Criswell Theological Review 6.1 (1992) 29-42
Copyright © 1992 by The
WHOM DOES GOD APPROVE?
THE CONTEXT, STRUCTURE,
PURPOSE,
AND EXEGESIS OF
MATTHEW'S BEATITUDES
DAVID L. TURNER
Introduction
Whom
does God approve? I suspect that Jesus' answer to this
question goes against the flow of American
evangelical "pop theol-
ogy." For instance, in
certain evangelical circles it seems to be as-
sumed that widespread
popularity is tantamount to divine approval.
But
the Sermon on the Mount (hereafter SoM) indicates
otherwise,
teaching that those whom God approves may be a
persecuted minor-
ity (5:10-12; 7:13-14). In
other evangelical contexts one gathers that at-
tention to human rules and
traditions insures God's blessing, but
Jesus'
denunciation of pharisaic externalism applies equally well to
evangelical legalism (5:20). Elsewhere the focus is
on material posses-
sions as proof of divine
endorsement, but Jesus strictly prohibits that
sort of priority in values (6:19-21, 33). Another
current teaching sees
divine approval in extraordinary displays of power,
but Jesus' chilling
words about what might eventuate on judgment day
refutes this no-
tion (7:22-23). And there
are those today whose emphasis on spiritual
knowledge implies that God must inevitably
congratulate those who
have memorized the most Bible verses. But knowledge
alone is a
foundation of sand if it does not lead to ethical
obedience (7:26-27).
No--being popular, keeping the
rules, having possessions, doing
miracles, and acquiring knowledge are not
necessarily marks of God's
approval. According to Jesus, God approves those
who turn to Him
when they hear the message of His rule (Matt 3:2;
4:17; 10:7; 13:19; 24:14).
Their
turning is marked by the character traits summarized by Jesus in
29
30
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
the beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-12. These character
traits are gracious
gifts which result from God's approval (cf. Matt
11:25-27; 13:11; 16:17),
not requirements for performance which merits God's
approval. How-
ever, those who have repented should cultivate these
characteristics
(cf.
Matt 11:28-29; 13:23; 16:24). Each beatitude contains a pronounce-
ment concerning who is
blessed backed up by a promise concerning
why they are blessed. The qualities which God does
approve are ex-
plained in two sets of four,
describing relating to God and relating to
other people respectively (cf. Matt 22:37-40). He
approves those who
relate to Him by, admitting their spiritual poverty
and mourning over
their sin, humbly seeking spiritual fulness (5:3-6). He approves those
who relate to others mercifully and purely as
peacemakers, even
though they may be persecuted for their righteous
behavior (5:7-10).
Such is the argument of this study
in brief. It is developed by
addressing the context, structure, purpose, and
exegesis of the be-
atitudes. But before these main
issues can be developed three prelim-
inary matters--the
complexity, historicity, and familiarity of the
beatitudes--call for brief comments. .
An immense amount of scholarly
material has been written on
the SoM in general and on
the beatitudes in particular. Harrington
does not exaggerate when he says, "The history
of the sermon's inter-
pretation is a miniature history
of Christianity.”1 Kissinger's bibliogra-
phy of materials on the SoM published by 1975 ran to nearly 150
pages, and over thirty pages of this bibliography are
devoted to the
beatitudes.2 A computerized data
base I recently consulted listed 90
1 D. J. Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew, Sacra Pagina vol. 1 (
Liturgical, 1991) 76.
2 W. S. Kissinger, The Sermon on the Mount: A History of
Interpretation and Bib-
liography (Metuchen, NJ:
Scarecrow/ATLA,1975) 128-275. Among more notable studies
of the beatitudes are I. W. Batdorf,
Interpreting the Beatitudes (
ster,I966); M. Black, 'The Beatitudes," ExpTim 129(1953)
125-26; J. W. Bowman, "Trav-
elling the
"Matthaean Beatitudes and Traditional Promises," in New Synoptic Studies, ed. W. R
Farmer
(Macon, GA: Mercer, 1983) 161-84; C. H. Dodd, 'The Beatitudes: A Form-critical
Study,"
in More New Testament Studies (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968) 1-10; J. Du-
pont, Les Beatitudes, 2d ed., 3 vols. (Paris: Gabalda,
1969, 1973); D. Flusser, "Some Notes
on the Beatitudes," Immanuel 8 (1978) 37-47; V. C. Grounds, "Mountain
Manifesto,"
BSac 128 (1971) 135-41; R A Guelich, The Matthean
Beatitudes: 'Entrance-Require-
ments' or Eschatological
Blessings?" JBL 95 (1976)
415-34; G. L. Lawlor, The Beatitudes
are for Today (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974); N. J. McEleney, "The Beatitudes of the Ser-
mon on the Mount/Plain,"
CBQ 43 (1981) 1-13; B. M. Newman,
"Some Translational
Notes
on the Beatitudes," BT 26 (1975)
106-20; and C. M Tuckett, "The Beatitudes: A
Source-Critical
Study," NovT
25 (1983) 192-207. Tuckett's study is followed by a
re-
sponse by M. D. Goulder, 208-16.
David L. Turner: WHOM DOES GOD APPROVE 31
additional studies of the beatitudes published
since 1975. The profun-
dity of the beatitudes and
the plethora of discussions means that this
study can only introduce the complex issues at hand.
One of these complex matters is
historicity. The SoM does not ap-
pear as such in Mark and appears only partially in
Luke (6:17-7:1).
Luke
6:20-24 contains four beatitudes which more or less parallel
some of Matthew's nine beatitudes, with the notable
exception that
Luke's
version is second person and Matthew's version is third person
(except for 5:11).3 Several theories exist to
explain this aspect of the
synoptic problem. Many believe that Matthew has
created the SoM
from traditions, documentary sources, and his own
ingenuity, so that
the SoM should not be
attributed to the historical Jesus.4 Evangelicals
have properly rejected this dehistoricizing
approach5 and have gener-
ally opted for one of the two following viewpoints.
One is that Mat-
thew has created the
structure of the SoM by collating various
teachings of the historical Jesus which were
originally uttered in var-
ious contexts.6
The other is that Matthew accurately records the "gist"
(ipsissima vox) of a
historical sermon which Jesus actually uttered on
a mountain, so that the structure of the SoM is dominical, not redac-
tional.7 The latter view will be
assumed in the present study. The tra-
dition history of the
beatitudes is generally viewed today from the
perspective that Matthew has redacted Luke or the
traditions used by
Luke.
Whatever the merit of this approach, the present study will
take a literary critical slant, focusing on
Matthew's narrative as a
whole and the beatitudes as a part of it.
But another matter is more serious
than complexity and even his-
toricity. It is the familiarity
of the beatitudes:
The most dangerous passages of the
Bible are the familiar ones, be-
cause we do not really listen to them. The sharp
stone of God's word,
3 The first beatitudes in
both Matthew and Luke (Matt 5:3/Luke 6:20) are parallel
passages. Luke's second beatitude parallels
Matthew's fourth (Matt 5:6/Luke 6:21a).
Luke's
third beatitude (6:21b) has no direct parallel in Matthew, though Luke's oi!
klai<ontej
. . .
qou?ntej.
. . paraklhqh<sontai. Luke's fourth and
final beatitude is parallel to Matthew's
ninth (Matt 5:11-12/Luke 6:22-23). Luke's four woes
(6:24-26) which follow the four be-
atitudes have no parallel in
Matthew 5, though the woes present antithetical situations
to some of the beatitudes.
4 E.g. F. W. Beare, The Gospel According
to Matthew (New York: Harper, 1981) 125.
5 See in particular C. Blomberg, The Historical
Reliability of the Gospels (Down-
6 E.g. R A Guelich, The Sermon on the
Mount (Waco, TX: Word, 1982) 33-36, 112-18.
7 E.g.
D. A Carson, "Matthew," The
Expositor's Bible Commentary (
Zondervan,
1984) 8.122-26.
32
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
smoothed
down by the river of time, no longer cuts. Instead of being
challenged
by hard thought or hard choices, we lean back and savor
pretty
words. . . spiritual bonbons.8
When
reflecting on the beatitudes, one runs the risk of missing the
impact of their radical message because of their
commonplace occur-
rence and pretty packaging.
In this manner dominical beatitudes can
become hackneyed cliches.
Shaking the beatitudinal kaleidoscope9 yet
one more time in this study must lead beyond mere
visual and intel-
lectual gratification to a
realignment of our fundamental values with
those of Jesus.10
Context
After his unique story of Jesus'
infancy (1-2), Matthew develops
the body of his gospel as five blocks of Narrative/Discourse
material
(3-7,
8-10, 11-13, 14-18, 19-25) and concludes with Jesus' death, resur-
rection, and mission mandate
(26-28).11 The narratives focus on Jesus'
works, the discourses on his words. The five sections
of Jesus' works
and
words are divided by the key phrase kai>
e]ge<neto
o!te e]te<lesen o[
]Ihsou?j
. . ("and
it came about when Jesus had finished. .."; 7:28;
11:1;
13:53;
19:1; 26:1). The discourse which has been called the SoM
since
the time of Augustine (Matt 5-7) should be seen as
the representative
ethical teaching of Jesus. It unpacks the
summary statement of 4:23
which presents a words/works complex. Thus 4:23 and
the similar
summary in 9:35 provide an inclusio,
which envelops or Jesus' minis-
try of teaching (5-7) and doing miracles (8-9).
Both the words and the
works demonstrate the authority of the
8:8-9;
9:6-8).
The SoM is
summarized and displayed in Chart One as follows.
8 J. P.
Meier, “Matthew 5:3-12," Int 44 (1990) 281-85.
9 This phrase is
suggested by McEleney, "The Beatitudes,"
13.
10 For challenging
expositions built on careful exegesis see F. D. Bruner, The
Christbook
(Waco: Word, 1987) 133-59; D. A Carson, The Sermon on the Mount (Grand
Rapids:
Baker, 1978) 16-29; D. M Lloyd-Jones, Studies
in the Sermon the Mount
(Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971) 32-148; and J. R W. Stott, Christian Counter-Culture
(Downers
Grove, IL.; InterVarsity, 1978) 30-56.
11 This approach to
Matthew is often connected with B. W. Bacon, Studies in Mat-
thew (London:
Constable, 1930). It is favored by many today, including Carson, “Mat-
thew," 50-57 and J. P.
Meier, Matthew (Wilmington, DE:
Glazier, 1980). For a rival
approach, see J. D. Kingsbury, Matthew: Structure, Christology, Kingdom
(
Fortress,
1989) 1-39; and D. R Bauer, The Structure of
Matthew's Gospel JSNTSS 31
(Sheffield:
Almond, 1988) 73-108.
David L. Turner: WHOM DOES GOD APPROVE 33
Chart
One:
Display and
Summary of the SoM
Introductory narrative
framework (5:1-2):
Jesus is prompted to teach
by the crowds and his disciples gather around him
to hear his
teaching.
Introduction
to the sermon: Beatitudes (5:3-16); The beatitudes
describe
the
divinely approved lifestyle of those who have repented at the
arrival of
the rule of
God in Jesus' words and works.
Body (5:17-7:12): Jesus announces (5:17-20) and then explains,
his
/ and his disciples' relationship to the law with six con-
trasts (5:21-48)./ Then he turns to hypocritical
versus genuine
religious
practice (6:1-18), / materialism and anxiety (6:19-34),
and
relating to people (7:1-12).
The reference to the law
(7:12) provides another enveloping
inclusio
which completes the theme of obeying the law and
prophets
which began in 5:17.
Conclusion
(7:13-27): Here three contrasts challenge the listeners
to make the
correct response to the teaching. They are to take the
narrow way
(13-14), to avoid fruitless false prophets (15-23), and
to build
their lives on the words they have heard (24-27). Are
their lives
marked by the traits of the beatitudes? Do they view
the law and
the prophets as Jesus does?
Concluding narrative
framework
(7:28-29): The crowds are amazed at
Jesus' authoritative teaching.
Literary Structure
Each of the beatitudes is composed
of a statement of who is
blessed ("blessed are the poor in spirit. .
.") followed by a statement of
why the person is blessed ("for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven"). First
the character of the blessed person is highlighted,
and then the prom-
ise of God to that person
is explained. Altogether there are nine beat-
itudes (5:3-12), the ninth
(5:11-12) being an expansion of the eighth.
The
first eight beatitudes may be divided into two groups of four, with
the first group emphasizing the disciple's vertical
relationship to God,
the second emphasizing the disciple's horizontal
relationship to
34
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
people.12 The beatitudes may be
displayed chiastically and summa-
rized as follows:
Chart Two
Display and Summary of the Beatitudes
.
5:3
Poor in spirit blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven
5:4 Mourners blessed because they
will be comforted
5:5 Meek blessed because
they will inherit the earth
5:6 Hungry
blessed because they will be filled
5:7 Merciful
blessed because they will be mercied
5:8 Pure blessed because
they will see God
5:9 Peacemakers blessed because they
will be called sons of God
5:10
Persecuted blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven13
This chiastic layout of the
beatitudes is indicated by several fac-
tors. First there is the
enveloping present tense inclusio
au]tw?n e]stin h[
basilei<a tw?n
ou]ranw?n in 5:3, 10. The similar
future divine passives par-
aklhqh<sontai and klhqh<sontai occur in 5:4, 9. A
future active verb
with direct object occurs in 5:5 (au]toi< klhronomh<sousin th>n gh?n), an-
swered by the future middle
verb with direct object in 5:8 (au]toi> to>n
qeo>n o@yontai). In the center of the
chiasm, 5:6-7 both utilize future di-
vine passives (au]toi> xortasqh<sontai . . . au]toi> e]lehqh<sontai). It may
also be noted that the both halves of the chiasmus
conclude with the
concept of righteousness (5:6, 10), and that
there is alliteration with
the letter p in Matthew's
description of the blessed in the first half
(ptwxoi>
. . . penqou?ntej . . . praei?j
. . . peinw?ntej; 5:3-6). Thus the envel-
oping idea of the blessedness
of presently possessing of the kingdom
(5:3,
10) is developed primarily by stressing what God's gracious initia-
tive will do for disciples
(future divine passives; 5:4, 6, 7, 9), and sec-
ondarily by mentioning what
disciples will do in response to that
initiative (future active and middle; 5:5, 8).
12 Another approach,
alluding to Matthew's penchant for triads, posits three sets
of three beatitudes. For this see W. D. Davies and
D. C. Allison, A Critical and Exegeti-
cal Commentary on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew, ICC (
1988)
1.429-31.
13 The inverted
parallelism or chiasm shown here is adapted from McEleney,
“The Beatitudes,” 12.
David L. Turner: WHOM DOES GOD APPROVE 35
The Greek text of Matthew 5:3-12 may
be laid out similarly. In
Chart
Three the chiastic structure and the supporting o!ti clauses are
prominent. Also the elaboration of the eighth
beatitude (5:10) by 5:11-
12
is clarified.
Chart Three
Display of Matthew 5:3-12
3
Maka<rioi oi[ ptwxoi> t&? pneu<mati,
o!ti au]tw?n
e]stin h[ basilei<a tw?n ou]ranw?n.
4
maka<rioi oi[ penqou?ntej,
o!ti au]toi>
paraklhqh<sonati.
5
maka<rioi oi[ praei?j,
o!ti
au]toi> klhronomh<sousin th>n ghn.
6 maka<rioi
oi[
peinw?ntej kai> diyw?ntej th>n dikaiosu<nhn,
o!ti
au[toi> xortasqh<sonati
7
maka<rioi
oi[ e]leh<monej,
o!ti au]toi>
e]lehqh<sontai.
8
maka<rioi oi[ kaqaroi> t^? kardi<%,
o!ti
au]toi> to>n qeo>n
o@yontai.
9
mak<rioi
oi[
ei]rhnopoioi<,
o!ti
au]toi> ui[oi> qeou? klhqh<sontai.
10
maka<rioi oi[ dediwgme<noi
e!neken dikaiosu<nhj,
o!ti au]tw?n
e]stin h[ basilei<a tw?n ou]ranw?n.
11
maka<rioi<
e]ste
o!tan o]neidi<swsin u[ma?j
kai> diw<cwsin
kai> ei@pwsin
pa?n ponhro>n kaq ] u[mw?n [yeudo<menoi ]
e!neken
e]mou?.
12
xai<rete
kai> a]gallia?sqe,
o!ti o[ misqo<j
u[mw?n polu>j e]n toi?j ou]ranoi?j:
ou!twj ga>r
e]di<wcan tou>j profh<taj tou>j pro>
u[mw?n.
36
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
Theological Purpose
The theological purpose of the
beatitudes cannot be understood
apart from the theological purpose of the SoM as a whole, and there
are many divergent approaches to this.14
Albert Schweitzer's konse-
quente Eschatologie approach saw the SoM as an interim ethic de-
signed only for what Jesus mistakenly believed would
be the brief
time before the inbreaking
of the apocalyptic judgment. Needless to
say, evangelicals find little common ground with a
view which posits
a mistaken Jesus. Lutheranism tends to take the SoM as a teaching of
the high standards of the law which is intended to
drive the audience
to the gospel. Traditional dispensationalism
similarly tends to view
the SoM as law, not
grace, but postpones its primary applicability to
the future millennium. But many dispensationalists
today are not dis-
posed to the traditional approach.15
Classic liberal theology took the
SoM as a bulwark of the “social gospel” of human
kindness and
progress and in the process drastically
overestimated human ability to
live by the SoM apart from
divine grace. The anabaptist
tradition
somewhat simplistically absolutizes
the SoM as the standard of ethics
for all times and places. Though the above views
contain elements of
truth, it seems much better to view the SoM in general and the beati-
tudes in particular as an
ethic for disciples who live between the two
advents of Jesus the Messiah. The disciples'
character traits are the re-
sult of the saving rule of
God inaugurated through the kingdom mes-
sage preached at Jesus' first advent. The disciples
long for the full
manifestation of that saving rule in
the future (cf. 6:10).
The theological purpose of the SoM in general and of the beati-
tudes in particular centers
in the kingdom of heaven. The phrase h[
basilei<a tw?n
ou]ranw?n occurs in 5:3, 10, 19,
20; 7:21. The word kingdom
also occurs in 6:10, 13 (text?), 33.16 At
least three major theological is-
sues surround the kingdom of heaven. The first of
these is the rela-
tionship of Matthew's
characteristic term “kingdom of heaven” to the
here,17 none is warranted. This is clear from a
comparison of the king-
14 H. K. McArthur lists
12 views in Understanding the Sermon on
the Mount (New
SoM, 1-125.
15 Cf.
J. A Martin, “Dispensational Approaches to the Sermon on the
Mount," in
Essays in Honor of J.
Dwight Pentecost,
ed. S. D. Toussaint and C. H. Dyer (
Moody,
1985) 35-48.
16
kingdom" occurs but where it occurs that
matters.
17 Traditional
dispensationalists have often done this. E.g., J. F. Walvoord,
Mat-
thew: Thy Kingdom Come (Chicago: Moody, 1974) 30. M. Pamment attempts to prove a
David L. Turner: WHOM DOES GOD APPROVE 37
dom of heaven in Matthew
with the
sages in the synoptic gospels (e.g. Matt 5:3; Luke
6:20). Apparently
Matthew
uses the term as a metonymy of God's dwelling place for
God's
name, due to the sensitivity of his audience.18
Another question concerns whether
the kingdom is God's present
rule and/or God's future realm. Here the answer is
certainly conjunc-
tive rather than
disjunctive. To handle all the data adequately19 one
cannot resort to simplistic theories which identify
the kingdom either
with the future millennium or with the present
church. Both tradi-
tional dispensational theology
and traditional covenant theology need
to nuance their respective positions along the
lines suggested by
George
Ladd and others.20
A third question about the kingdom
of heaven is its relationship
to the church. Traditional dispensationalism's
tendency has been to
separate the two and traditional covenant
theology's to equate them.
Neither
of these positions will do in view of the data in Matthew, es-
pecially 16:18-19. Again Ladd's
articulation is a beneficial place to be-
gin discussion of a more nuanced position.21
Now the question of how all of this
impacts the interpretation of the
beatitudes must be considered. The first and eighth
beatitudes contain
the
same enveloping promise, o!ti
au]tw?n e]stin h[ basilei<a tw?n ou]ranw?n
("theirs is the kingdom of heaven). Just how significant is
the fact that the
verb is present tense? Scholars as diverse as
Beasley-Murray and Tous-
saint attempt to minimize any emphasis on the
presence of the kingdom
here. Beasley-Murray argues from the future
orientation of the context22
and Toussaint views the present tense as futuristic
or proleptic.23
distinction for other reasons in "The Kingdom
of God According to the First Gospel,"
NTS 27 (1980-81) 211-32.
18 Perhaps this is based
on such OT passages as 1 Kgs 8:12, 23, 27, 30, 32,
34, 36, 39,
43,
45, 49; Dan 2:28, 37, 44; 4:26, 35, 37; 5:23; 6:27; 7:2, 13, 27. Cf. Matt 6:9,
10, 20; 7:11;
21:25;
Mark 11:30; Luke 15:18, 21.
19 The presence of the
kingdom is emphasized in texts like Matt 3:2, 4:17; 5:3, 10;
6:33;
12:28, 16:19; 23:13 and its future in texts like 13:41; 25:34.
20 G. E. Ladd, The Presence of the Future (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974) 122-48.
21 Ladd, Presence, 262-77. Ladd argues that the
church is not the kingdom, the
kingdom creates the church, the church witnesses
to the kingdom as its instrument and
custodian.
22 G. R. Beasley-Murray, Jesus and the
Eerdmans/Paternoster,
1986) 162.
In dialogue with C. L Blomberg recently, Beasley-
Jesus,"
JETS 35 (1992) 19-30. This is
followed by Blomberg's response (31-36, see espe-
cially 34) and
Beasley-Murray's comments on the response (37-38).
23 S. D. Toussaint, Behold the King: A Study of Matthew (
nomah, 1980) 96-97; and
"The Kingdom and Matthew's Gospel," in Essays in Honor of
J. Dwight Pentecost, ed. S. D. Toussaint
and C. H. Dyer (Chicago: Moody, 1986) 25.
38
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
However,
one wonders why a futuristic present would be used since the
context is already dominated by the future
tenses. More than this, the
whole thrust of the beatitudes is upon the present
blessedness of the dis-
ciples, and this blessedness
is rather hollow if their actual experience of
this blessings is postponed until millennial times.
Therefore it is better
to take the present tense as a simple statement of
the disciples' present
experience of the kingdom. Granted, their present
experience of the
kingdom is partial, but it is genuine. Granted,
the disciples' hope is pri-
marily in the future eschaton, but they have already experienced its sav-
ing power.24 God
has already begun His eschatological work of blessing
those who acknowledge their spiritual bankruptcy and
hunger for spiri-
tual fulness.
In the eschaton they will be filled full.
In all this it becomes clear that
the beatitudes are primarily the
eschatological blessings of the
kingdom, not requirements for en-
trance into the kingdom.25 One should not
view the beatitudes as
God's
challenge for disciples to perform up to a certain standard in
order to earn His approval. That would lead either to
hopeless despair
or to self-congratulation and spiritual pride,
qualities which are anti-
thetical to the character traits
which are blessed. Instead one must
view these character traits as visible fruit of the
work of God through
the dynamic of the good news of God's saving rule.
Beatitudes are not
imperatives, though they implicitly call upon those blessed
by God's
gracious initiative to cultivate the character
traits which have become
theirs by God's grace. This is not unlike the more
explicit "be what
you are" pattern often noted in Pauline
ethical teaching (e.g., Eph
4:20-5:2;
now time to examine the individual beatitudes.
Exegetical Comments
Foundational to the exegesis of the
beatitudes is the meaning of
maka<rioj, "blessed."
The word "beatitudes" is related to the Latin bea-
tus, "happy."
Sometimes the beatitudes are called "macarisms,"
based
on maka<rioj.
In the LXX maka<rioj;
often translates yrew;xa, an emphatic
exclamation meaning "oh the happinesses
of " Beatitudes have
their background in both wisdom and apocalyptic
literature and are
found regularly in the Bible (e.g., Ps 1:1; 32:1; Prov 3:13; Dan 12:12; Rom
24 This position is
favored by Carson, "Matthew," 132; Davies and Allison, Mat-
thew, 1;446; Guelich, Sermon,
76; Ladd, Presence, 206-7; and H. N. Ridderbos, The Com-
ing of the Kingdom, trans H. de Jongste
(
1962) 78.
25 This is the thesis of
R A Guelich, "The Matthean Beatitudes: 'Entrance-
Requirements' or Eschatological Blessings?" JBL 95 (1976) 415-34.
David L. Turner: WHOM DOES GOD APPROVE 39
14:22;
Rev 1:3).26 To be blessed is to receive
God's approval, favor, en-
dorsement, congratulations.
"Blessed" should not be understood
merely in the sense of "happy," since
happiness is a vague idea often
with a shallow, emotional ring to it. No doubt
divine blessing pro-
duces deep joy and genuine
happiness in its human recipients, but
the focus is on the originator of the blessing. God
initiates blessing by
graciously condescending to save His people. His
people respond to
His
initiative by blessing Him in thanks and praise for that grace and
by living obediently.
As noted in the discussion of
literary structure, the beatitudes are
best viewed as two sets of four (5:3-6; 5:7-10),
plus an expansion of the
final one (5:11-12). Evidently 5:13-16 is meant to
show that those who
manifest the character traits of the beatitudes
will impact their world as
salt and light The first set (1.1-4 below) seems to
describe those quali-
ties which assure one of approval in relating to God
(awareness of spir-
itual poverty, mourning over
sin, humility, desire for deeper experience
of righteousness). The second set (2.1-4 below)
describes the qualities
which assure one of divine approval in relating to
people (extending
mercy, internal integrity, making peace, and enduring
persecution.
1.1 "Blessed are the poor in
spirit,27 for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven" (5:3). God's approval does not come to
those who boast of
their spiritual riches. Rather his endorsement is for
those who admit
their poverty. In the Old Testament there is repeated
reference to the
MyvinAfE people whose economic
distress left them with nothing to rely
upon except God (Lev 19:9-15, 32-33; Deut 15:4, 7,
11; Ps 37:10-17; Prov
16:18-19;
Isa 66:1-2; Jer 22:15-17;
Amos 2:6-8). Their distress was due
to such problems as death in the family, physical
handicap, advancing
age, military defeat, social injustice, or alien
status. This seems to be
the OT background of Jesus' words, but spiritual
poverty should be
acknowledged by everyone, not just
those who have adverse circum-
stances. Material prosperity should not deaden
one's sensitivity to
spiritual poverty. Those who realize that they
have nothing spiritually
are the only ones who really have anything.
1.2 "Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted"
(5:4).
Here Jesus indicates that those who mourn receive God's ap-
proval. People mourn over such
things as disasters, injustice, unbelief,
and persecution. But here the context indicates
mourning over one's
26 For helpful overviews
of the nature of beatitudes see Allison and Davies, Mat-
thew, 1.431-42; Guelich, SoM, 63-66.
27 The distinction
between Luke's simple oi[ ptwxoi> (6:20) and Matthew's oi[ ptwxoi>
t&?
pneu<mati
has been exaggerated. See Carson, “Matthew,” 136-37; Guelich,
SoM, 75;
and G. T. Meadors, “The
'Poor' in the Beatitudes of Matthew and Luke,” GTJ 6 (1985)
305-14.
40
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
own sinfulness, whether in thoughts or actions,
omissions or commis-
sions. So this beatitude fits
with the testimony of such great saints as
Isaiah
(Isaiah 6) and Job (Job 42). At first this may sound like some
sort of cruel, sadistic joke, appealing only to
masochistic types. It is as
if Jesus is saying that those who are unhappy are
happy. But in reality
Jesus
is exposing the error of superficial, self-centered living. Genuine
realism, not false optimism, is true bliss for
the follower of Jesus, for
it will lead to ultimate comfort.
1.3 "Blessed are the meek for
they will inherit the earth" (5:5).
"Meekness
is not weakness," so goes the cliche. But true
meekness is
an unassuming humility which places total
dependence upon God
and renounces self effort to achieve one's wants
and needs. It is this
kind of person who will inherit the earth (see also
19:28-29; 25:34).
Once
again Jesus goes against the grain of human pride and modern
culture by asserting that the meek, not the
yuppies, the militarists,
the financial tycoons, or the holier-than-thou
types, will inherit the
earth.
1.4 "Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled" (5:6). God approves
those who long for right re-
lationship with him, not those who
mistakenly think they have already
achieved it. Righteousness here should not be
viewed in the Pauline
sense (Rom 5:1-2, etc.) of legal innocence before God
based on faith in
Jesus' vicarious sacrifice. Rather the emphasis is
on ethical rightness,
the upright lifestyle (see also 1:19; 3:15; 5:10,
20, 45; 6:1, 33).28 Those who
realize their lack in this area rather than those
who boast of their at-
tainments will receive what they
long for. We should think here not
only of personal righteousness but also of social
righteousness.
2.1 "Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy" (5:7).
God's
approval comes to those who relate to others with pity plus action.
While
grace pardons the guilty, mercy relieves the miserable. Matthew
repeatedly stresses that the theme of mercy is
important for the disciple
of Jesus (6:2; 9:27, 36; 15:22; 17:15; 20:30). In
contrast, mercy is not present
where isolationism (9:13), legalism (12:7), and trivialism (23:23) are the
rules of life (cf. Hos 6:6;
Mic 6:8). Those who have experienced God's
mercy will show it to others (cf. Matt 18:21-35), and
thus demonstrate
their destiny as those who will yet receive mercy at
the last day.
2.2 "Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they shall see God" (5:8).
Purity
of heart involves integrity, transparency, and freedom from
corruption. It is crucial to note that the purity
which God approves is
heart purity. The Pharisees were models of an
external, rule-onented
28 cr. B. Przybylski, Righteousness
in Matthew and His World of Thought (
bridge: University Press, 1980). Cf. Guelich, SoM, 84-87.
David L. Turner: WHOM DOES GOD APPROVE 41
purity which Jesus utterly rejected and condemned. His
disciples have
experienced the power of the kingdom which purifies
from the inside
out. Thus they must cultivate integrity in their
private intellectual, emo-
tional, and volitional lives
(see Matt 5:28; 6:21; 9:4; 11:29; 12:34; 13:15, 19;
15:8,18,19; 18:35; 22:37; 23:26). Only such people may expect to
see God.
2.3 "Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will be called sons of
God"
(5:9). God in Christ is the ultimate peacemaker (cf. Rom 5:1; Eph
2:14-15;
a filial likeness or family resemblance to their
heavenly Father (see
5:43-48).
The experience of peace with God enables Jesus'
disciples to
seek the cessation of their hostilities with people.
While the gospel it-
self may offend some people and lead to hostility
(10:34), Jesus' disci-
ples actively seek
harmonious relationships with others. In this age of
individual, ethnic, and national aggression, Jesus'
reminder that
peacemakers, not warmongers, have God's approval is
sorely needed.
2.4 “Blessed are those who are
persecuted because of righteous-
ness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (5:10).
With the second men-
tion of the phrase
"theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (see 5:3), the
beatitudes have come full circle. The chief marks
of those who al-
ready live under God's rule are humility toward God
and mercy to-
ward people. One might expect such humble, merciful
people to be
valued highly by their fellow human beings, but such
is not the case.
Jesus
preeminently displayed these characteristics, and he was vi-
ciously persecuted to the point
of death (23:31-32). He warns his disci-
ples that they will receive
similar treatment (10:16-42; 24:9-14).
3.1 Now Jesus explains that the
disciples described in 5:3-10 will
have a definite influence upon this world. This
should put to rest any
notion that discipleship is merely a private matter
between a person
and God. First, in 5:11-12 Jesus expands his
beatitude on persecution
(5:10)
by pointing out that insults and slander may occur because of His
disciples' connection with Himself. When this
occurs, the disciples are
in good company with the prophets and may expect a
great reward.
Thus
the disciples' influence on the world may be unappreciated.
3.2 Second, in 5:13-16 Jesus uses
two vivid pictures to speak of
His disciples' influence. They are salt (5:13)
and light (5:14-16). As salt
they will purify and preserve their society if only
they retain their
saltiness. As light their good deeds will result in
praise going to their
Father
if only they display that light prominently for all to see.
Conclusion
The character traits of kingdom rule
are chiefly humility toward
God and mercy toward people. By God's grace these
traits are present
in principle in the lives of His people. Yet God's
people must cultivate
42
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
these traits so that they are present in fact. In a
world which values
pride over humility and aggression over mercy, Jesus'
disciples are, in
the words of Stott, Christian counter-culture. As
Jesus' disciples culti-
vate the counter-cultural
qualities of the beatitudes, they have not
only the teachings of their Lord but also his life
to consider. It has
been suggested by Waltke
that Jesus the Messiah is in reality the
blessed man of Psalm 1.29 In the
encomium of Hebrews 11-12 the au-
thor of Hebrews viewed Jesus
as the ultimate example of the life of
faith.30 Peter likewise did not
hesitate to speak of Jesus as the disci-
ple's example (1 Pet 2:21).
Similarly, in Matthew Jesus is the
one whose life models king-
dom values in relating to
God and people. Matthew 5:3-12 has several
echoes of Isa 61:1-9, a text
which extolls the work of the Messiah un-
der the power of the Spirit
(cf. Matt 11:5; Luke 4:18). He identified with
those who were poor in spirit (e.g., Matt 9:9-12). He
mourned over Is-
rael's needs (Matt 9:36;
14:14; 23:37). He lived as the epitome of meek-
ness (Matt 11:29). He fulfilled the righteousness of
the OT (Matt 3:15;
5:17).
His relationships to people were similarly exemplary as he
dem-
onstrated mercy (Matt 9:36;
14:14), integrity (Matt 27:59-60), and recon-
ciliation (Matt 4:23-24;
8:16-17). In spite of all Jesus' righteousness, he
was persecuted to the point of execution (Matt
9:34; 10:25; 12:14). In all
this he lived as well as taught the values of the
kingdom, the beati-
tudes. Thus his disciples do
not merely ascribe to an abstract theory of
values, they walk in the steps of one who practiced
those values and
said lake my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I
am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls
(Matt 11:29).
Meier
puts it like this:
In the end, then, the
beatitudes are the autobiography of Jesus, a per-
fect self-portrait by the Master. Jesus the meek
teacher of wisdom and
meek king
of the universe, Jesus crucified and risen, is the only fully
happy man
who ever lived. We disciples slowly learn his path to happi-
ness as we
walk his way of wisdom, his way of the cross. Happy are those
who
discover on the way, like a treasure hidden in a field, the Christology
hidden in
the beatitudes.31
29 B. K. Waltke, "A Canonical Process Approach to the
Psalms," in Tradition and
Testament: Essays in
Honor of Charles Lee Feinberg, ed. J. S. and P. D. Feinberg (Chi-
cago: Moody, 1981) 3-18.
30 M.
R. Miller, "What is the Literary Form of Hebrews 11" JETS 29 (1986) 411-17.
31
Meier, Matthew 5:3-12," 285.
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