Sunday 1 November 2026
- Bible Book:
- Matthew
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (vs 1-3)
Background
Have you ever been told to ‘count your blessings’? I find it easier to count my blessings when life is comfortable and all is going well. In today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus doesn’t tell his listeners to count their blessings. Instead, he talks about what it means to be blessed. The passage is set at the start of the Sermon on the Mount: a block of teaching Jesus gave, set on a mountain, or hillside, in Galilee. It is commonly known as the Beatitudes (blessings). Luke's Gospel has a different version of the Beatitudes where Jesus speaks to his disciples about blessings and woes (Luke 6:20-26), in the ‘Sermon on the Plain.’
Makarioi, the Greek word meaning ‘blessed’, is found at the beginning of each of the nine beatitudes. In Hellenistic literature (Greek literature of a certain period) it describes those of good fortune. However, the background to the New Testament use of the word is the Old Testament and there are links here with Isaiah 61:1-2, 7, which speaks of good news for the poor, comforting those who mourn and inheriting the earth. Jesus claimed that this prophecy was fulfilled in himself (Luke 4:18-19).
As with many of Jesus’ teachings, the Beatitudes turn on their head popular opinion about what it means to be blessed. There is nothing here about the blessings of power, success, riches and other material comforts. Jesus in fact suggests that some of these things may not be blessings if they get in the way of people coming to God. As an example, in Matthew 19:24, he says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God".
When Jesus talks about people being blessed, he is talking here about the coming of the kingdom of God, God’s rule and reign, which drew near in the coming of Jesus. Those who participate in the kingdom announced by Jesus are blessed, or happy. This is not a superficial happiness, but a deep inner joy felt by those who have long awaited the salvation of God and who begin to experience its fulfilment in Jesus.
To Ponder:
- Do you think telling someone to count their blessings is helpful or not? And why?
- Is there a beatitude which you find particularly helpful, or challenging?
Prayer
Lord, help me to see the world as you see it and to know the blessings which come from knowing you. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Kate Cambridge
Kate is a presbyter in the Winchester, Eastleigh and Romsey Circuit. In her free time she enjoys doing laundry (!), spending time with her family and wrestling ball point pens off her miniature poodle.