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The Beatitudes are part of the Sermon on the Mount.  It is the sermon of all sermons.  Jesus Christ taught His disciples that blessings from God flow to those who live by that code.  Blessings are favours from God.  Our Lord’s desire is to do the Father’s will.  He was the object of God’s favour.  At our Lord’s baptism and at His transfiguration, God spoke in no uncertain terms that He was well pleased with His Son and that we should listen to Him.  Whatever He taught, He heard from the Father.  He obeyed the Father’s will, setting us an example that we should follow in His steps.

The citizens of God’s kingdom are to be poor in spirit, mourning, meek, hunger and thirst after righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemaker, persecuted for righteousness sake and expect to be reviled, persecuted and being accused falsely, for His sake.  Our Lord lived by what He preached.  He told us to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness and He promised that all our needs would be taken care of.  He clothed us with imputed righteousness by His great sacrifice and to live according to God’s laws which are a reflection of God’s character.  He came to fulfil the law and said that not one jot or tittle will pass away until all God’s law is fulfilled (Matt. 5:18).

Jesus was merciful to the tax collectors and his hungry disciples. He spent time with the tax collectors and allowed his hungry disciples to pluck corn on the Sabbath day.  He taught them the meaning of: “I will have mercy not sacrifice”. Those who came to Him and pleaded for mercy were healed.  He was the peacemaker.  He was not involved in the disciples’ dispute when the mother of the sons of Zebedee asked for favoured position in future.  He offered peace to those who were weary and burdened.

Jesus was persecuted for righteousness sake.  He told His disciples that they would be hated because He was hated – hated without a cause.  The Sanhedrin plotted His death because He justly exposed their hypocritical behaviour.  He suffered for doing right.  He was reviled but He revived not.  He was persecuted.  His enemies charged Him for blasphemy.  Based on His deeds, they knew that He could not do miracles except that God was with Him.  False witnesses spoke all manner of evil against Him falsely and desired His crucifixion.  He was silent and asked God to forgive them for they knew not what they did.  He was silent before His enemies when He was wrongfully condemned to death.  By His example He taught His disciples to love their enemies.

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps.” (1 Pet. 2:21)