Blessed: The Beatitudes Series

This article was originally posted by Diego Gomes to his blog. The original and many more articles can be found at www.diegogomes.blog

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Throughout the first week of May, I will be publishing a series of devotionals here on the Beatitudes. I have been deeply engaged in studying the Sermon on the Mount over the past seven years, and much of my pastoral ministry in Brazil was dedicated to teaching it, exploring its many branches: Christian character, spiritual disciplines, identity, and leadership. I am deeply excited to bring a portion of this content here to the blog, now in the form of devotionals.

When we think about the teaching process of a master, the subject being taught is the most important thing. This main theme unfolds into various parts that must be presented step by step, allowing students to fully grasp the overall message. Typically, any teaching has key concepts that serve as the backbone of the lesson, offering both structure and a concise summary of what is being conveyed.

The Sermon on the Mount is the core teaching Jesus left for us. As a master teacher, He not only explained the Old Testament Law but redefined it in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus revealed the mind and will of the Heavenly Father in a practical way, through attitudes and steps we can apply to our daily lives.

The theory of the Law, embodied in the person and character of Jesus, is the essence of the Sermon on the Mount. Rather than providing a list of rules for living in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus teaches us how to become like Him and live in a way that pleases the Father. It’s a sermon about who we are because of Him and what He has done rather than what we must do.

The Beatitudes are the “backbone” of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. It is impossible to live out the Sermon—the attitudes and lifestyles expected of a disciple of Jesus—without first living out the Beatitudes. This was Jesus’ way of protecting us from turning spiritual life into mere religious practice, rather than a personal, inside-out transformation.

To be blessed means we are called to become what Jesus envisioned for us even before we fulfill any commandment laid out in the Sermon on the Mount. The good news is that we do not become blessed by our own merit or ability, but by the grace of God through faith. When we believe in Jesus, we experience a new birth, and the Spirit of God comes to dwell in us, empowering us to live like Jesus and to develop a character that reflects His.

The word “blessed” is a translation of the Greek word makarios, which can be understood as happy or fortunate. However, the way Jesus uses this term in the Beatitudes goes far beyond mere human happiness—it points to a profound state of joy and fulfillment rooted in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Before leading us into the depths of the Law and the richness of the new life the Sermon on the Mount offers, Jesus made sure to affirm that His desire is for us to be happy and fortunate as we live out the reality of God’s Kingdom. The words of the prophet Jeremiah echo this truth, presenting our happiness as part of God’s divine plan: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

The Beatitudes are like a divine map to happiness.

The dictionary defines happiness as “a state of complete satisfaction; contentment, well-being.” However, Jesus offers a different perspective: one that is less self-centered, less committed to our personal comfort, and more aligned with God’s perspective.

Jesus’ view of happiness challenges many humanistic paradigms that shape today’s worldview. While academic training often places man at the center, Jesus invites us to renounce our human nature so we can live according to the new nature of the Spirit.

To be blessed, as we will explore in the upcoming devotionals of this series, is to learn to walk against the flow of culture—and in doing so, find true life. In this paradox of “losing to gain,” we are blessed when we learn to be poor in spirit and to mourn; when we become meek; when we hunger and thirst for righteousness; when we choose to be merciful and pure in heart; when we stand as peacemakers; and when we endure persecution without abandoning the blessings that accompany a life of sacrifice.

Are you ready to walk against the current of this world and discover the true happiness Jesus offers? Don’t miss the upcoming posts in this series.