The Beatitudes in Matthew's Gospel: Righteousness and Kingdom

Introduction and Context

Matthew is the first book of the four Gospels. The term Kingdom of Heaven is frequently used throughout this gospel, while other gospels use the term Kingdom of God. Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the Messiah. Within Matthew, we find the Beatitudes, a foundational teaching of Jesus recorded in Matthew 5:3–12. The Beatitudes' purpose was to provide guidance for the new Christian community at the time. They were in their beginning stages and needed direction for living as disciples of Jesus. The Beatitudes are pronouncements of God on those who need spiritual transformation, linking the hope of the present with the reality of the future.

This paper argues that the presence of Jesus demonstrates that the Beatitudes were established during the Messianic Age. The present time for the people entails the anticipation of the age to come. The Kingdom of Heaven represents the future, since the Parousia (Christ's second coming) has not yet occurred. As a result, the Old Age is also present and has not yet passed away. This event creates cohesion between the Old and New Ages, which remains until the Parousia. The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–12) deal with many major biblical themes such as faith, humility, mortality, and kindness. Throughout this paper, I will attempt to explain what these teachings meant to those who were the first to hear the Gospel of Matthew and place them in their proper social setting. Within all eight beatitudes, righteousness emerges as an important aspect of entering the kingdom of heaven.

The First Three Beatitudes: Spirit, Mourning, and Meekness

The First Beatitude deals with the blessing assured to the "poor in spirit." Jesus made the statement: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The first question is to define who the poor were. In contemporary times and in the parallel account in Luke 6:24, one tends to associate the poor with those suffering economic hardship. However, in the context of Matthew's Gospel, the poor were not simply those lacking wealth but those who stood without dishonesty before God and understood the rule of God in their lives. In antiquity, being "poor in spirit" meant those who were humble in spirit—those dependent on God to provide for them. To be rich in the Holy Spirit, one must first recognize poverty and dependence. If one is poor, he is dependent upon God to provide, so one must become completely dependent on God. To be rich in the Holy Spirit indicates that God dwells within you. Such people are willing to go before God and ask for forgiveness, as exemplified in Luke 5:8: "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord." This example exemplifies someone poor in spirit who cries out for God's help.

Being poor in spirit can be directly related to faith. To be poor in spirit means that no matter how much one possesses, one is willing to part with it when the end comes. This is why Jesus said, "No one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions" (Luke 14:33). No matter one's position—whether rich or poor—giving up all possessions is required because faith means understanding that in the Kingdom of Heaven, these material possessions will not be needed. The Lord will provide. The scripture can be translated as: God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them. The poor in spirit demonstrate that without God they are nothing, because they cannot save themselves. The spiritually poor possess a profound acknowledgment of their sinfulness and their need for God's grace. Hence, they are not narcissistic or gratified in their hearts. It is possible that the term also referred to people conscious of their spiritual poverty in relation to their guilt and immorality. If one is aware of one's sins and asks for forgiveness, it is promised that one will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). The children of God are humble and obey God's will. This included all believers and the Church, as Jesus said: "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:48–50).

In the Second Beatitude, Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Broadly speaking, the context may specify mourning over one's own immorality, whether in beliefs or action. Jesus used the word "those who mourn," which describes a present or constant act. A person who knows he or she has done wrong and is eagerly willing to have it cleansed into holiness is promised to be blessed. In Matthew 3:8, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance," the fruit symbolizes a recurring result. This means that as a believer, asking for forgiveness is not an overnight process—fruits do not harvest overnight. It is a constant process of making changes, and eventually one reaps the fruit of the Spirit. At the time, the Pharisees and Sadducees were not bearing good fruit, and judgment comes to those who do not bear good fruit. They were subject to condemnation for their wrongdoings. Those who mourn look beyond the present life to a new scope of reality—to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The concept of repentance was central to Matthew's Gospel. For Matthew, the cry for repentance was equal to becoming a disciple of Jesus. Matthew saw repentance as the only means of becoming involved with Jesus. To be righteous is to be obedient to God's will, which is to have a relationship with Him through His Son. Another interpretation is that those who mourn are destined to change their situation and will wait on God for their comfort—a comfort promised to them. One could say that anyone who believes in God and experiences hardship might question their faith, and this is how their faith is tested. God will see this and eventually bless them.

In the Third Beatitude, Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Meekness can be viewed as placing total reliance on God and abandoning selfhood to accomplish one's wishes and wants. This intertwines with being poor in spirit because, like the meek, the poor are humble and reliant on God. Both have qualities related to meekness. Meekness is strength under control. Jesus described himself as "gentle and humble in heart" (Matthew 11:29). Jesus identifying himself as gentle and humble infers that he is a servant of God, and it is through God that he has his authority. In contrast, Jesus promised that the meek "will inherit the earth." As we have seen, the earth has become the place of the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who submit their power to God will inherit the kingdom coming to earth. In this kingdom, they receive by God's grace the good things that the overconfident fruitlessly strive for in the present earth.

Righteousness and Compassion: Beatitudes Four Through Six

In the Fourth Beatitude, "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled," the two terms "hunger" and "thirst" are used metaphorically to indicate a strong desire. Jesus is stating that He will change the life of any person who is eager to be righteous. Wanting righteousness in one's life is equivalent to one's most basic needs for food and water. Being righteous results in the continuous growth of Godliness and satisfaction. Jesus instructed, "But seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and His righteousness, and all things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). In Matthew, righteousness refers to the conduct that is accepted by God's will, and once one is righteous, one will prosper. Seeking God's blessings should be a main concern in believers' lives. God approves of those who desire a good relationship with him, not those who falsely think they have already achieved it. Even John the Baptist himself wanted to make it right with God, doing so by getting baptized to repent. The lesson from the Pharisees' example is that self-righteousness is not righteousness, and that God's true people are to live according to all of God's pronouncement, not just certain parts that are most fitting or to one's own preference.

In the Fifth Beatitude, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy," addresses those who are forgiving and compassionate. Being forgiving and compassionate toward everyone is morally right in God's eyes. Jesus taught, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39) and "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14–15). This passage shows that if God can be forgiving toward sinners, then believers can be forgiving as well. Matthew stresses forgiveness throughout his gospel. Another example of someone who would be merciful is seen in Matthew 6:2, where Jesus said to his disciples, "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full." This passage suggests that one should not seek a reward for the good they do, because the Lord will reward one in the kingdom of heaven. The ultimate reward is eternal life in the presence of God. With the word "when" present in His words, Jesus indicates that He expects His disciples to give no matter their circumstances in the future. He believes one is never too poor to give.

God is kind and forgiving to sinners, so He expects us to do so as well. One must do things with the willingness of the heart. In the Bible, some Pharisees and Scribes were guilty of being self-centered and were considered "hypocrites." This demonstrates that Jewish Christians still held to their Jewish identity. Servants of God should be humble and not seek commendation from others for their righteousness. Jesus rebuked them, saying, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean" (Matthew 23:25–26).

In the Sixth Beatitude, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God," Jesus speaks about people who are pure within. Their hearts are true and clean, and their thoughts and will are free from "evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander" because these are what defiles a person. Jesus also clarified that "to eat with unwashed hands does not defile" (Matthew 15:19–20). This merely shows that Jesus believed the thoughts of our hearts mirror our actions. So if a person does not engage in any of the aforementioned sins, they are pure in heart. People must be free from corruption. The Pharisee was a representation of what Jesus disapproved of because they were preaching one thing but their actions displayed otherwise. The heart is of great importance to the Lord because "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). One's heart must be free from bodily desires and all sinful thoughts and wants. Your heart is what defines the type of person someone is. Only the Lord knows our hearts.

Conclusion: Righteousness as the Way to Kingdom

The significance of Matthew's Gospel was to show Jesus' divine importance and his fulfillment of His Messianic journey. Matthew wanted his Gospel to demonstrate to believers that Jesus was the Messiah. He did this by introducing Jesus' genealogy as well as his miracles. He wanted to show that God was present in Jesus and that it is through him that believers can enter the kingdom of heaven. Throughout Matthew, Jesus emphasized that one must not merely say what they do; rather, their actions are what is important to God. The theme of doing what one speaks is seen throughout the gospel. Jesus explains that true righteousness is internal, a matter of the heart, not just of behavior. If one is a believer in God, he will be pure in heart.

As we have seen, the first three beatitudes show that God favors the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek. Throughout the chapters, the scribes and Pharisees made up much of Jesus' audience. I believe that Jesus was initially speaking to the disciples when he spoke the beatitudes. Ultimately, the beatitudes advocate for everyone who is righteous in everything they do. These people will be happy and consoled and will eventually live in an utopian realm with God. Believers in Jesus' time as well as just after would undergo extreme persecution because they would either separate themselves from their former religion (in the case of converts from Judaism) or they would cease to worship idols (in the case of Gentiles at the time). Being righteous is not being self-centered; being righteous is not being greedy. What being righteous means is to be humble, forgiving, peaceful, and believing that Jesus is the Messiah and that he was there to fulfill the Law. At the time, many people thought that Jesus was there to abolish the Law, but he indicated, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17). The Beatitudes of Jesus not only provide a way of life that promises salvation but also provide hope for His believers. The Beatitudes encouraged the crowd to live a righteous life so that they can enter the kingdom of heaven.