How "Happy" are You? (Matthew 5:3) [Makarios]; Outline of Matthew

"Happy are those who are poor in spirit, for it is to them that the kingdom of heaven belongs" (R. T. France).

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 5:3, NIV).

"God blesses the beggars in spirit because theirs is Heavens' Empire" (Scot McKnight).

Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" (Lk 6:20).

1. Is The Sermon on the Mount [SotM] addressed to the crowds or to the disciples (Mt 5:1-2; 7:28-29)? 
2. What does the word "blessed" [Greek makarios] mean (Mt 5:3a; 11:6; 13:16; 16:17; 24:46)?
3. Are you "poor in spirit" (Mt 5:3)? Why is it that only to them  does the "kingdom of heaven" belong (Mt 1:21; 3:2; 4:7; Ps 34:6; Isa 66:2)? Explain these 2 quotes:
1. "To be poor in spirit means that you have nothing, and your heart relies on nothing of your own doing, but you depend entirely upon the grace and mercy of God." Martin Luther.
2. "Man has to be humbled to the dust before he can be a Christian. Until a man knows his spiritual bankruptcy, he can never truly receive the kingdom of heaven." David Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
4. Do you "mourn" (Mt 5:4; Ps 38:18; 51:3, 17; 119:136; 2 Cor 7:10; Jas 4:8-9)? Why are [only] they comforted (Ps 34:18; Isa 61:1, 2, 3)?
5. How "meek" are you (Mt 5:5, 3; 11:29; 12:20; 21:5; Num 12:3)? What does their reward mean (Ps 37:11, 29; 1 Pet 1:4)?
6. Do you "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Mt 5:6; Jn 4:34)?
7. Are you "merciful" (Mt 5:7; 9:13; 12:7; 23:23)? Have you experienced mercy (Mt 6:14-15)?
8. Are you "pure in heart" (Mt 5:8; Ps 24:3-4; 42:2)? Do you "see God" (Ps 11:7; 17:15; 27:5; Jn 1:18; Heb 11:27)?
9. Are you among the "peacemakers" (Mt 5:9; Ps 34:14)? Should all conflict be avoided (Mt 10:34-35)?
10. Have you been "persecuted because of righteousness" (Mt 5:10-12, 6; 10:16, 22, 23; 22:6; 23:34; 24:9-13; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Pet 3:14)?

"Blessed/Happy..." (Ps 1:1; 32:1-2; 40:4; 119:1-2; 128:1; Mt 11:6; 13:16; 16:17; 24:46; Lk 1:45; 10:23; 11:27-29, etc) [Gk adjective makarios; verb makarizō (Lk 1:48; Jas 5:11); derivative noun makarismos (Rom 4:6, 9)]. Such "macarisms" are normally single statements; they are essentially commendations, congratulations, statements to the effect that a person is in a good situation, sometimes even expressions of envy.

Utter misery precedes unprecedented joy

No English word fully captures the sense of makarios; the translation of "happy," despite its inappropriately psychological connotations, could be regarded as the least inadequate option in current English, for makarios does not state that a person feels happy (Mt 5:4), but that they are in a "happy" situation, one which other people ought to wish to share. "Fortunate" gets close to the sense, but has inappropriate connotations of luck. "Congratulations to..." would convey much of the impact of a "macarism," but perhaps sounds too colloquial/informal. "Good on you" or "Well done" [Australian idiom "Good on yer" is perhaps as close as any to the sense]. "White is their world" [Welsh rendering of the Beatitudes], an evocative idiom for those for whom everything is good. Beautitudes are descriptions and commendations of the good life.

Outline (The Gospel of Matthew, R. T. France. The New International Commentary on the New Testament):

I. Introducing the Messiah (1:1-4:11).

II. Galilee: The Messiah revealed in word and deed (4:12-16:20).

* The Messiah's authority revealed in his teaching: The Discourse on Discipleship (5:1-7:29). The Sermon on the Mount.

III. From Galilee to Jerusalem: The Messiah and his followers prepare for the confrontation (16:21-20:34).

IV. Jerusalem: The Messiah in confrontation with the religious authorities (21:1-25:46).

V. Jerusalem: The Messiah rejected, killed, and vindicated (26:1-28:15).

VI. Galilee: The Messianic mission is launched (18:16-20).

"Blessed are those who mourn..." (Mt 5:4).

John Calvin: "Mourning here does not mean a mere fleeting sorrow, but a deep grief of the soul over our sins and the miseries of this world that separate us from God."
Charles Spurgeon: "Holy mourning leads to holy comfort. The tears of repentance water the soil where the flowers of paradise grow."

Verses illustrating the different aspects of mourning and the promise of divine comfort:

1. Godly Sorrow and Mourning Over Sin. The primary interpretation of Mt 5:4—deep grief over personal and societal sin leads to true repentance and restoration.

• 2 Cor 7:10: "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death."
• Ps 38:18: "I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin."
• Jas 4:8–9: "Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom."
• Ps 51:17: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

2. Mourning Over the Brokenness and Sins of Others. Righteous people also mourn the devastation, rebellion, and lack of faith they see in the world around them.

• Ps 119:136: "Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed."
• Eze 9:4: "...Put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it."
• Lk 19:41: "And when he drew near and saw the city [Jerusalem], he wept over it..."

3. God's Nearness to the Brokenhearted (Natural Sorrow & Trial). God cares intimately for those experiencing the raw, heavy pain of life's trials, loss, emotional brokenness.

• Ps 34:18: "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
• Ps 147:3: "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
• Isa 61:1–3: "...He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted... to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning..."

4. The Ultimate Promise of Divine Comfort. Jesus promises that those who mourn will be comforted. The temporary nature of earthly grief cf. eternal comfort.

• Ps 30:5: "...Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."
• Rev 21:4: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
• 2 Cor 1:3–4: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction..."

"Blessed are the meek..." (Mt 5:5)

A.W. Tozer: "Meekness is not weakness. It is the glory of the quiet heart that has ceased to struggle for its own way and rests completely in God's hands."
Augustine of Hippo: "Meekness yields to God. It does not resist Him when He corrects us, but accepts His gentle guidance."

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..."

C.H. Spurgeon: "A man does not merely wish for righteousness when he hungers and thirsts; he aches for it, he cries out for it as a starving man craves bread."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "The follower of Jesus hungers for the ultimate justice and righteousness of God's kingdom to break into a broken world."