THE BEATITUDES
Jesus Christ gave us the eight
Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded for all posterity in the Gospel
of Matthew, the first Book of the New Testament of the Bible. Jesus offers us a
way of life that promises eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The teachings of Christ Jesus were simple but unique and innovative at the time
of his life on earth. He began teaching about 30 AD in the time of the ruthless
Roman occupation of Palestine. The four groups in the Jewish religion, the
Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes and the Zealots, presented a different
viewpoint to the Jewish people. The Pharisees and to some degree the Sadducees
demanded strict observance of the Mosaic law as well as Jewish customs and
rituals. Nazareth was in Galilee, an important center of the Zealots, a militant
Jewish group who wanted freedom for their homeland. The Essenes awaited a
Messiah that would establish a Kingdom on earth and free the Israelites from
oppression.
The Ten Commandments, given to Moses on Mount Sinai in the Old Testament Book of
Exodus, relates a series of "Thou shalt nots," evils one must avoid in
daily life on earth.
In contrast, the message of Jesus was one of humility, charity, and brotherly
love. He taught transformation of the inner person. Jesus presents the
Beatitudes in a positive sense, virtues in life which will ultimately lead to
reward. All of the Beatitudes have an eschatological meaning, that is, they
promise us salvation - not in this world, but in the next. The Beatitudes
initiate one of the main themes of Matthew's Gospel, that the Kingdom so long
awaited in the Old Testament is not of this world, but of the next, the Kingdom
of Heaven.