Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great

Matthew 5:1-26 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. ² He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; ¹⁵ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹ Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

²¹ “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. ²³ Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. ²⁵ Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

In Revelation 3:14 the Lord says:  These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.  In Numbers 23:19 God says:  God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?   In today’s text Jesus says: “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 gentle, 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 sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Understand that it is not that Jesus says that it is a blessing to mourn; to be persecuted or to have people falsely say all kinds of evil against you. He does not expect that we should rejoice in difficult times. What He says, what the one who is faithful and true; the one who does not lie and will do what He says, promises that in spite of these things and because of these things you will be blessed. Mourning the loss of those who we love is not a blessing, but His promise is that those who mourn will be comforted and blessed. All that Jesus says in the text is more than words of encouragement, these are promises from the God of creation.  In John 16:33 Jesus says:  “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”  When we are persecuted, He promises to bless us with the power to overcome. In fact, in John 19:30, when Jesus was on the cross, Himself being persecuted, He said:  “It is finished!” At that very moment He overcame all that would come against us. He fulfilled the blessings of God for us. Again, in the text Jesus says:  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great. But we don’t wait until eternity in heaven to rejoice and to reap the rewards. It is finished! He has overcome. We are blessed with the promises of God here and now.  

Jesus says:  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”   Hebrews 12:1-2 says:  Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.   As we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, even in the difficult times; as others see us rejoicing with confidence, knowing that the blessings and promises of God are ours through the finished work of the cross, we shine the light of Christ for others to see so that God will be glorified.   Jesus says:  “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”   Along with shining the light of Christ for others to see, we also are example of Christ in what we say and do. If we want to walk in and receive all the blessings and promises of God, both now and in eternity, we cannot by our words or actions, teach others to disregard the commandments of God. Remember too that Jesus says:  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied... Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit, for all the promises and blessings that we have through the finished work of the cross. May I keep my eyes fixed on You, that others too may see and know Your blessings. May my heart be pure and all that I do and say be to Your glory.  Amen.