How many Beatitudes
How many Beatitudes are there? Eight (8), 12, 13 or even 15?
1.
“Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
2.
“Blessed
are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
3.
“Blessed
are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
4.
“Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
satisfied.”
5.
“Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
6.
“Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
7.
“Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
8.
“Blessed
are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.”
9.
“Blessed
are you when
ii.
persecute
you, and
iii.
utter
all kinds of evil against you falsely
on my account.”
“Blessed are you when:
1. people
hate you, and
2. they
exclude you, and
4. spurn
your name as evil,
on account of the Son of Man!”
Just in the three sub-points found in Matthew 5:11,
alone, we read of additional traits, characteristics or conditions wherein
Jesus says, ‘blessed are those who are reviled, persecuted and wrongfully
accused’. Even within just those three,
we find an amazing variety of alternate words that can be aptly substituted
with numerous other words, for example:
“Blessed are those who are reviled by others”; “Blessed
are you when others persecute you”; “Blessed are you when others utter all
kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” When we Christians are reviled by others,
hated, loathed or detested, by others, on account of (or because of) Jesus, we
are BLESSED. When we Christians are persecuted
by others, hated, wronged, mistreated or victimized by others, because of our
faith in, our relationship with, or our reliance on… Jesus, we are BLESSED. When we Christians are wrongly accused by
others, incorrectly suspected, mistakenly assumed guilty or even erroneously distrusted
by others, because of our faith in, our relationship with, or our reliance on…
Jesus, we are BLESSED.
Thus, the actual number of Beatitudes seems to broadly
vary, and be mildly debatable, depending upon who one asks, “Some speak of seven, nine, or
ten beatitudes, but the number appears to be eight (verses 10-12
of Matthew 5 being one beatitude)”[1] ergo
the single most common quantity, by consensus, appears to be eight.
At the end of the day whether there are seven, nine, ten or even 15 Beatitudes, the quantity of Beatitudes is secondary to the substance of what Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Beatitudes was, and indeed is, all about – “… The Just Shall Live By Faith…” – Habakkuk 2:4.
At the end of the day whether there are seven, nine, ten or even 15 Beatitudes, the quantity of Beatitudes is secondary to the substance of what Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Beatitudes was, and indeed is, all about – “… The Just Shall Live By Faith…” – Habakkuk 2:4.
How does one get
to “know” Jesus? Simple, invite Him into
your heart, as Jesus says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with
me.” [Revelation 3:20 NIV] How can be assured that this Jesus stuff
means anything? Well because the Bible
tells us so, as the Apostle Paul wrote:
“If you declare
with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe
and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and
are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10 NIV]
And for those of
you who say to me, I can’t be bothered reading the Bible, “it’s confusing” or
“it’s a waste of my time”, may I draw your attention to what the Bible says
about wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge
of the Holy One is understanding.” [Proverbs
9:10 NIV]
If nothing else,
PLEASE read two chapters from the Bible – (don’t own one, sorry NO excuse, if
you’re reading this, you can access this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV) John 3 and John 14!
John 3:16 says: “For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
And John 14:6
says: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me.”
Well
that’s it, that’s Da Bauz’s Take on, “How many Beatitudes” – this 5th
day of January 2018 © 2018, All Rights Reserved. wr (Da Bauz, Christian Zionist
“creationist” too!)
Just sayin’...
Pray for the peace
of Jerusalem...
What is #RAD? #RAD
is:
R epent of
rejecting Christ
A ccept Christ as
your Lord
D evelop your
relationship with G-d
#RAD your
relationship with the Living Almighty God Himself as your personal Lord and
Saviour depends on it!
What is #ATEND G-d
(Christ)? Ask me!
What is #IIC714?
II 2nd
C hronicles
7:14
John 3:16,
Revelation 3:20, Romans 10:9 -10, Revelation 21:27, II Corinthians 5:21 and I
John 5:13 / John 20:31!
Shalom
Cited or consulted sources and resources
[1]
– “What are the beatitudes?” – Got Questions dot Org
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