Enabling Words

It is not hard to conclude that when it came time for Matthew to write his gospel, he turned to Moses and the Torah for his literary model.  Most Biblical scholars are quick to point out the similarities.  The Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament; Matthew's gospel is easily divided into five major sections.  Moses is the Old Testament law giver and Jesus is the One who comes in the New Testament times. Both were partial to mountains.  Moses went to the mountain for Ten Commandments and Jesus preached the Sermon of the Mount.    

The Ten Commandments are at the beginning of the Torah and the Beatitudes begin Matthew's gospel.  Of course, the Ten Words and the Beatitudes are vastly different.  One is about doing and the other is about being enabled.  One might argue that being obedient to the Ten Commandments is within the range of human capabilities, but not so with the Beatitudes.  The fall far outside what we can do in our own strength.  Many a beginning believer reads the Beatitudes and decides to turn his or her life into one that models those words.  It basically ends in disaster.  It is attempting to do what cannot be done through human determination alone.    

Actually, the Beatitudes point us to what God through the power of the Holy Spirit can do in a a life that is lived totally in submission to Him.  As the Spirit begins the work of shaping our inner being into the heart of Christ, these desirable spiritual qualities begin to take root and find expression in a natural and spontaneous manner.  What we are unable to do, the Holy Spirit can do.  He can enable us to live with these spiritual characteristics and qualities present in our life.  They do not show up overnight, but speak more to what happens on the journey from the beginning to Home.