Dr Paul Allen

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 5:6 –7 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness , for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (vv. 6–7). The first three beatitudes in many ways express those qualities that are the prerequisites for salvation. To be poor in spirit , to mourn, and to be meek ( Matt. 5:1–5) are all related to the idea of recognizing ourselves for who we really are in the sight of God apart from Christ — desperate sinners who cannot save ourselves. As Jesus continues outlining the marks of His disciple in today’s passage, we will see Him focus on qualities that are produced in those who recognize their spiritual poverty and have turned to Him. Our Creator ’s blessing (approval) is on “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (v. 6). Typically, we hunger and thirst for food...

English: This is a map of first century Iudaea Province that I created using Illustrator CS2. I traced this image for the general geographic features. I then manually input data from maps found in a couple of sources. Robert W. Funk and the Jesus Seminar. The Acts of Jesus. HarperSanFrancisco: 1998. p. xxiv. Michael Grant. Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels. Charles Scribner's Sons: 1977. p. 65-67. John P. Meier. A Marginal Jew. Doubleday: 1991. p. 1:434. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 5:4 –5 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth ” (vv. 4–5). Some translators render the Greek term for blessing (makarios) as “happy,” but this is not entirely accurate. Of course, happiness is often linked to blessing, but God ’s favor brings far more than mere happiness. To be blessed by our Creator is to find His approval. God claims us as His child when He blesses us. Jesus has said ou...

Dispute of Jesus and the Pharisees over tribute money (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble [ meek and lowly ] in heart”  (Matt. 11:29a). For most people, meekness means weakness. When we read of Moses , however, we don’t meet a person who was meek—at least not in the modern sense of meekness. There was nothing weak about Moses. He exhibited extraordinary leadership and strength in the face of great difficulties and tests. There was one man, though, who was even meeker than Moses— Jesus Himself. Remember that He said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble [meek and lowly] in heart” (Matt. 11:29a). Yet there was certainly nothing weak about Jesus’ dealings with the Pharisees . On another occasion Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” ( Matt. 5:5 ). Here we see an association of meekness with leadership. What is this meekness that it is so powerful? One ...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Matthew 5:4-5 "Blessed are those who mourn , for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" ( vv. 4-5 ). Some translators render the Greek term for blessing (makarios) as "happy," but this is not entirely accurate. Of course, happiness is often linked to blessing, but God 's favor brings far more than mere happiness. To be blessed by our Creator is to find His approval. God claims us as His child when He blesses us. Jesus has said our Father approves of the poor in spirit - those who know their need for divine forgiveness ( Matt. 5:3 ). This makes sense, for we are God's people only if we come to the end of ourselves and turn to Him alone for salvation ( Isa. 66:1-2 ; Luke 18:9-14 ; 1 John 1:8-9 ). In today's passage, our Savior declares "blessed" those who mourn and those who are meek ( Matt. 5:4-5 ). Many think verse 4 refers to any mourner, but the conte...