Title Sunday Faith Training (5/20)-Jesus' Happiness Theory (1)
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Title: Jesus' Happiness Theory (1)
Text: Matthew 5:1~3
Date: 2012. 5. 20. Sunday Day Worship
1 When Jesus saw the crowd, he went up to the mountain and sat down, and his disciples came to him.
2 He opened his mouth and taught, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
★ There are common misconceptions about happiness. The idea that 'happiness is proportional to external conditions' is a misconception. Also, it is a misconception that 'we become happy when everything we want is satisfied'. Rather, they often lose sight of their goals and falter. The countries that rank first in the happiness index each year are the poorest countries. The happiness index of the G7 countries where they live the best is at the bottom. Korea's happiness index is also at the bottom.
★ What kind of happiness did Jesus speak of? Let's look at what kind of happiness Jesus spoke of through the following two questions.
1. Who is truly happy?
Jesus taught his disciples 'on the mountain' (verses 1-2). Luke records the same incident and records that he taught 'on the plain' (Luke 6:17). The place where Jesus taught the crowd was 'a flat area on a mountain' (Hokma commentary). That is, it was a 'ridge' (Hermann Riedelboss). Matthew 5-7 is called 'The Sermon on the Mount' because the Word was taught here. It is also called 'The Sermon on the Mount' because its teachings are like precious jewels. The first teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is the Sermon on the Beatitudes. When Jesus spoke of the eight blessings, he repeated, "Blessed are those who do." First, he said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."
★ The Sermon on the Mount or Sermon on the Mount refers to Matthew 5-7. The blessing Jesus spoke of is a condition, not an possession. What kind of person are you referring to who is poor in spirit? “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20). Commentary Hokma writes: "Those who are unable to save themselves from the economic exploitation and social oppression of the rich or powerful. Here Matthew adds the word "spirit". Are all oppressed socially disadvantaged people poor in spirit? no. Those who are oppressed, the socially weak, and those who have a broken heart before God are poor in spirit.
★ said the Dutch Reformed theologian H. Ridderbos. "It should be noted that Jesus did not proclaim the blessing to all the poor, but only to those who valued a certain spiritual attitude in their pity." “People who are oppressed, mistreated, and ignored in the world, but instead of fighting for it in worldly ways, they depend on God and humbly wait for God to save them.”
★ Define the poor in spirit as follows. "A person who deeply feels his limitations and despair and trusts in God!" "Those who have learned the 'faith' of relying on God through the painful 'reality'!"
2. What blessings do the poor in spirit receive?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Jesus promised the poor in spirit the possessions of the kingdom of heaven. Notice the saying, "The kingdom of heaven is theirs." This is a proclamation of salvation. The Dutch Reformed theologian Riedelboss said, "The word blessing, which refers to salvation in the most secure and superior sense, was proclaimed to the poor in spirit."
★ Look back on how we came to salvation. A painful reality is an opportunity to have faith. We learned faith in the face of problems beyond our own strength. So, who is the blessed one? Let's listen to Jesus. "When Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17). who is sick? who is the sinner? Everyone. However, most people do not admit that they are sinners. We do not need Christ to completely heal us from sin forever. The sinner Jesus spoke of is a person who realizes that he is a sinner and comes to Jesus, the Savior of sinners.
★ Jesus read the book of Isaiah in the synagogue. “The Spirit of the Lord has come upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, and has sent me to preach liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18). ). Why does the Bible point to the "poor" as the object of evangelism? This is because there is a broken heart due to their limitations and despair, and they have an open mind more than those who are rich in the gospel. Of course, not all poor people are like that.
★ Then, is suffering a blessing? Suffering in itself cannot be a blessing. The benefits of suffering become blessings. In order for suffering to be beneficial, as Riedelboss put it, 'a certain spiritual attitude' must be taken. What's that? Through suffering, we deeply feel our limitations and despair, and the attitude of relying on God is a blessing to us.