The Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5-7, is perhaps the Lord Jesus’ most famous sermon. In it He talks about the Kingdom of God and the principles related to God’s rule and reign in men’s hearts. Jesus begins with the Beatitudes, which are characteristics of those who enter into this Kingdom. Each of these beatitudes begins with the word “blessed.” In hebrew, this word is ashrei. A good example of the use of this word is Psalm 1:1-2, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD.” Interestingly, the root of the word ashrei is ashar which means: to go straight on, make progress, to advance. How fitting that the Lord Jesus tells us that if we are to make progress and advance into God’s Kingdom, we must first pay attention to these beatitudes! To be continued…
Emilio Saenz Books 