Can any of us really be a disciple of Christ? I asked myself that very question recently as I studied the beatitudes contained in the Sermon on the Mount. I’ve read the beatitudes a number of times but have never really sat down and studied them. It is another step in my own growth in the Lord.

Christ stood on a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee with His disciples who gathered around Him. They once identified with the multitude until Jesus called them. They obeyed the call and began to follow Him. With each subsequent beatitude the chasm between the disciples and the multitude, who they once identified with, widened.

The same is true today. As we grow in the Lord and let our light shine among the multitudes, the chasm between us and the Earthly kingdom widens as well. Before we accepted the call of Christ, we were once a part of them, and practiced their ways and standards. However, because of our obedience to the call, we left the multitudes and chose a different path. The world rejects Jesus and dreams of a new age of peace and prosperity. However, those who accept the call of Christ, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness [1]. Because of this contradistinction, we are literally strangers to the world.

Jesus spoke to the multitudes in person overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Today, Jesus speaks the same message to us from the pages of the Bible as though He were here in person. Just for a moment, let’s close our eyes and picture Christ on top of that mountain as He speaks to the multitude and to us. Do not worry however; Christ sees each and every one of us.

v1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
v2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying. . .[Matthew 5:1-2 KJV]

What follows are eight proverb-like proclamations. Jesus taught these beatitudes to His disciples and to the multitudes. As He spoke, it was obvious that Jesus was not referring to the earthly kingdom but to the Kingdom of Heaven, and although they are cryptic in nature, each beatitude was precise, and it’s design was to help us all reach His Kingdom, which is in Heaven.

Before we get into our study, it would behoove us to know what the word beatitude means. The Greek word translated beatitude, means happy, supremely blessed, and fortunate. Each one consists of two phrases: the condition and the result. You can link the conditions to the Old Testament, because the Old Testament Scriptures is what Christ taught to His disciples.

Jeremiah 17:9 says that men’s hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked. So how is it even possible to be disciple’s of Christ and follow the beatitudes, let alone follow the Ten Commandments and any of the other 613 commandments in the Bible as well? As Monk would say, “Here’s the thing. . .” man can’t, and that’s why we need Jesus Christ. Again, can any of us really be a disciple of Christ [2]?

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Next week’s blog: The first beatitude reads, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” Therefore, what does it really means to be poor in spirit.
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[1] 2 Peter 3:13 KJV
[2] John 14:25-33