Among the best-known writings in the Bible are the Beatitudes. Derived from the Latin word Beatus, meaning a state of happiness, the word beatitude means “being blessed” or “happy.” Presented to the disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes represent the essential guiding principles taught by Jesus Christ for living a happy, spiritually fulfilling life.

Looking Through a Different Lens
Different versions of the collection of teachings known as the Beatitudes appear in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and Thomas. It is in these divergent views, says Rev. Mark Fuss, admissions representative at Unity Institute® and Seminary, who recently wrote an academic paper on the Beatitudes, that we can see how each writer recorded what was essentially an oral story, and how they each injected some of their own experiences and worldview into their versions of the story.

“In Matthew we find a supremely Jewish Jesus, one who is concerned with humility and righteousness,” and who “believed that the kingdom of heaven was at hand,” Fuss says. Luke presents a picture of Jesus that is both prophet and social worker, focused on empowering the poor and the hungry, meeting their basic needs while sharing his message. And in Thomas, says Fuss, “We find a practical, provocative, counter-culture Jesus who teaches us to identify with the divine.”

What is clear, says Rev. Ed Townley, one of Unity's leading Bible scholars, writer of the blog Interpret This, and host of The Bible Alive on Unity Online Radio is that these teachings were intended to shock and awaken Jesus' listeners into realizing that his message was going to be radically different from traditional religious teachings.

“The translators of the Jesus Seminar, in their book The Five Gospels, attempt to communicate this radical energy by changing the mild ‘Blessed are...' to the more aggressive ‘Congratulations to…,'” says Townley. “Congratulations to the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. All of those listening to Jesus were ‘poor in spirit,' feeling like religious rejects living unhappy lives with no real hope of ‘salvation.' Jesus makes the essential point that a sense of being poor in spirit—a sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo—is a good thing. This is essential for anyone about to set out on the great spiritual process that will bring the kingdom of heaven into expression through us.”

What Do the Beatitudes Mean for Me?
Just as the Gospel writers formed distinct interpretations of Jesus' teachings based on their life experiences, we, too, have the freedom to explore different interpretations as they apply to our life and times today.

In Discover the Power Within You, Unity minister Eric Butterworth wrote, “The Beatitudes (BE attitudes) begin with the word blessed. It is an important word. To bless is ‘to confer prosperity upon, to enrich.' Thus blessed makes a wonderful promise, telling you what will happen to you if you condition your mind to the full acceptance of these attitudes. … blessed is a one-word definition of all the good that will come to you if you understand and live by these amazing attitudes of BEING.”

Rev. Tom Thorpe, faculty member at Unity Institute says, in “Blessed are the meek,” Jesus is reminding us that to really come into our spiritual inheritance, we must understand that we share that inheritance with all people. “Blessed are the pure in heart” speaks to the dissolution of the idea of attacking, condemning or persecuting anyone or any group of people. In “Blessed are the peacemakers,” explains Thorpe, “Jesus says that we can become, in consciousness, the children of God that we really are when we devote ourselves to promoting peace in all people in all situations.”

Our Wake-Up Call
Together, the Beatitudes, Townley says, overturn the mindset that sees negative life experiences as punishment from God. “They are rather wake-up calls to get us moving on our spiritual purpose,” he says. “We must mourn our lost sense of spiritual identity if we are ever to find it again. We must hunger and thirst after righteousness if we are to bring the experience of righteousness into being. We must begin to recognize the creative power of our own thoughts.

“Thoughts of mercy create a merciful life experience; thoughts of peace create a peaceful world. We must, in short, stop seeing ourselves as victims—of either an angry God or an unfair world—and allow Jesus to teach us how to claim our true spiritual power.”

Read Rev. Fuss' complete academic paper.

 

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