The unasked question just before Jesus preached His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is, “Am I good (righteous) enough to qualify for entrance into the kingdom?”
The unspoken answer is one word, “no.” But Jesus didn’t answer abrasively. Instead He outlined what a relationship of complete trust in Jesus would look like from God’s perspective. Instead of listing external requirements (as the Pharisees demanded), Jesus raises the standard of righteousness to (internal) “attitudes,” such as “poor in spirit,” “those who mourn,” and “the meek.” Everyone hearing His words would naturally conclude, “I don’t qualify, I’m not that good; I could never achieve these requirements of righteousness.”
In saying “blessed are” Jesus was not exhorting His listeners, “you should live a life worthy of blessing.” He was acknowledging the present possession (the condition, the state) of those who are already in a right relationship with God.
Without saying the word “no,” Jesus closed off every possible avenue of human effort and merit and left “sinners” (of all time) dependent on nothing but God’s grace for salvation.
“Once my heart was heavy with a load of sin,
Jesus took the load and gave me peace within;
Now I’m happy and that’s the reason why,
Jesus took my burden (a.k.a. “sin”) all away.”
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