Elizabeth M. Engle Professor of Preaching and Worship Emerita
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, NJ
The Beautitudes that open the three-chapter “Sermon on the Mount” section of Matthew are beloved among Christians. It will come as a surprise to some that, as a rhetorical form, the beatitudes of Jesus are neither “unique” nor “unparalleled” in ancient literature.(see Mark Moore, “The Beatitudes: Is There Anything New Here?” https://markmoore.org/index_htm_files/Beatitudes.pdf.) It was not uncommon for Greek and Jewish authors well known by Jesus’ time to declare “blessed” or “fortunate” those who enjoyed wealth or a stable home, or those of particular virtue. Jesus surely knew psalms such as Psalm 34 that appear, in fact, to guarantee that good lives will be blessed in ways apparent to all: many children and abundance even in hard times. What is striking—even shocking!—in the beatitudes of Jesus is that it is the pure in heart, the meek, the poor, and those who hunger not for wealth or luxury but righteousness, whom he declares “blessed” in the coming reign of God. Jesus directly challenges the notion that a hard life was a sign of hidden sin. At the least, part of the preaching task will be to make clear the shocking contrast between Jesus’ beatitudes and the customary wisdom about who can be counted “blessed.” Ideally, one would wish for listeners to experience this shock, not merely grasp it cognitively. One might lay out for listeners’ consideration one of the many contemporary self-help “maps to success” one finds in the Amazon self-help section or on the internet (“six simple steps to your dream job,” etc). Might this be the path to the reign of God–? Then one could shift and describe in concrete, local terms, what meekness, mourning, and hunger for justice (righteousness) look like in neighborhoods near one’s place of worship. Perhaps it will be only in coming alongside them that we can hope to taste the blessedness of the reign of God that is on its way.
Insights into Biblical Greek Grammar and Syntax 