I was made to memorize the 10 Commandments when I was a child going through religious education at my church. Very little mention was made of the Beatitudes or even the Greatest Commandment!
Many Christians pay significant attention to the 10 Commandments. They want them installed at court houses and hanging prominently in their homes. Those commandments were given to the Israelites through Moses in the exodus from Egypt, hundreds of years before Jesus walked the earth.
Let's pause for a moment. Isn't that more than just a little strange?
I have nothing against the Ten Commandments. They are a fine standard. With enough prayer and study, you can swim deeply into them and find your way to the teachings of Jesus. They are not lightweight by any means. But if you believe Jesus is God—and if you believe the Bible is God's Word—then how can it be that the majority of Christians virtually ignore the commandments Jesus actually gave?
Can most Christians even name the Beatitudes?
Here is a guy who walked this earth that most Christians are convinced is God himself come in the flesh. But they somehow can't be bothered to take what he says seriously? It's not like he's being unclear or speaking in code. He's saying: "I'm God. These are my commands for you. These two especially are the biggest on which everything else depends."
So Christians: What's up with that?
Becoming a Beatitudes People
So what should Christians focus on?
The Greatest Commandment is, well, the greatest. Why? Because Jesus said so.
After that, most would put the Sermon on the Mount at or near the top of the list. It is Jesus's tour de force. It's begins with the Beatitudes and continues a litany of his greatest teachings. Even 2,000 years later, I can feel the freshness, vitality and urgency of these words. It is quite a masterpiece. Hang on and go for a windswept ride!
The Beatitudes are the closest thing the New Testament has to the 10 Commandments. But they're not quite the same in content or in form--this is important!
A lot of people may like the 10 Commandments because they seem clear and concrete. Admittedly, the Beatitudes can be harder to understand, and that's exactly why we should be spending so much time with them. Jesus is calling us into a new way of thinking, and that takes lots of prayer, study, action and contemplation to attempt to understand. Those have to be at the center and not something we just tack onto our faith lives at a later time in our lives. They require a daily commitment.
The 10 commandments read like a list of "thou shalt not" do specific behaviors. They are not that simple, but at face value that's their approach. Rather, the Beatitudes call us to far more transformation. Instead of saying, "don't do these specific behaviors," they are saying, "be this kind of person." You can't check them off a list and then go back to whatever else you were doing. No, they require your "all in."
We can never say our Beatitudes work is done. For example, the 10 Commandments tell us not to steal. At first glance, it's pretty clear when we've lived up to that and when we haven't. By contrast, the Beatitudes announce that "blessed are the merciful." Being merciful is more like a fire inside of yourself that you stoke and nurture. You may have to struggle daily to keep yourself from building walls inside of yourself and with your neighbors to keep the channels of mercy openly flowing. Being merciful is a practice you cultivate--and a whole approach to life--rather than a task you do.
That being said, the 10 Commandments will lead you to the Beatitudes if you contemplate them deeply enough. If you are not to steal, then that begs the question: What is ownership? What truly belongs to your neighbor, what belongs to God and what belongs to you? That food in your refrigerator may legally belong to you, but if your neighbors are hungry, then is the food in your fridge yours or is it stolen from the poor? This is where the Beatitudes come in: Blessed are the merciful, because the merciful will know how to answer this question. As you can see, the 10 Commandments will ultimately lead you to the same place, but the Beatitudes make it much harder to avoid.
The Beatitudes are a celebration of certain people, such as the poor and those who are persecuted. The Beatitudes urge us out of cynicism, fear and hopelessness to be passionate in both our mourning and hunger for justice. The Beatitudes call us to be meek, to be peacemakers and to be merciful. They invite us to rejoice and be pure of heart. This is too vague for a lot of people. I can hear them saying, "So what should we actually do?"
It's almost as if Jesus is not overly concerned with the letter of the law. His "law" as expressed in the Beatitudes is not legalistic. It is more of a posture. It demands our "all in." It heightens our awareness and our sensitivity. No, Jesus doesn't give a list of "thou shalt not's." The Beatitudes read more like an invitation and a celebration. Given that they come from Jesus himself, we should take them abundantly seriously--as seriously as a command. Jesus is telling us which values to affirm. He's offering us where to direct our attention.
The Beatitudes as well as the whole Sermon on the Mount, and in particular the Greatest Commandment, should be among the teachings we place at the center. Those should be hanging at courthouses and in our homes. We should consult them first and foremost when faced with struggles in our lives and in our society. Instead, we often find obscure Scripture passages and torture the meanings out them that we want. We should start with the Greatest Commandment and the Sermon on the Mount. Then and only then, once properly established, we can then pepper in other viewpoints and commands that will only make sense once we are rooted in God's love first.
The Beatitudes are the words of Jesus himself. We should know them, reflect on them, pray over them and pray about them until it can be said we are a "Beatitudes people." A people with a positive vision for how to live rather than people with a task list.
The fact that we are still so hung up on the 10 Commandments comes across just as a way of avoiding the actual teachings of Jesus himself. I'm not in any way denigrating the 10 Commandments or the Jewish faith or faith of the Ancient Israelites, but if someone is a follower of Jesus it stands to reason that the teachings of Jesus would be first and foremost. And if they are not, it begs the question why?
Without further Ado: The Beatitudes
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and
after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and
taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’
sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
