Insults

"Yours is the bliss when men shall heap their insults on you, and shall persecute you, and shall say in their lies all kind of evil things against you for My sake. Your reward will be great in heaven..." Matthew 4:18-10
One of the things I love about Jesus' ministry is that He gave it to people straight. He didn't sugarcoat anything. The things that were great, were described as great. The things that were gonna be hard, were described as being hard. Folks knew what they were getting themselves in to when they set out to follow Christ. It would be an adventure of a lifetime, but would require great risk and sacrifice.
Here we find yet another example of Jesus teaching about something based on His own experience. I believe He teaches about these things because He knew it would be something we would struggle with for a lifetime. He doesn't waste His breath beating around the bush... He was honest and taught the most relevant and applicable topics. There's no "This might happen..." it's all "This will happen..." It's not "O the bliss of those who MIGHT get persecuted..." It's "O the bliss of those who ARE persecuted."
There are certain things we can count on happening when we follow Christ.
1. It will disrupt your work and "living."If it came to choice between a loyalty and living, the real christian never hesitated to choose loyalty."
2. It will disrupt your social life. "A man must be prepared to have spells of loneliness in order to follow Christ."
3. It will disrupt your home life. "Following Christ often involves a choice between a man's nearest dearest and Jesus Christ."

Peace

"Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9

The american definition of peace is the freedom FROM something. It's the absence of evil, war, strife, etc. Unfortunately we're only experiencing half of the blessing. The peace that is described here includes receiving, enjoying, and to be in the presence of all things good. I think it's so cool that folks in the middle east greet each other with "Saslaam alaikum..." They are wishing peace upon one another! What a great way to start a conversation. Seems so much deeper than a "Hey, what's up?"

Next, the blessing is bestowed upon the one who's making peace... not the one who's just basking in it. It goes to the one who's taking the necessary action to preserve peace, not the one evading or avoiding the issue at hand.

So, what does being a child of God mean? That's another one of those things I've always read and though "Yeah, wow... I want to be that." But never really knew what it all entailed. Apparently, the word 'child' is another way of saying 'son'... and calling someone "a son" of something was the typical way to describe someone. Rather than saying "Joe is a peaceful man..." they would say "Joe is the son of peace..." So this beatitude can be read as "Blessed are the ones who actively pursue peace, for the are doing a God-like action!"

One other interesting note... there are 3 ways to look at pursuing peace.

1. Making the world a better place

2. Conquering your own inner conflict

3. Establishing a right relationship between man and man. This seemed to be the most important pursuit of peace. For it has been said "The man who divided men is doing the devil's work, while the man who unites men is doing God's work."

Fit to be Pure

 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8

Ok, this one sounds important... I'd better figure out what it means to have a pure heart. The greek word for pure is katharos. It refers to either cleaning soiled clothes, or an unwavering army free from cowardly, unwilling, and inefficient soldiers. Katharos is used in conjunction with the word akeratos. This is something that is unadulterated (like wine that's not diluted with water.)
Is it truly possible for us to do something with an absolute pure heart, free from any alternative motive? When we give, is it 100% pure, or is there some contentment in the self-approval or sacrifice made? Do we relish the credit we may receive? When we make a sacrifice or do something heroic, is it because we want others to see it?
On the news the other night, a 2 year old girl fell off a pier into icy water. A frenchmen nearby saw what happened, jumped in, and saved this little girls life. He didn't know her, he didn't even speak much english. The news didn't even give his name. I believe he had 100% pure motives. I think that an act like this is rare. Probably why it's included in the beatitudes. Jesus knew that it's hard for us to do things without the motivation of pay, prestige, or social pressure. To examine yourself and your motives can be pretty daunting and discouraging. Our society is built on satisfying other people's perception of success, happiness, and wealth. In short, we want to impress others.
Next, what does it mean to have the ability to "see God?" The other night, Adrian Fry, a professional ballet dancer from Portland, stayed with us. He was in Salt Lake auditioning for a spot with Ballet West, Utah's big dance company. I had THE BEST time asking him questions about all the in's and out's of being a professional ballet dancer. Our conversation turned to how hard it was that there are people who go to the ballet, opera, or any art gallery who aren't educated and can't appreciate the history, giftedness, and hard work that goes into it. Unfortunately, we are only able to see what we are FIT to see. I can go outside at night and look up at the stars and say "Wow, that's a lot of stars... cool." But an astronomer can go out and see constellations, galaxies, and give me a tour of the universe. It's because he is educated and fit to see this.
Having a pure heart makes us fit to see God. Sure, anyone can see hints and signs of God here and there... but knowledge, humility, unadulterated motives, and a pure heart make us fit to see God in all His glory.

Meek

"Blessed are the meek, for the shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5

The greek word for meek is praus. It's a happy medium between extreme anger and angerlessness. It refers to someone with exceptional self control... meaning they have the ability to be angry at the right time, and never angry at the wrong time. It also means having patience with the unloveable, misinformed, and lost... but a higher expectation with the ones who ought to know better. It also refers to someone with humility... the ability to put aside ego and pride and being teachable. Numbers 12:3 describes Moses as being the meek above all men. Way to go Moses.
I got angry last night. One of my co-workers at Whole Foods asked me if I was headed to the protests after work. "Protests?" I asked "What protests??" The LDS conference was in town, a huge gathering of all the LDS around the world come together for a multi-day conference. Those who cannot attend tune in via TV or radio. It's kind of a big deal. She informed me that the "christians"all gather and protest outside the conference center to protest the fact the mormon's call themselves christians. "Why would I go to something like that?" I asked. She responded with "Don't all you christians go to that kind of stuff?" This made me mad. She was under the impression that all christians do things like this. We condemn, protest, and judge. I quickly pulled her aside and explained that I was in fact what most people refer to as a christian... but one who makes every effort to follow Christ and His teachings... and His teachings were not to condemn, protest, and judge... rather to love, sympathize, and forgive. I had to apologize to her on behalf of christians. How is it that so many christians have somehow overlooked Matthew 6:14 "... if you refuse to forgive others, your father will not forgive your sins." Yikes! Quite possibly the scariest verse in the Bible. This just in folks, it's not our job to judge!
No, I'm nowhere near perfect. I screw up everyday.
Yeah, I got angry. I hope I was being meek and doing it at the right time.
What a shame, though, that I was angry at christians.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3

Ever wonder why it is that many of the poorest people in the world have the strongest and most intense peace, joy, and faith in God? Folks that have no access to clean drinking water, no money, food, or wifi? Why is it that when a group of people go on a mission trip to serve the poor, it's the ones who serve that come back with a changed life.
Take a look at the process that the poorest people probably go through: First, they're poor.... which probably means they have no influence or power over people, help, or prestige... and because of this, they are probably oppressed by men... which leaves them no choice but to put their whole trust in God. It's at this final stage that a revelation must happen. It is then that you realize your own utter helplessness and you have no alternative. It is realized that nothing in this world is as important as trusting the Lord.
So, in a sense, you can read this beatitude as "blessed is the man who has removed himself from the things of the world, for he has discovered that their is no fulfillment or joy in the things of the world... and has become completely attached to God, because he knows that only God can bring him peace, joy, hope, strength, and power."