The Devil's Beatitudes

 

The Beatitudes are one of the most familiar and loved parts of Scripture.  How would the beatitudes look, though, if the devil were to write his own.  I recently came across a list called, "The Devil's Beatitudes" and it reads like this:



Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour a week with their fellow Christians - they are my best workers.

Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked - I can use them.

Blessed are the touchy who stop going to church - they are my missionaries.

Blessed are the trouble makers - they shall be called my children.

Blessed are the complainers - I'm all ears to them.

Blessed are those who are bored with the minister's mannerisms and mistakes - for they get nothing out of his sermons.

Blessed are those who gossip - for they shall cause strife and divisions that please me.

Blessed are those who are easily offended - for they will soon get angry and quit.

Blessed are those who do not give their offering to carry on God's work - for they are my helpers.

Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister - for he shall be with me forever!

Blessed are you who, when you read this think it is about other people and not yourself - I've got you too!

Unfortunately, all of us would have to admit that far too often the devil's beatitudes seem to fit us more than  our Lord's words in Matthew 5.  It's not until we understand that the beatitudes in Matthew 5 are about how Christ has made us blessed, that we can truly understand and know that we indeed are blessed.

Run the beatitudes according to Christ. Sinners can’t do anything perfectly, but Jesus has done all things well. And why has He done all things well? For you. He’s done them so that He might give you the blessings.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” If you want to see perfect humility, look at Jesus. Look at the Son of God who left heaven to be born of Mary and laid in a manger. Look at the King of kings who didn’t seize the world for Himself, but lived without a home to call His own; and who humbly bore your sins to the cross. He went about being your Savior in greatest humility, so that you might be forgiven your sins of pride. His is the Kingdom of Heaven, and He gives it to you.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Jesus mourned. He wept at the death of Lazarus, at the wages of sin. But He did more than grieve. He went to the cross to destroy death, to defeat the grave. He did so with the confidence that His Father would raise Him from the dead, with the comfort that His death would win salvation for all. He didn’t delight in the plight of man or shrug and leave us to condemnation. He mourned. He mourned perfectly, without ulterior motive, so that you might be delivered from death and be comforted with life.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Jesus didn’t win salvation by a show of strength, but by His humble obedience even to death on the cross. That’s how He defeated the ruler of this world. The earth is His even now, but He will create it anew on the Last Day. For you.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” For the sake of your righteousness, Jesus hungered at the start of His ministry and thirsted at the end. He fasted in the wilderness while resisting the devil’s temptation so that He might remain righteous and give that righteousness to you. On the cross, He cried out, “I thirst,” as His Father condemned Him for all of your unrighteousness—so that your need for forgiveness might be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Christ mercifully went to the cross to reverse the curse of sin. Raised from the dead, He has mercy and grace to give to you.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The risen, pure Son of God has ascended into heaven, sits enthroned at His Father’s right hand. He sees God. And because He has forgiven you, He will raise you up to heaven, too. Purified by Him, you will see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” The only-begotten Son of God became flesh to restore peace between God and sinful man—that’s what the angels sang the night He was born. His first words to His disciples after the Resurrection were, “Peace be with you.” He sets you at peace with God by forgiving your sins. That makes you a son of God, an heir of heaven.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Who else is this but Jesus? Pilate even declared Him innocent—righteous—three times! But despite that verdict, Jesus was scourged, beaten and crucified precisely for being the righteous Son of God. But that suffering opened the way to heaven for you, and the kingdom of heaven belongs to Jesus.

Christ has done all these things for you; and now, when He forgives your sins, He gives you every last one of these blessings. That explains the final beatitude. So far, it’s been “blessed are those who.” Now it’s “Blessed are you:” “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account.” Why are you blessed—because you earn it by being reviled and persecuted? No, but because it’s on Jesus’ account. It’s because you bear His name, because you are His. If you are His, then the kingdom of heaven and every blessing is yours. Rejoice and be glad! Blessed are you!

But if you’re His, then the devil, world and sinful flesh will do their best to make you feel reviled, persecuted and the target of all sorts of evil. Why? So that you don’t believe you’re blessed. So Jesus says, “Even if persecution and evil seek to persuade you otherwise, hear My Word, hear My promise, and know that I say you are blessed. For My sake, yours is the kingdom of heaven.”

You are blessed in Christ, blessed in Him with every good thing from God. These beatitudes are the Word of God, and we trust the Word to be true by faith, even if we do not see it. We are not people free of trouble. We each have trials and suffering: But despite these things, know that you are blessed.

Are you poor in spirit, or just plain poor? The devil will say it’s proof God doesn’t love you. But Jesus says, “No! Blessed are you! Even if you have little now, the kingdom of heaven is yours!”

Do you mourn? The devil will use your sin as proof that God only curses you. Jesus says, “Blessed are you! In a dying world, it will be given to you to mourn. But I will comfort you. In heaven I will wipe away every tear from your eye.”

Are you meek? That’s not a way to be successful in a dog-eat-dog world, and the world has names for you like “victim” or “sucker,” which are not synonyms for “winner” or “blessed.” But Jesus says, “This world is passing away, and I will create a new heaven and a new earth. It’s yours. Blessed are you!”

Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? If you take your sinfulness seriously, then of course you do because you know what you lack. But blessed are you in Christ! “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Christ makes you righteous, no matter how your conscience and memory might still accuse you. Blessed are you.

Are you merciful, pure in heart and one who desires peace? This is a world where success comes at the expense of others, comes from cutting corners and selling your soul, comes at dividing people to gain power. Christian love may not lead to much worldly success at all; but Christ says, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Blessed are you, because I am merciful to you. I call you My beloved child. I make you righteous, and you will see Me face to face.”

Christ has fulfilled the beatitudes perfectly on His way to the cross. Having died for your sins, He is risen to give His blessings of grace and life and every good thing. By His grace, you are righteous - you are blessed - and you are His!