Essay On The Beatitudes

The lesson of the Beatitudes is written in two of the Synoptic Gospels, both Matthew 5:1-12 and Luke 6:20-26, in the New Testament. This teaching discusses people who are blessed and what they will receive, and this story is noted as an important teaching from the Gospels in the New Testament. The Beatitudes in both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke have overarching similarities, but there are also differences that make each story unique and help to convey a specific intention the author wants his audience to pick up on. In Luke and Matthew, Jesus speaks to his disciples this message. Both of the gospels have a similar format starting off, where he says "Blessed are," provides a characteristic, and then states "for…," explaining how those people …show more content…
There are verses that are different in Matthew and Luke, but the different word choices helps the authors convey different messages to their audiences. Starting with Matthew, Jesus preaches more lessons compared to Luke. He says, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth," (Mat. 5:5), "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy," (Mat. 5:7), "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God," (Mar. 5:9), and "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," (Mat. 5:10). All of these differences make a point to show a further expansion on how people should act. In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Matthew makes it an effort in chapter five to focus on expanding the Law to encompass more than what is strictly said. Through this, he establishes a way of life and talks about how people should act, using the law to help guide individuals morally. The Beatitudes in Matthew start this explanation by showing that Jesus is teaching his disciples to be pure in heart, peacemakers, and not afraid to believe what they