Secret of the Beatitudes

By Elder Anthony Berry

When we first read the beatitudes; we can be confused as to whom these golden nuggets speak.  You will find this passage of scripture located in, Matthew 5:1-1When we first read the beatitudes; we can be confused as to whom these golden nuggets speak.  You will find this passage of scripture located in, Matthew 5:1-14.  This passage speaks of:

a.     The poor in spirit

b.     They that Mourn

c.      The Meek

d.     Those that hunger and thirst after righteousness

e.     The Merciful

f.       The Pure in Heart

g.     The Peacemakers

h.     Those that are persecuted for righteousness sake.

Often times we may wonder; which of these categories do I fall under.  Well I would like to let you know today that these things all apply to you as a Child of God.

You are the poor in spirit; because until the spirit of the Lord comes in and manifests in the temple of our bodies, our spirit is poor.  The Lord brings the richness of the spirit with him, and we inherit the kingdom of heaven.  You are the ones that mourn because we have all been sad at one time or another.  When we rely on the spirit of the Lord dwelling on the inside we can be meek because we know of our strength in him. We hunger and thirst after righteousness when we seek to learn about him, and live the Godly life.  We find access to all of the other beatitudes through accepting him as our personal savior. 

The Lord gives us even more encouragement beginning at verse 11; when he says “Blessed are you, when men shall hate you and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil thing about you falsely for my name sake.”  Listen to these instructions that come after; “Rejoice, and be very glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for they persecuted the prophets the same way. “    The Lord is telling us to sit still and be patient in these times.  He doesn’t want us to retaliate against these people (though we do).  These things can be a thorn of affliction in our side (Many are the afflictions of the righteous… Ps. 34:19. Speaking also about affliction coming because of the seed of the word; and Mk. 4:17: the power to rest in Matt. 5:11, comes from II Cor. 12:7-9.  When Paul asks about the thorn of affliction to be removed from his side the Lord says “My grace is good enough for you, because my strength is made perfect in weakness.”  When you have held on for so long, and you feel like you are at the end of your rope; just let go.  This is when the Lord’s strength takes over and gives you the strength not to give up.

In conclusion; in Matt. 5:13-14 the Lord tells us: “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt lose have lost his savor, how can it still be salty?  Then it is only good for throwing out of the door and being walked on by men.” This statement is so very strong.  In the biblical times salt was a very, very important spice.  The people of that day did not have refrigeration to preserver food.  Israel is a warm climate and this contributes to spoilage. Most foods were cured in salt to help them last longer.  Salt can lose its power over time; and even when it doesn’t lose its power it can be diluted with water.  The same thing can happen spiritually, as is cited in the parable of the sower and the seed.  The ending of the beatitudes instructs us not to allow the cares of this world, persecution or evil things said against us to take away our saltiness.  The Lord compares us to the most precious thing of that day.  This gives us food for thought.