The Beatitudes, Pt 3: Christ the Perfect Embodiment
“Worlds are colliding! George is getting upset!” These words are shouted by George Costanza, a character in the popular sitcom, Seinfeld. In his words, “Relationship George” and “Independent George” must be kept separate for each to flourish. As extreme and unhealthy as this example is, most of us, to some extent, compartmentalize. We seek clear boundaries for our work and home life, often called “work-life balance”. Our natural human tendency to compartmentalize can cause problems, however, when applied to theology. When thinking about the Gospels, it is easy to compartmentalize Christ’s life and teaching. And yet the apostolic mode of teaching, that is, the mode of teaching that Christ delivered to his Apostles, is one of integrated doctrine and example. “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1), wrote the Apostle Paul.[1] Christ’s teaching illustrates his personality, and his personality embodies his teaching. This is as clear as anywhere in his Sermon on the Mount, and especially, the Beatitudes (Matt 5:3-12; Luke 6:20-23).
The “poor in spirit” are those who own their impoverished condition. Christ knew his poverty better than we do, because he willingly chose it. “For your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor 8:9) He appropriately mourned over the death his cousin John (Matt 14:13-14), his friend Lazarus (John 11:35), and the rebellion of his people (Matt 23:37). Jesus’ meekness, or gentle strength, was demonstrated in his invitations (Matt 11:29) and visitations (Matt 21:5). He hungered and thirsted for righteousness, setting his face to go to the cross (Luke 9:51). Jesus declared, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” (John 4:34) In his miracles, and especially in announcing the forgiveness of sins, he showed his mercy (Matt 9, Mark 2, Luke 5, 7). Incapable of being condemned (John 8:46), he became known as nothing less than “pure in heart”. Although his unique and exclusive claims brought unavoidable division, his ultimate mission was to bring his disciples peace (John 14:27). And there is no doubt that he was “persecuted for righteousness sake,” as the better part of the Gospels are taken up with his unjust arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
As the characteristics of the Beatitudes are eminently true of Jesus, so are their adjoined promises. He proclaimed, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17). Being tested in the wilderness, he was comforted by angles (Matt 4:11). Having offered himself in death, God raised him up (Acts 2:24). As for inheriting the earth, Jesus appeared after his Resurrection, claiming, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matt 28:17) As for seeing God, the author of Hebrews tells us Jesus ascended into the heaven, ever living to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25). Our Christology insists that Jesus is the unique, “only begotten” Son of God, and his Divine sonship is the basis for our spiritual adoption–“sonship”–as the children of God (Gal 4:6).
All of the above illustrate that the granular details of the Beatitudes repay our careful attention in connection to the person and work of Christ. That should be no surprise given the integration of Christ’s teaching with his personality. But we must not lose the forest for the trees. The controlling idea of the Beatitudes is in its name. Beatitude is a translation of a Greek word for “happy” or “prosperous,” even more than the common translation “blessed”. The characteristics of the Beatitudes are not what we typically associate with happiness, and yet Christ with authority defines for us the way of happiness: the non-intuitive way of his kingdom, the way of the Cross, of suffering leading to glory, of death leading to Resurrection. This is the way of Christ’s kingdom. Christ is the path and the promise. He is the “blessed man” of Psalm 1 and the Anointed One of Psalm 2, in whom his people take refuge and are “blessed”. The Beatitudes are the blessed way of Christ, and Christ is the blessed way of the Beatitudes. Bringing the world of Christ’s teaching and work together, there is no need like George Costanza to shout and stamp and get “upset”. Instead, the call is to live out our imperfect imitation of him, to humbly acknowledge our need for him, to look to him by faith, and to follow where he leads.
[1] Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
