We don’t think much about mercy until we need it.  We don’t want to suffer the consequences when we have wronged someone.  But when the shoe is on the other foot, we realize that it is far more satisfying to default to revenge and displays of strength.  Jesus calls us to be merciful though.  Will we obey?

If someone asked you what you hunger for, what would be your answer? Happiness? Time? Comfort? Healthy relationships? Financial security? Peace? Jesus tells us that we are blessed if we hunger and thirst for righteousness.  It’s that piece of us that is bothered by injustice, desires strong character and conduct and longs to be in a right relationship with God.  When we pursue those things, we will move from feeling empty to being satisfied.

Meekness conjures the idea of being a doormat, letting others trample over us. In our world, the meek person is not valued.  But Jesus says the meek will inherit the earth.  We must have the wrong idea of what it means to be meek. Theologian RT Kendall says, “It is the opposite of self-righteousness, arrogance, haughtiness, smugness and defensiveness.” That sounds like something we all need, so how does it look to be meek?

“Happy are the unhappy” is how theologian John Stott explains what Jesus means when he says, “Blessed are those who mourn.” We commonly associate mourning with the death and loss of a loved one, but in the Sermon on the Mount, it’s about mourning our own sin and the consequences that come with our choices. So, how and when will be comforted?

Every one of us has felt poor in spirit at one time or another.  You might call it helpless, hopeless, desperate, broken or even just needy.  We might consider that weak or pitiful, but in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is saying, “Congratulations! If you are broken, you are blessed.” What does He mean by that?