Lectio Divina – Matthew 5, the beatitudes..

A couple of weeks ago I listened to a talk from Thom at Kings Fellowship… due to some technical difficulties the talk was not recorded for posterity, which is a real loss.

He was sharing reflections on what it means to be a Disciple of Christ as part of a short series, and used the Beatitudes to illustrate the attitudes of a Disciple. There was something fundamentally both old and fresh in what he was sharing…

The beatitudes can become a very familiar passage, and as such we can have the tendency to treat them lightly… and what Thom shared challenged me to wait in this passage some more…

The following weekend I was co-hosting a Street Pastors gathering at the Barn Church, Culloden. And as part of our devotions together we used this passage in Matthew as a Lectio Divina… mature christians, from 18 different churchs… all knew the passage well. But yet after 3o minutes reading and sharing together each person had something new, something that God was highlighting for them…

So today, here is the first part of Matthew 5… and it is my prayer that God stirs some new understanding of what it means to follow our Lord Jesus Christ…

One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, ²and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

³“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
⁴God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
⁵God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
⁶God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.
⁷God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
⁸God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
⁹God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
¹⁰God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

¹¹“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. ¹²Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.