“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8 NLT) To a first-century Jewish audience, this announcement regarding the pure of heart would likely bring to mind the Pharisaical obsession with external, ritualistic purification. As illustrated in the parable of the good Samaritan, the religious elite were the kind of people who were reticent to provide assistance if it caused them to be impure in the eyes of the law. Jesus reframes this idea of purity, taking it out of the realm of the physical and setting it squarely in the realm of the spiritual. After all, “P ..read more

“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7 NLT) Grouped together, Matthew 5:5–7 serve as a callback to another passage. Jesus – in his subtle manner that screams loudly to any who have ears to hear it – is reminding his audience of Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (NIV). Verse 5 is about humility, verse 6 is justice, and the final verse in this set is mercy. Taken on their own, Matthew 5:5–7 could be read as a list of attributes th ..read more

“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6 NLT) In 2013, Landon Jones woke up with a bacterial infection of his left lung. Even though his doctor was able to take care of the infection, Landon suffered from an ongoing side effect that is quite unusual: he could no longer feel hungry or thirsty. Within a year he lost thirty-six pounds, nearly a third of this thirteen-year-old’s body weight. As of the last news reports, the doctors were still puzzled by his affliction and his parents still needed to constantly remind him to eat and drink. The ..read more

“God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.” (Matthew 5:5 NLT) The root of the word humble comes from the Latin word humus, meaning “earth.” It is incredibly fitting, then, that Jesus connects humility with the inheritance of the earth. It is this very inheritance that we read about in Revelation 21 and 22, where John writes about the old heaven and earth being replaced by a new heaven and a new earth populated with God’s people. It is only through humility – recognizing that God formed us out of the dust of the earth and we can make nothing out of ..read more

“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4 NLT) For most of us, this past year has included quite a bit of mourning. We’ve mourned the loss of normalcy that came with the entrance of COVID‑19. We’ve mourned the number of hugs not given and hands not clasped, as well as the diminished physical closeness with those outside our immediate household. We’ve mourned the closing of our favorite local businesses, or even the loss of our own jobs. Above all, we’ve mourned the lives of those who have passed away or who continue to suffer under the physical toll of lingering ..read more

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:3 NLT) The song “John Wayne Gacy Jr.” appears on Sufjan Stevens’s 2005 album Illinois. On the track, Stevens sings about both the life and crimes of the serial killer, crimes that included murdering more than two dozen young men. It is a haunting song, especially given the last lyric, which reads, “And in my best behavior, I am really just like him / Look beneath the floor boards for the secrets I have hid.” Stevens, whose Christian faith influences much of his work, has said ..read more

For this Sabbath day of rest, rather than dig into more Scripture, allow the Holy Spirit to remind you of what God spoke into your soul this past week. Reread the passages for this week and allow the words to penetrate into the deepest parts of you. One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them. (Matthew 5:1–2 NLT) “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the wind ..read more

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1–4 NLT) The Journal of Consumer Researc ..read more

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (Matthew 6:19–21 NLT) One of the most secure vaults in the world is located deep inside a mountain range on a remote island halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The purpose of this vault is not to secret away jewels, gold bars, or other items regularly featured in heist movies ..read more

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (Matthew 7:24–27 NLT) Upon graduation, many Canadian-trained engineers are presented with an iron ring at a private ceremony ca ..read more