Inspiration Faith & Prayer Health & Wellness Entertainment Love & Family
Newsletters Special Offers

Some Bible teachers try to mine deeply the idea that Christians are “salt and light.” For them, every little aspect bears a significant application: Salt preserves, so we should be “preservatives” in our society. Light shines, so we should testify brightlyall the time. Salt was used to kill vegetation on ancient footpaths, so we should…well,…

Jesus’ final beatitude (Matthew 5:11-12) differs from the earlier ones in its specificity and personal application. Up to this point, Jesus has used general pronouns as the object of blessing. For instance, “blessed are those…blessed are they…” Beginning in verse 11, though, his teaching shifts to the personal pronoun, “you,”—a direct reference that included his…

In Matthew 5:3-9, Jesus describes seven characteristics of people who are blessed. According to theologian, Herschel Hobbs, those descriptions symbolized “the nature of the kingdom citizen.” He interpreted them as follows: The Poor in Spirit. “Those who recognize that they are sinners, who possess nothing which merits their approach to God.” Those Who Mourn. People…

The longest recorded sermon of Jesus begins with a repetitive theme word: “Blessed.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are they that mourn…Blessed are the meek…” Historically, that word was understood to mean “happy”—or in the literal Hebrew translation, “how happy!” The Greek equivalent, used in Matthew’s record of Jesus’ sermon, is makarios, and it…
archives most recent
search this blog
More from Beliefnet and our partners
More from Beliefnet and our partners