How ecstatic...
Matthew 5:1-11
5 Seeing the crowds, Yeshua walked up the hill. After he sat down, his talmidim (disciples) came to him, 2 and he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
3 “How blessed are the poor in spirit! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 “How blessed are those who mourn! for they will be comforted.
5 “How blessed are the meek! for they will inherit the Land! (Psalm 37:11)
6 “How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness! for they will be filled. 7 “How blessed are those who show mercy! for they will be shown mercy.
8 “How blessed are the pure in heart! for they will see God.
9 “How blessed are those who make peace! for they will be called sons of God.
10 “How blessed are those who are persecuted because they pursue righteousness! for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me! 12 Rejoice, be glad, because your reward in heaven is great — they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.
I have read these words many times sitting in a spot in the Galilee where they say Jesus could have spoken them. The gardens are beautiful. The view of the Sea of Galilee is stunning. Each time they speak to me in a different way.
Looking at verse 5, we can see that even in this teaching, Jesus refers to the Tanakh (what we know as the Old Testament). Psalm 37:11 says:
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
Jesus knew what His people read. He shared it with them. He met them at their level. Referring to the words of David, He knew He would be able to bring a level of comfort to their soul. This is what it means to be a teacher of the Word. Taking what is known and written and making it real.
I don't want to make this longer, but there have been several times that I read the above passage, known as the Beatitudes, from The Passion Translation. It is beautiful and challenges a person on a whole new level (at least it does me). I pray that this will bless you and inspire you today.
3 “What wealth is offered to you when you feel your spiritual poverty! For there is no charge to enter the realm of heaven’s kingdom.
4 “What delight comes to you when you wait upon the Lord! For you will find what you long for.
5 “What blessing comes to you when gentleness lives in you! For you will inherit the earth.
6 “How enriched you are when you crave righteousness! For you will be surrounded with fruitfulness.
7 “How satisfied you are when you demonstrate tender mercy! For tender mercy will be demonstrated to you.
8 “What bliss you experience when your heart is pure! For then your eyes will open to see more and more of God.
9 “How blessed you are when you make peace! For then you will be recognized as a true child of God.
10 “How enriched you are when you bear the wounds of being persecuted for doing what is right! For that is when you experience the realm of heaven’s kingdom.
11 “How ecstatic you can be when people insult and persecute you and speak all kinds of cruel lies about you because of your love for me! 12 So leap for joy—since your heavenly reward is great. For you are being rejected the same way the prophets were before you.
If you just look at the words used, can you say you are "ecstatic" when people insult you? Can you say you experience "bliss" when your heart is pure? Do you "leap for joy" because you know you will have a heavenly reward? (BibleGateway has many study notes for this passage. They are quite interesting to read and bring more insight to the translation).
Find His LOVE today and share it with those around you...
Love and blessings, Rose
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