The Beatitudes: Literal and Figurative

Text: Luke 6:17-26

Sermon:
Before we dig into the scripture, let’s put the book into context; This may be Luke’s
account of what is written in Matthew 5-7, or it could be an entirely different sermon.
Some believe that this is not one singular sermon, but a composite based on Jesus’
customary teachings. I tend to believe that is Luke’s account of what Matthew has
already stated, which may explain why Matthew’s “Beatitudes” is more in-depth than
Luke’s but ultimately states the same thing.

The book of Matthew was written approximately between 60-65 AD. The original
audience was primarily Jews. The purpose of the writing was to prove that Jesus is the
Messiah, the anointed and promised eternal king.

The book of Luke was written approximately 60 AD. The original audience was to
gentiles that loved God. The purpose of the writing was to offer an accurate account of
the life of Jesus Christ, presenting him as the perfect human and savior.

These verses are called the beatitudes, which comes from the Latin word “blessing.”
These verses describe what it means to be a follower of Christ, give his standards of
conduct, and contrast kingdom values with worldly values.

Once the word of Jesus’ healing hands got out, crowds would seek him out more than
ever. The crowds did not show any interest in God’s forgiveness. They saw Jesus as a
sideshow act or a place to get healed.

Some believe that when it says “Blessed are you who hunger” in verse 21, this speaks on
our hunger for justice, while some believe it is literal hunger. Although, the root word,
“peinaō” could be used as a figurative saying when discussing spiritual hunger. This
means that the satisfaction that we would experience would also be figurative, “Chortazo
is used figuratively by Jesus to refer to experiencing inward satisfaction.”

When studying verse 20, “blessed are you who are poor,” it seems that the root word
refers to, “These poor were unable to meet their basic needs and so were forced to depend
on others or on society.” It seems that it is more literal. It could also focus on those that
are fully dependent on others. Therefore, in a figurative sense, we would be fully
dependent on God and God’s provision.

When studying the root word for “weeping” in verse 21, it means, “to mourn, to weep, to
lament or to wail with emphasis upon noise accompanying weeping. It expresses one’s
immediate and outward reaction to suffering.” In contrast, the word for “laughing” states,
“laughter and by metonymy merrymaking, rejoicing. Gelos was used of the leisurely,
merry laughter of "gods" and men in their pleasures. This laughter is that of the fool who
rejects God as the One Who determines reality and believes man to be an autonomous
being.”

Now, we are going to look at these in two different ways; both literally and figuratively.
If we are to look at these beatitudes in the literal sense, then God is blessing those that are
literally hungry, weeping and poor. This is important because it shows God’s love for the
oppressed, and society’s forgotten members.

This is perfectly evident when we compare these verses to how Jesus acted in his life and
in his ministry. Jesus often loved the forgotten and the oppressed. He cared for the blind,
the hungry and those that need love and acceptance.

This does not mean that God loves the rich and well off less than the poor, but it does
mean that God is prioritizing the needs of the needy over the wants of the entitled.

This does not mean that God ignores the rich. God still provides for the rich. God still
loves those that are rich, but God is prioritizing those that need comfort and further
provisions.

If we are to look at these beatitudes in the figurative sense, we will have to compare these
beatitudes to the beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5. Instead of just being poor, blessed are
the poor in spirit. Instead of being hungry, blessed are those that hunger for
righteousness. Instead of mourning or weeping for our own losses, we are also weeping
and mourning the losses of others.

When we look at these beatitudes, as well as the others in Matthew, we are called to not
only care about the physical body, but the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of those that
are around us. We care about our neighbors and those that we have not met.

God is blessing those that are spiritually hungry, because is a God that provides.
Sometimes God provides through our actions and love.

God is blessing those that have a hunger for righteous because God is a just God.
Sometimes God will provide justice through our active voting and activist work.

God is blessing those who cry, weep and mourn because God is a God for compassion.
Sometimes God will provide comfort through our ability to make each other laugh and
find joy.

Sometimes we are the blessings that God is giving to those that need it.

Conclusion: Let us be people who live to give blessings.