"Blest are they..."
Like many languages, Greek does not have one “past” tense but two—the aorist and the imperfect. Analogous to the preterite in Spanish, the aorist indicates a one-time action with a definite conclusion. The imperfect, by contrast, has the connotation of an activity that an individual was in the habit of doing regularly over a period of time. For example: “On the evening of the Michigan State hockey game, I walked past Yost Arena and saw all sorts of people pouring through the streets.” (That would be in the aorist—it refers to a particular instance.) Versus, “When I was a senior in college living on South State Street, I walked past Yost to get to class in the morning.” (The tense is the same, “I walked,” but the imperfect form indicates that the action took place repeatedly in the past.) So the opening sentence might bet- ter be translated into English, “When Jesus would see a large crowd gathered to listen to him, he would go up the mountain, and he was in the habit of teaching them the following things.”
Thus, the way to read these sayings, commonly known as “The Beautitudes,” is to understand that, over the course of his many public lectures, Jesus repeatedly articulated these core teachings. Matthew sets the sermon, “on the Mount” (whereas in Luke it is “on a plain”) because Matthew is writing for a predominantly Jewish audience, for whom he is attempting to craft the narrative that Jesus is a modern-day successor to Moses. God called Moses up the mountain, and Moses returned to the people bearing the Law that would form the basis of God’s unique covenant with the people Israel. The analogy is unambiguous: Moses, prophet of God, ascends a mountain and comes down with a set of instructions for how the people ought to behave in relationship to God and one another; Jesus, prophet of God, goes up onto a moun- tain and likewise lays down a set of instructions. So what is the nature of Jesus’ list, and how does it relate to the laws of the Old Testament?
The Law (“Torah”) given to Moses is a code of social conduct meant to help the people Israel live together in harmony and stability. The ancient Israelites existed in a world marked by tribal conflict, scarce resources, and perpetual uncertainty. Water was the most valuable commodity around, so if a neighboring clan found out that your tribe had access to a stable water supply (and thus could not only provide water for hydration, but also to irrigate fields and nourish livestock) you were likely to be under a constant threat of attack. Therefore, each tribe was only as strong as the number of sword-wielding young men it could produce. Essential to the survival of any tribe was social cohesion, so any type of activity that might tear families asun- der or threaten the long-term survival of the tribe was prohibited.
The laws contained in Leviticus and Deuteronomy thus reflect the basic social norms necessary to prevent the whole tribe from devolving into internal conflict and dissension. The familiar phrasing, “You shall not,” could have been conjoined with the suffix, “or else...” (the whole society could collapse). For instance, “You shall not commit adultery,” or else the guy whose wife you slept with, as well as the (now-dishonored) woman’s brothers, are going to come after you and try to kill you, which your own sons and brothers aren’t going to allow, so next thing you know, the whole tribe is preparing for an all-out brawl a la a modern gang war.
Jesus’ set of instructions differ dramatically. Cast in the affirmative, they describe a totally different way of being in the world. If Leviticus and Deuteronomy are concerned with basic survival, the Beautitudes elucidate how to achieve human flourishing. The construction, “Blessed are” indicates that those whose behavior conforms to the following way-of-being-in- the-world (poor in spirit, clean of heart, making peace, et al) lead lives of authentic human happiness. Jesus announces just several lines later in the Sermon on the Mount, “I came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.” The Law is still operant, because it continues to help people live together in a community. But merely following the Law does not lead to a maximally fulfilling human life. When asked about the joys of his marriage, no loving husband would think it adequate to respond, “Well I’ve never committed adultery.” Likewise, if you were to go home over Thanksgiving break your freshman year of college, and your family were to ask, “Have you formed a community in your dorm?” and you were to respond, “Well I haven’t committed arson or stolen anyone’s ipod,” they undoubtedly would look at you quizzically. Simply not breaking the law does not constitute the fullness of flourishing. Being part of a fulfilling community of friends is an affirmative way of being in the world (e.g making cookies together before Christmas and going out for movie nights on the weekend).
Jesus, too, recognizes that a truly human life is not constituted by merely obeying rules, but by living affirmatively. Flourishing in relationship to one’s neighbors doesn’t simply entail not murdering them—it calls us to construct a culture of peace. The Greek word for peace in this instance connotes not just the absence of outward violence, but a robust collaboration and friendship. Thus, there are laws and rules that serve as the minimalistic framework to safeguard everyone’s basic rights, but on top of that there is a set of things that cultivate community and lead to greater happiness. If it were translated to the modern era, the Mosaic Law would be things like, “Don’t eat food from the community fridge that’s not yours,” and “Don’t blast your music at 3 am during exam week.” The Beatitudes, on the other hand, might be some- thing to the effect of, “Happiest are the hallways (or houses) where, when one person is having a lousy week, the others take her out to dinner,” or, “Most successful are the offices where co-workers communicate their frustrations directly to one another and work together to find mutually beneficial solutions.”
With the Beatitudes, then, Jesus is setting forth a set of guiding principles by which the happi- est, most fulfilled people live their lives. If you met a personal trainer who was in fantastic shape, and you asked him, “How do I get into that kind of shape?” and all he responded was, “Stay away from fast food; don’t drink too much; and try to avoid long periods on the couch,” you’d come away feeling like that wasn’t enough. Those “You shall not” type instructions might ward off BAD health, but they wouldn’t necessarily lead you to the sort of peak physical fitness you’re after. Rather, he would have to add, “Try to get in 45 minutes of cardio every day, followed by a rotation of yoga, free weights, and balance exercises. Also, integrate more leafy green vegetables into your diet and take a daily multivitamin.” The Beatitudes are akin to the latter—guides to help us get into the best possible “human” shape, and they take work.
Reflection Questions
1. What might “being a peacemaker” look like in your personal day-to-day life? How could you promote a culture (within your family, among your friends, at your work) of coopera- tion and lack of conflict?
2. Being “clean of heart,” meant to have pure, unadulteratedly good intentions. (For instance, in offering to walk a friend home from a party, you are not operating out of some ulterior motive; or in signing up to do service over spring break, you intend to offer your time and talent to those in need, and not because you wish to feel superior to “self-centered” peers who are spending the week drunk on a beach.) Are there areas in your life that your inten- tions could be more pure?
3. If Jesus were here today, talking to an audience of you and your peers, what do you think some modern-day Beatitudes might look like?
Thus, the way to read these sayings, commonly known as “The Beautitudes,” is to understand that, over the course of his many public lectures, Jesus repeatedly articulated these core teachings. Matthew sets the sermon, “on the Mount” (whereas in Luke it is “on a plain”) because Matthew is writing for a predominantly Jewish audience, for whom he is attempting to craft the narrative that Jesus is a modern-day successor to Moses. God called Moses up the mountain, and Moses returned to the people bearing the Law that would form the basis of God’s unique covenant with the people Israel. The analogy is unambiguous: Moses, prophet of God, ascends a mountain and comes down with a set of instructions for how the people ought to behave in relationship to God and one another; Jesus, prophet of God, goes up onto a moun- tain and likewise lays down a set of instructions. So what is the nature of Jesus’ list, and how does it relate to the laws of the Old Testament?
The Law (“Torah”) given to Moses is a code of social conduct meant to help the people Israel live together in harmony and stability. The ancient Israelites existed in a world marked by tribal conflict, scarce resources, and perpetual uncertainty. Water was the most valuable commodity around, so if a neighboring clan found out that your tribe had access to a stable water supply (and thus could not only provide water for hydration, but also to irrigate fields and nourish livestock) you were likely to be under a constant threat of attack. Therefore, each tribe was only as strong as the number of sword-wielding young men it could produce. Essential to the survival of any tribe was social cohesion, so any type of activity that might tear families asun- der or threaten the long-term survival of the tribe was prohibited.
The laws contained in Leviticus and Deuteronomy thus reflect the basic social norms necessary to prevent the whole tribe from devolving into internal conflict and dissension. The familiar phrasing, “You shall not,” could have been conjoined with the suffix, “or else...” (the whole society could collapse). For instance, “You shall not commit adultery,” or else the guy whose wife you slept with, as well as the (now-dishonored) woman’s brothers, are going to come after you and try to kill you, which your own sons and brothers aren’t going to allow, so next thing you know, the whole tribe is preparing for an all-out brawl a la a modern gang war.
Jesus’ set of instructions differ dramatically. Cast in the affirmative, they describe a totally different way of being in the world. If Leviticus and Deuteronomy are concerned with basic survival, the Beautitudes elucidate how to achieve human flourishing. The construction, “Blessed are” indicates that those whose behavior conforms to the following way-of-being-in- the-world (poor in spirit, clean of heart, making peace, et al) lead lives of authentic human happiness. Jesus announces just several lines later in the Sermon on the Mount, “I came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.” The Law is still operant, because it continues to help people live together in a community. But merely following the Law does not lead to a maximally fulfilling human life. When asked about the joys of his marriage, no loving husband would think it adequate to respond, “Well I’ve never committed adultery.” Likewise, if you were to go home over Thanksgiving break your freshman year of college, and your family were to ask, “Have you formed a community in your dorm?” and you were to respond, “Well I haven’t committed arson or stolen anyone’s ipod,” they undoubtedly would look at you quizzically. Simply not breaking the law does not constitute the fullness of flourishing. Being part of a fulfilling community of friends is an affirmative way of being in the world (e.g making cookies together before Christmas and going out for movie nights on the weekend).
Jesus, too, recognizes that a truly human life is not constituted by merely obeying rules, but by living affirmatively. Flourishing in relationship to one’s neighbors doesn’t simply entail not murdering them—it calls us to construct a culture of peace. The Greek word for peace in this instance connotes not just the absence of outward violence, but a robust collaboration and friendship. Thus, there are laws and rules that serve as the minimalistic framework to safeguard everyone’s basic rights, but on top of that there is a set of things that cultivate community and lead to greater happiness. If it were translated to the modern era, the Mosaic Law would be things like, “Don’t eat food from the community fridge that’s not yours,” and “Don’t blast your music at 3 am during exam week.” The Beatitudes, on the other hand, might be some- thing to the effect of, “Happiest are the hallways (or houses) where, when one person is having a lousy week, the others take her out to dinner,” or, “Most successful are the offices where co-workers communicate their frustrations directly to one another and work together to find mutually beneficial solutions.”
With the Beatitudes, then, Jesus is setting forth a set of guiding principles by which the happi- est, most fulfilled people live their lives. If you met a personal trainer who was in fantastic shape, and you asked him, “How do I get into that kind of shape?” and all he responded was, “Stay away from fast food; don’t drink too much; and try to avoid long periods on the couch,” you’d come away feeling like that wasn’t enough. Those “You shall not” type instructions might ward off BAD health, but they wouldn’t necessarily lead you to the sort of peak physical fitness you’re after. Rather, he would have to add, “Try to get in 45 minutes of cardio every day, followed by a rotation of yoga, free weights, and balance exercises. Also, integrate more leafy green vegetables into your diet and take a daily multivitamin.” The Beatitudes are akin to the latter—guides to help us get into the best possible “human” shape, and they take work.
Reflection Questions
1. What might “being a peacemaker” look like in your personal day-to-day life? How could you promote a culture (within your family, among your friends, at your work) of coopera- tion and lack of conflict?
2. Being “clean of heart,” meant to have pure, unadulteratedly good intentions. (For instance, in offering to walk a friend home from a party, you are not operating out of some ulterior motive; or in signing up to do service over spring break, you intend to offer your time and talent to those in need, and not because you wish to feel superior to “self-centered” peers who are spending the week drunk on a beach.) Are there areas in your life that your inten- tions could be more pure?
3. If Jesus were here today, talking to an audience of you and your peers, what do you think some modern-day Beatitudes might look like?
