The Common Beatitudes: Part 1

Four of Matthew’s beatitudes are comparable to Luke’s four beatitudes: the first, second, fourth, and ninth. The differences between them reflect the distinct emphases of each author. I got a bit carried away as I wrote this, so have had to divide it into three parts otherwise it would be very long. In this first part, I will look at the first beatitude in both Matthew and Luke. 

Matthew 5:3 – Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 6:20 – Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

The main difference between the first of each series of beatitudes is that Matthew focuses on the spiritually poor ("the poor in spirit”), while Luke is more general ("the poor”). This difference has led to some debate. Central is whether Matthew has spiritualised the beatitudes and removed the economic sense that Luke preserves. If only it were that simple. The many studies of the meaning of ptōchos (poor) show that it is a complicated term which cannot really be pinned down to either economic poverty or spiritual poverty. Matthew may be emphasising the spiritual side of poverty, but it is almost impossible to eliminate the economic as some of the spiritually poor are also economically poor. After all, most of Jesus' disciples and the early church were from the lower classes of Greco-Roman and Jewish society.

But what exactly is spiritual poverty? John Stott explains it as “people who are so spiritually poverty-stricken that they have nothing in the way of merit to offer” (1985, 36). It is, therefore, the situation of knowing you have nothing to offer before God and draws on the Old Testament where the poor are those who have no one other than God to rely upon (Ps 34:5; Isa 41:17-18; 61:1; Zeph 3:12). Such a realisation can happen to anyone, regardless of their financial well-being. This appears to be the central focus of Matthew 5:3. Those who recognise that they cannot come before God on their own merit and depend upon him are blessed and given the kingdom of heaven – salvation by grace.

Luke 6:20 does not narrow the field as much as Matthew 5:3 and is speaking more broadly of both the economically and spiritually poor. This also draws on the Old Testament where the Lord outlines laws to care for the poor among his people so that no one would be disadvantaged (Deut 15). Luke’s first beatitude is both a consolation to those who lose everything because of their faith in Jesus and an instruction to care for those who are socially and economically disadvantaged. There are a lot of other places in Luke’s Gospel which show concern for people who are socially and economically on the margins, starting right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry explaining what he is doing as an anointing to care for the marginalised (Luke 4:18-19).

Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven” in his Gospel 31 times, but “kingdom of God” only five times. By contrast, Luke uses “kingdom of God” 31 times in the Gospel and 6 in Acts. Of all the New Testament authors, only Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven,” a likely reflection of his Jewish audience who tended to avoid referring directly to God. As Luke’s audience are most likely Gentile Christians, he did not have the same concerns regarding the kingdom of God. Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven” to frame the Sermon on the Mount by repeating it in 5:3 and 7:21. 

In both series of beatitudes what is meant by “kingdom of heaven/God” is fleshed out in the beatitudes that follow. It is the reign of God and will ensure that they are satisfied (Matt 5:6; Luke 6:21), laughing (Luke 6:21), the recipients of mercy (Matt 5:7), able to see God (Matt 5:8), be called children of God (Matt 5:9), etc. God’s reign, which gives grace to those who believe and follow Jesus despite everything the world throws at them (Matt 5:3, 11-12; Luke 6:20, 22-23), will provide for all that they lack.

The final difference between the two is that in Luke 6:20 it appears as though Jesus is directly addressing the poor when he says that “yours is the kingdom of God.” By contrast, Matthew 5:3 is more indirect: “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” What is the significance of this? In the Old Testament, beatitudes are more common with third person pronouns (he, she, it, they), but there are a handful in the second person (you; Deut 33:29; Isa 32:20). Ultimately this appears to be largely a stylistic choice. 

One idea I am pondering is that it could be that when the beatitudes parallel the series of woes (as in Luke), the second person is more suitable because the woes are also second person. Without the woes, the more traditional third person makes more sense. Whether this change was one that Jesus employed when he used the beatitudes in different sermons or whether it is a change that either Luke or Matthew made to suit the context of their Gospel is hard to say and may well be the subject of eternal debate.

These differences between Matthew and Luke’s first beatitude highlight that each evangelist was writing to a particular audience and shaped his material so that it would be understandable to that particular group (e.g. Matthew’s use of “kingdom of heaven”). However, it is also clear that most of the changes they have made don’t appear to have huge impacts on the meaning of the beatitude itself. Both address those who have thrown themselves upon God’s mercy because they have nothing else – whether it is because they are economically or spiritually poor makes little difference to the overall message. As we will see in the next part of this comparison, this can also be said of the other beatitudes the two Gospels have in common.

Reference list

Stott, John R. W. 1985. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Leicester; Downers Grove: IVP.