An Exposition of Matthew 5: 7-12

7"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Verse Seven: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Some try to use this verse legalistically, to say that the only way to receive mercy from God, is to show mercy to others. Of course, showing mercy to others, in order to receive it yourself, is not showing mercy at all. Rather this verse explains the relationship between the two backwards to that interpretation. The one who receives mercy from God, will show mercy to others. The one who is not merciful, is so unaware of his own sin problem, that he does not realize that he himself needs mercy. The man who thinks he has conquered sin, and no longer sees his own need for the mercy of God, fails to show mercy to other sinners.

Verse Eight: Blessed are the pure in heart

One could never exhaust the magnitude of this verse. We are told elsewhere in Matthew that out of the natural heart “come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.” Matt. 15:19

Our heart naturally wants to do evil, and only through regenerative faith in Jesus Christ may the very core of our being be changed. He slowly changes to no longer want the evil desires of the world, but to be transformed into his heart-state.

Pureness of heart must never be confused with outward conformity to rules, for that can be done by anyone. A true heart change can only be done through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We cannot ignore the reward of this blessing either, for it is seeing God himself.

Verse 9:Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

The Christians role as peacemaker extends not only spreading the gospel, but to lessening tensions, seeking solutions, and ensuring that communication is understood. The world will easily recognize as the man who holds his temper and tries to get parties to agree as a spiritual man. It is no different for the Christian. He should have control over his life, and be the one to offer peace, since we are imitators of the "Prince of Peace."

The Blessing is magnificent - to be considered a son of God. Not only would the Jews have been amazed that Jesus, who claimed to be the messiah, is calling his followers to be peaceful rather than picking up arms against Rome, but to say they could become "Sons of God" would have utterly flabbergasted them. In Jewish thought, to be a son, wold be to gain the attributes of the father or "partaker in the character of" So essentially Jesus is saying that those who are peacemakers shall gain the attributes of God himself.

Verses 10-12: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I love what DA Carson says about these verses:

"The final beatitude does not say "Blessed are those who are persecuted because they are objectionable, or because they rave like wild-eyed fanatics, or because they pursue some religio-polical cause.' The blessing is restricted to those who suffer persecution because of righteousness."

The reward for be persecuted because of righteousness is the kingdom of heaven. The beatitudes have continued to build up, and with this last one we se that the Christian must also endure persecution because of his righteousness. Righteousness has already been mentioned, but this is a step further than hungering and thirsting for it, this is a righteousness that has changed the Christian's behavior so much that those around him persecute him for it.