and persecution. The blessings reach both present distress and future reward, with the persecuted placed beside the prophets who suffered before them.

Role in the chapterThis section marks out the people who stand under kingdom blessing, even when their condition looks low or costly.