As we continue in our Beatitudes series, we begin to see the profound movement of Jesus’ teaching in this discourse on blessings.
We begin to discover a grander purpose underlying Jesus’ teaching of the Beatitudes. He has been talking in paradoxical terms that challenge us to experience real blessing in the hardest circumstances of life. He moves on to talk about Kingdom attributes that God is blessing and calling forth from us. And we discover that all the while he has been leading us on the path of transformation, toward embracing our true identity and calling as God’s people. The children of God are the peacemakers: the ones who are actively working to bring about the great Shalom that God intends for humanity and all creation.
