Matthew Henry Commentary Matthew 5:3-12

"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. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness` sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when [men] shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you." — Matthew 5:3-12 (ASV)

Our Savior here gives eight characteristics of blessed people, which represent to us the principal graces of a Christian.

1. The poor in spirit are happy. These align their minds with their lowly condition. They are humble and lowly in their own eyes. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer. The kingdom of grace belongs to such; the kingdom of glory is for them.

2. Those that mourn are happy. That godly sorrow which works true repentance, watchfulness, a humble mind, and continual dependence for acceptance on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, with constant seeking the Holy Spirit to cleanse away the remaining evil, seems here to be intended. Heaven is the joy of our Lord; a mountain of joy, to which our way is through a valley of tears. Such mourners will be comforted by their God.

3. The meek are happy. The meek are those who quietly submit to God; who can bear insult; are silent, or return a soft answer; who, in their patience, keep possession of their own souls when they can scarcely keep possession of anything else. These meek ones are happy, even in this world. Meekness promotes wealth, comfort, and safety, even in this world.

4. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are happy. Righteousness here represents all spiritual blessings. These are purchased for us by the righteousness of Christ, confirmed by the faithfulness of God. Our desires for spiritual blessings must be earnest. Though all desires for grace are not grace, yet such a desire as this is one that God Himself has awakened, and He will not forsake the work of His own hands.

5. The merciful are happy. We must not only bear our own afflictions patiently, but we must do all we can to help those who are in misery. We must have compassion on the souls of others and help them; pity those who are in sin and seek to snatch them as brands out of the burning.

6. The pure in heart are happy; for they shall see God. Here holiness and happiness are fully described and put together. The heart must be purified by faith and kept for God. Create in me such a clean heart, O God. None but the pure are capable of seeing God, nor would heaven be happiness to the impure. As God cannot endure to look upon their iniquity, so they cannot look upon His purity.

7. The peacemakers are happy. They love, desire, and delight in peace, and strive to be quiet. They keep the peace that it not be broken and recover it when it is broken. If the peacemakers are blessed, woe to the peacebreakers!

8. Those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake are happy. This saying is peculiar to Christianity, and it is emphasized more extensively than any of the rest. Yet there is nothing in our sufferings that can merit from God; but God will ensure that those who lose for Him, even life itself, will not lose because of Him in the end.

Blessed Jesus! How different are Your maxims from those of people of this world! They call the proud happy and admire the cheerful, the rich, the powerful, and the victorious. May we find mercy from the Lord; may we be acknowledged as His children and inherit His kingdom. With these enjoyments and hopes, we may cheerfully welcome lowly or painful circumstances.