Matthew 5:1-5 "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
In the close of the fourth chapter of Matthew, we are told that great multitudes of people were following Jesus at this point. He went up into a mountain to be seen and heard. Notice that He likely ascended alone. Only after He was set did the multitude of disciples come up unto Him. It is interesting to note that one of the definitions of “set” as given in Thayer’s Greek Definitions is “to confer a kingdom on one.”
Jesus was teaching and preaching that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. It was imminent in the time that Matthew wrote this gospel, and it is still imminent today. Our understanding of His kingdom here is always preceded by the Holy Spirit revealing Jesus to us in an exalted state. We do not come to Him until He is “set” to receive us.
Jesus opened His mouth and taught. There is a great lesson in this simple phrase. Every time that Jesus opened His mouth, He was teaching His disciples. Still today, every time that Jesus blesses men to speak by the authority of the Holy Ghost, He is still teaching.
I will not endeavor to drain the meaning from every one of what we know as The Beatitudes. What I do hope that we can understand is that each condition described was a blessing. The outcome of realizing we are poor in spirit is that we are able then to access the kingdom of heaven. But the blessing was finding ourselves poor in spirit. Otherwise, we would believe ourselves sufficient in our own strength and would not seek Him.
In every condition of these verses of scripture, the blessing was in the condition itself. It was (and is) these conditions that cause us to seek Him. Our having possession in the kingdom, our receipt of comfort, and our inheritance of our earth are all the result of being blessed to be in the condition that brings us to the Author of all these things, Jesus Christ.
Remember that Jesus declared these blessings from the mountain. He chose His apostles while on the mountain, and He was transfigured on the mountain. He often went to the mountain to pray, and He ascended in the clouds of glory from a mountain. Dear ones, look up and know that you are blessed in every situation because your Lord is high and lifted up above all the cares of this world. Rejoice that He calls you up to where He is!