Beatitudes explained in layman's terms to find true happiness
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Jesus spoke to his people about how they could be blessed, not how to find lasting happiness. There are crucial differences, in the Bible, between mere happiness, and blessedness.
Just look at some of the blessing, to see that. How could anybody wanting to stay in a state of happiness consider themselves in that state when being persecuted? How could anyone be in a state of happiness while simultaneously mourning? How often are 'the meek' happy when most others scorn them, if not trample on them? How can people be happy when being reviled and spoken ill of?
No, Jesus was speaking of something far higher, way above mere human ideas about being happy. He spoke of an inner, spiritual state among those who are truly spiritual in the sense the New Testament speaks of throughout. The clues are all there: those who know thy are 'poor in spirit' will have the kingdom of heaven. Turn to the end of that sermon on the mount to see how, exactly:
"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink, or Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:31-33 A.V (emphasis mine).
Another clue Jesus gave, a few verses earlier, was that the righteousness of his people had to exceed the apparent, outward righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. If it did not, then "ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (5:20).
Blessedness comes in being brought into the Kingdom of God, which has Christ as its King. Then, no matter what you might suffer on Earth for his name's sake, nothing and nobody can take away the blessedness that is God-given, and which is spiritual, not material or physical.
This question now asked was summed up by Jesus, to ordinary folk, in simple terms they could understand: "But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness".
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