As we study the character Jesus lays out in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5, a question might come to mind: Why would these be people be persecuted? Wouldn't someone who fits this description be the ideal neighbor? The perfect spouse? The person we would want to depend on in a difficult situation?

And yet Jesus sums up the character with the statement: "“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Just as "Blessed are the poor in spirit" is a term that encompasses all the other traits he describes, so is the eighth statement in this series - because those who have this character in their lives will at some point suffer on account of Jesus.

Those of us in America live in a culture that has so far been remarkably tolerant about differences in religion, but even here, we see that truly possessing and exhibiting "kingdom character" will at the very least make you an object of mockery, scorn, and sometimes outright dislike. While our suffering may be mild, some are starting to see real consequences in their employment and their social relationships because they are being what Jesus describes as "lights" in the world, reflecting Christ's commandments and character to everyone around them.

The Bible states clearly that suffering is part of following Christ - and that it is assumed that if we truly desire the kingdom of God, we will undergo persecution. And we won't do it grumbling, fighting back, demanding satisfaction against those who have wronged us. We'll do it with joy, behaving as people who see suffering in this life as something of little consequence when compared to the reward that waits for us in Jesus.

In the second half of the Beatitudes of Matthew 5, Jesus outlines three blessings and characteristics that are developed as we continue our service to God - qualities that grow out of the initial concept of being "poor in spirit," with an attitude of meekness, a sorrow over sin, and a desire to be righteous before God.

• Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy
• Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
• Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God

We can see not only how each of these qualities runs contrary to the worldly vision of how we can be successful in life, but also how vital they are for the health and well-being of the Lord's church today. If we are not merciful, if we are not pure - or singular - in our devotion to God, if we are not people who "seek peace and pursue it," then we will not be the people Jesus calls to be lights, reflecting the glory of God to the world around us.

As in the first four beatitudes, we see Jesus designating a blessing for each - not a general blessing, but a promise that for people of this character, with these priorities in heart, God will supply their need. He does not promise worldly blessings, because the citizens of the kingdom of Heaven come to God seeking spiritual fulfillment, eternal rewards, a relationship with God as opposed to the world around us.

Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with a series of "beatitudes," which not only describe the character of one who wants to be a part of the kingdom of Heaven, but also describing the blessings that will come to that person. When we talk about someone who is "blessed," we're referring to a person who is receiving the benefits and the status of one who has been accepted and on whom God has conferred status - either based on something he has done or something that he has accepted.

The question for us as we read this section should be "Do these blessings appeal to me?" Because God doesn't promise to bless us according to what we might want personally. He is offering through Christ a citizenship and fellowship with a good and righteous God, that requires us to not just do and act in a certain way, but to be a certain type of person. We have to decide if that's the person we want to be!

The Sermon on the Mount is viewed as Jesus' master statement of the nature of the kingdom of God and its citizens, describing the character that he expects of us if we are to enter into that kingdom. But it flies in the face of much of today's most popular teachings. Jesus requires that we DO things... faith without obedience is not enough. In fact, Jesus makes it very clear that if we do not attain a certain level of righteousness - one exceeding the scribes and pharisees - we will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.

What does that character look like? And why are we often so quick to tone down Jesus' message, finding ways to excuse ourselves from applying his teaching to our own everyday lives?

There is a growing trend in some theological circles to insist that Jesus was not God, that he never claimed to be God, and that those concepts evolved over time as a result of his disciples' distortions or exaggerated accounts. And while it's true that Jesus didn't state "I am God" in those words in the three synoptic gospels, he confirmed his deity through his actions, through his miracles, through fulfilling of Old Testament prophecy, and through the acceptance of worship by his disciples.

Two of the most powerful "non-statement" statements of Jesus deity are found in Jesus' interactions with the storms on the Sea of Galilee, first calming the storms, and later walking on the waves themselves. In doing so, Jesus demonstrated a level of power and authority unseen from anyone in history - a power reserved only for God, as clearly shown throughout scripture. 

When we think about the story of Simon, we see an example a man's brief encounter with Jesus, mentioned almost in passing in scripture, and yet all three synoptic gospels include it, and all three mention him by name. That's unusual for what seems like an incidental note about Jesus' crucifixion. It tells us that this story is there for a reason, as we learn a lot about Jesus' crucifixion, the nature of sin and uncleanness, and the need for grace on the part of every man.

Simon was most likely a pilgrim, journeying from his home in North Africa to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. In a story filled with irony, Simon arrives just in time to see the fulfillment of a ritual feast intended to remind the Jews of their deliverance from Egyptian slavery by the power of God.

We see Simon, a seemingly pious and religious man, rendered unclean by the act of carrying the cross of Jesus before a holy feast. And yet the blood of Christ, which would have made him unable to partake of the Passover feast or to enter the temple, was the thing that ultimately promised him true cleansing of his sin, and brought him into true fellowship with God.

We see the visual of Jesus' command for every disciple to "take up his cross and follow." An act which would have made the disciple of Jesus' day contemptible to his friends and neighbors, cursed in the eyes of the law, and open him up to scorn, ridicule, and even death.

When we truly take up the cross of Christ today, does the world notice? Does the world see us as foolish? Does it hate us because we have chosen to follow the word of God and not the impulse of the world?

The idea of God's fullness is one of those concepts that we don't always spend a lot of time thinking about, but it's one of those big topics that we can turn over in our minds over and over because it defies a simple definition. What does it mean to be filled with the fullness of God? It's more than just blessings, more than just salvation.

There's an image that helps us understand the concept, when we read about the dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8:10-11, when we see the glory of the Lord filling the temple to the extent that God's presence overwhelmed and dominated all that were there. The idea of being filled with God's fullness has a similar idea - allowing God to dwell in us, to direct us through His word, to be such a powerful presence in our lives that everything else is obscured. When we have that relationship with God, we start to see the fullness of God's blessings in our lives, not in material, temporary blessings, but in blessings that have eternal value.

The book of Hebrews makes the argument that Jesus is "better." In talking to an audience of Jewish Christians, the writer makes the argument that there is no need to go back to the law when Christ fulfills all the promises that God had made to His people beyond what the law could ever accomplish.

We can understand why some at that time had a hard time believing this. In the past, we see great men occupying the office of prophet, priest, or king, and occasionally they might even do two of those jobs. But never all three in one person. And yet Jesus is our prophet, he is our priest, and he is our king, and he is all of these things in a way that precludes the need for anyone else - or anything else - to satisfy our spiritual needs.

Scripture tells us that Abraham was justified by faith in God, apart from works of the law. But the story of Abraham's life, and specifically his obedience to the commands of God, tell us what type of faith Abraham displayed - and what type of faith we need to emulate.

After stopping Abraham from completing the sacrifice of Isaac, the angel says:

“By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” - Genesis 22:15-18

What are we to make of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son on an altar - an act which defied God's position against child sacrifice, one of the crimes for which the Canaanites were about to be punished! 

All of God's covenant promises to Abraham hinged on His ability to bring about life from lifelessness, causing Abraham and Sarah to have a son despite Sarah's barrenness and Abraham's advanced age. By believing God's promise, Abraham showed his faith, and "it was counted to him for righteousness."

We rarely actually look at the life of Isaac, since the Bible doesn't spend much time on his life. Isaac is typically viewed as a bridge between Abraham and Jacob, who would be renamed Israel and would be the son through whom God's chosen people would rise. But the Bible gives us enough information to see that Isaac was a godly man who shared his father's faith in God - maybe even to a greater degree. More than that, Isaac is the living embodiment of God's faithfulness, His ability to do all that He promises us. And the peaceful life that Isaac lives is a foreshadowing of the type of peace and protection afforded us when we are children of Abraham by faith, bound by a covenant relationship to God.