Matthew Chapter 5 is the beginning of the 'Sermon on the Mountain'. This runs for 3 chapters. This sets a moral vision. In the life and teaching of Jesus morality expresses unity. Our oneness of being. We are one with each other. We are one in God. This is in essence what we call mysticism. The mystical dimension of our faith is alive and well if the moral dimension of our faith is alive and well. The mystical proceeds the moral. That sense of unity gives birth to the moral.
I am puzzled by the attraction of this text. So many people love the Beatitudes. Yet it is a very difficult text to understand. Comprehend. How can the poor be blessed? How can the grieving be blessed? How can the persecuted be blessed? How can the rejected be blessed? What is happening here?
To clear the ground do a little thought experiment. Think of the attributes that would mark one out for success in a Western First World country. I don't think you would come up with anything like the Beatitudes. The KPI's which are materialistic, affluent, money focused society sets are not the same as Jesus sets. They are not necessarily contradictory. They are different. we need to acknowledge the difference and explore it......
