Context for Matthew 5:1-16
The Beatitudes are one of the most famous and remembered parts of scripture, and those sayings stick in our minds because they lay the foundation for who we are to be as Christians.
Jesus begins His ministry by describing to those who will listen the definition of ‘the Blessed’, that is those who are considered righteous. This message is a powerful foundation for everything else that Jesus teaches about who He is and who we are to be as His followers.
Jesus also tells us in that same teaching that we will be marked if we conform ourselves to His message and stand on His foundation. The world will hate us because of Jesus, because we bear His name, accept His mark, and carry His standard.
It is for that hatred that we will be most greatly rewarded, because at that moment, we show that we no longer conform to the world, but rather to Christ and His saving grace.
DLH
