Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
My Bible classes began working on the Beatitudes recently. The nine statements of Jesus at the outset of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's chapter five are familiar to Christians but are often foreign to the way we act. How are we supposed to rejoice and mourn concurrently? Who feels good about being mistreated? Philip Yancey translated these teachings as Lucky Are The Unlucky. Our class periods centered around our own translations of these contradictory, to the non-believer, words of truth from the lips of the Savior. Each student was assigned the task of recreating the Beatitudes in ways that made sense to them in twenty-first century Houston, Texas. What follows is a sampling of the theology of my students. All are used by permission with boys in blue and girls in pink:
Blessed are the kind in heart for they will kill with kindness in the war against evil. (Clara)
Blessed are the dirty for Christ washes them clean. (Travis)
Blessed are the bitter at heart for heaven is sweet bliss. (Mallory)
Blessed are those who sacrificed themselves for others for they are following in the greatest footsteps of all eternity. (Josh J.)
Blessed are the engineers for they will build the kingdom of God. (Justin)
Blessed are the poor for money doesn't matter in heaven. (Jon)
Blessed are the paralyzed for they will walk in heaven. (Gino)
Blessed are those who feel invisible for they will noticed by many. (Marie)
Blessed are the sick for they will get to heaven sooner. (Ibe)
Blessed are the ones who eat with sinners for they will have something in common with Jesus. (Addie)
Blessed are the overlooked for in heaven, you will get all the attention. (Marlin)
Blessed are the shy for their personalities will radiate in heaven. (Natalie)
Blessed are the ones with bad grades now for one day they will graduate. (Maggie)
Blessed are the debtors for they will be grateful. (Sam)
Blessed are the lonely for God is always next to you. (Kane)
Blessed are the boring for they will be interesting in heaven. (Euphe)
Blessed are those who pray for the devil won't prey on them. (Rachel)
Blessed are those with pride for they will repent from that habit. (Blake)
Blessed are those who weep for their tears will be dried. (Gaby)
Blessed are the mentally ill for heaven calms them. (Mason)
Blessed are the dumb for they will grow in wisdom. (Tommie)
Blessed are the weird for they will be able to speak and think freely in heaven. (Dylan)
Blessed are the girls without makeup for they are truly beautiful. (Ryan)
Blessed are the abandoned for you will be claimed. (Ariana)
Blessed are the insecure for God sees our insecurities as beauty. (Sydney)
Blessed are those who like music for they will sing with the angels in heaven. (Jarius)
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
Www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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