Hunter Christner

When is the last time you would have described your life as being in a state of bliss? What would you be willing to do to get there? Would you be willing to give up your phone? Would you be willing to read a bunch of books? Would you be willing to listen to Jesus? 

One time Jesus gave a sermon on the side of a mountain to his disciples and a big crowd. He started with a bunch of statements that are referred to as the beatitudes. The definition of beatitude is a state of utmost bliss, or state of great joy.

Each statement starts with “Blessed are the.” 

That is a lot of blessing he's talking about, but what is he really saying? He says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit …” 

To be poor in spirit is to want God’s spirit and acknowledge that you exist because God exists. 

“Blessed are those who mourn …” is talking about mourning our sin. Blessed are you when you admit your sin and recognize you need God to forgive you.

“Blessed are the meek …” is referring to your willingness to submit to God. How much do you resist God or argue with him?

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness …” Here Jesus is pointing out that there are a lot of things that we desire but righteousness is something that only God can give us completely. 

“Blessed are the merciful …” Mercy is a character trait that is not fair when it is implemented but it makes sense when you recognize your own need for God’s mercy toward you.

“Blessed are the pure in heart …” It’s important to note that good intentions are not necessarily what Jesus is talking about here. Rather, it means being made pure like a water purifier removes the contaminants from water. We need God to purify our hearts.

“Blessed are the peacemakers…” Notice it says peace-MAKERS, not peace-KEEPERS. This assumes there is hostility already. A peacemaker has the intention to repair and reconcile relationships with others like God has done for us through the death, burial and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ. 

“Blessed are those who are persecuted …” Jesus says when you experience ridicule, hardship and unfair treatment you can consider it a blessing. That seems backwards. How could it possibly be a blessing? Well, experiencing persecution yourself can help you relate to others who may need encouragement.

By now I’m sure you are asking, how does this relate to a state of bliss in life? All of these things point out our need for God. We all have a God-shaped hole in our heart and when we recognize it we begin to see how God fills the hole. Our satisfaction and joy is realized when we let God fill the hole in our heart that nothing else can. The beatitudes can be summed up in this statement: You are blessed when you recognize your need for God. 

(Hunter Christner is associate staff at Campus Ventures in Powell.)