Blessed, happy, are the spiritually humble, the sorrowful, the patient, the long-suffering, those spiritually hungry for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peace makers and maintainers, and those who are persecuted for doing right and for Christ’s sake. This is the exact opposite of the world’s standards.

In these verses, Jesus reveals a model for how Christians are to live their lives and in so doing receive spiritual prosperity, filling their lives with joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation. This is all despite how the world interprets a Christian’s outward conditions. Because of this worldly view, the Beatitudes are all too often misunderstood to suggest that Christ is advocating that Christians should live in unfortunate and depressed situations if they are to be blessed in heaven. On the contrary! Jesus goes on to say in the following verses that Christians are to be the salt of the earth and directs them to let their light shine before all men. In other words, Jesus is teaching that if we live as servants with humble and right hearts, we will be richly blessed here on earth as well as in heaven. Jesus wants to bless Christians so that unbelievers are drawn to them, and consequently the unbeliever can be led to salvation in Christ.

Halley's handbook