Years ago, a survey asked Americans several questions testing their knowledge of different topics involving religion. One question asked, “who preached the Sermon on the Mount.” The number one answer people gave, “Billy Graham.” Jesus made the top ten, but I remember he didn't medal in the competition.

To refresh your memory, the beatitudes are the opening lines of the Sermon on the Mount. The whole Sermon includes Chapters 5, 6 & 7 of Matthew's gospel, but the beatitudes are the opening few verses.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
“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.

Many scholars view them in line with Matthew's attempt to recast Jesus as a new Moses. Therefore, the Sermon on the Mount parallels Moses going to the mountain where he receives the Ten Commandments. Thus the beatitudes could be viewed as a new version of those commandments.

The Beatitudes get a bit of play in the broader culture beyond Matthew’s Gospel. For instance, there is a delightful musical interpretation by the gospel group Sweet Honey and the Rock. Check it out here.

In some “Introduction to Philosophical Ethics” college courses, you’ll find the Beatitudes alongside Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, and Simone De Beauvoir. It seems even the not-so-religious are willing to entertain Jesus' teachings on ethics. Leo Tolstoy embraced the Christian faith, then rejected it, only to return to a modified version centered around the beatitudes. He did have the idea of giving away all his furniture, but other members of the household put a stop to that idea.

The Poet Amy Frazey has a delightful recasting of the Beatitudes.

Blessed be the dreamers, for they know how to hope.

Blessed be the mothers, for they know the value of life.

Blessed be the faithful, for they know the power of prayer.

Blessed be the wanderers, for they know the ways of the world.

Blessed be the silent, for they know how to truly listen.

Blessed be the teachers, for they know the joy of a child.

Blessed be the lost, for they know how it feels to be found.

Blessed be the joyful, for they know the importance of laughter.

Then there is this fun hip-hop version by a children's choir led by Cindy Hestla. Check it out here. Once you play this, you'll have difficulty getting the chorus out of your head/heart/soul. Is that bass riff borrowed from the band Talking Heads?

When you let the Beatitudes

Be your attitude

The Kingdom of God

Belongs to you

And you, and you, and you, and you.

But what’s all this use of the word blessed? We don't speak that way in our culture. When we do, the word blessed is often around an attitude of well-being. I say I'm blessed if things are going well. Sometimes people will use the term to wish someone well or respond to a sneeze. When we hear the English word blessed, we think happiness or wealth or everything's gonna be all right.

But that's incomplete. The Greek word is makarios, used sparingly in the New Testament. It's rare. The idea behind makarios is that something is made "large" or "lengthy." When God "blesses" us, God "extends" benefits to us. God "enlarges" mercy to us or "lengthens" charity in our direction. Makarioshas an expansiveness. But, translating this into English as "May God's expansive ever enlarging lengthy grace comes to those who are poor in spirit just doesn't seem to work." After the King James Bible used the word blessed, we locked in for 500 years.

According to John Ayto’s Dictionary of Word Origins, there is no equivalent of blessed in any other language. The origins of the word blessed date to the 13th century and likely meant something closer to “mark with blood.” Now that sounds a bit strange to our ears, but there is a long connection with marking things with blood as an expression of the sacred. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the Passover event is one example where Hebrew people marked their doors with blood.

The beatitudes have a practical nature. They are ethical teachings about how to live in the outer world, with a bit of an upside-down quality. The emphasis on treating others in this pattern of reciprocity is helpful and compassionate. If I offer mercy, it's more likely I'll receive mercy.

But the Beatitudes have an inward orientation as well. Fritz Kunkel reminds us:

“The Beatitudes convey an inner experience, a new discovery, which overthrows our natural philosophy of life. A step of development, an achievement of conscious growth, is proclaimed in appalling, though simple terms.” (Creation Continues: A Psychological Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew, 67-72) Kunkel describes how bewildering it must be to see that the meek shall inherit the earth. This is quite preposterous if viewed from the perspective of history and modern-day geopolitics. But meek is often misunderstood as “ soft, weak, and helpless." Instead, a better understanding would be, in words, "tamed," or more precisely, "disciplined" by spiritual practices. Kunkel suggests meek is not helpful. Maybe something closer to "sensitive," aware, or open-minded, especially without blind spots. One could argue with Kunkel, but he's trying to help us reflect on a profoundly personal and spiritual understanding of these beatitudes. He interprets the beatitudes as direct challenges to our ego-dominant approach to life. Jesus is intentionally telling us in these paradoxical sayings that to be a fully formed disciple; one might say a fully formed human, we engage the challenges put before us in these teachings.

“Conscious growth, the evolution of the human character, is a painful and exclusively personal task. It implies the acceptance and assimilation of our unconscious fears and faults, the removal of our inhibitions and prejudices, the reformation and integration of our passions and compulsions…What is this kingdom that has to be paid for with persecution and which changes suffering into joy?” (Creation Continues, 70-71)

There is no easy answer, but the beatitudes lead us into an adventure toward finding an answer, however tentative that answer may be. This life is about active participation in the questions so we can be more fully formed human beings, who care for ourselves, our neighbors, and the world.

Notebooks of James Hazelwood is a once-a-month reflection on the intersection of theology, philosophy, and depth psychology. Typically, we publish in the last week of each month. Forward this to a friend you think might appreciate it. You can subscribe here