Hearing has always been a problem for most people, we listen but we do not hear. Or, we hear what we want to hear and disregard the rest. One of the most important requests made to Joseph Smith by the Father during the first vision was, “This is my Beloved Son, Hear Him.” Nearly every word the Savior has spoken has great significance. Did the Pharisees and the Sadducees listen to the twelve year old Jesus when He taught them in the Temple? Did those on the mount by the sea of Galilee listen to the Savior as He taught them the Beatitudes?
And seeing the multitudes, He ( Jesus) went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(In the Bible, blessed usually means “happy.” But in the context of Matthew 5, blessed most likely indicates “an enviable state.” When a person has acquired good fortune, we call him “blessed.” …Jesus is contrasting the world’s idea of happiness with true blessedness—spiritual prosperity—which comes from a right relationship with God.) These are happy, because their humility renders them teachable, submissive, resigned, patient, contented, and cheerful in all estates; and it enables them to receive prosperity or adversity, health or sickness, ease or pain, life or death, with an equal mind. …They are happy, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven—The present, inward kingdom, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, as well as the eternal kingdom, if they endure to the end. (Matthew Henry’s Commentary)
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
The term mourn means “to experience deep grief.” In keeping with His theme of spiritual blessedness, Jesus seems to indicate that this mourning is due to grief over sin. The people who agree with God about the evil of their own hearts can attain an “enviable state of blessedness,” due to the comfort they receive from communion with the Holy Spirit. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Comforter (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 2 Corinthians 1:4). The Spirit comforts those who are honest about their own sin and humble enough to ask for forgiveness. (D.A. Carson)
Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
The third beatitude puzzles many people, in part because they don’t understand what it means to be meek. Many assume the term means weak, tame, or deficient in courage. But the biblical understanding of meekness is power under control. In the Old Testament, Moses was described as the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3, KJV). Jesus described himself as “meek and lowly” (Matt. 11:28-29, KJV), Power under God’s control means two things: (1) refusal to inflate our own self-estimation; and (2) reticence to assert ourselves for ourselves. Paul captures the first aspect perfectly in Romans 12:3. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Meek people see themselves as servants of God, not thinking more highly of themselves than they ought to think. (Benson Commentary)
Matthew 5:5. Blessed [or happy] are the meek — Persons of a mild, gentle, long-suffering, and forgiving disposition, who are slow to anger, and averse from wrath; not easily provoked, and if at any time at all provoked, soon pacified; Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
Mercy consists of treating people better than they deserve from us. Forgiveness is a type of mercy. So is aiding someone whom we have no obligation to help, or forbearing to exploit someone’s vulnerability. Mercy, in all this sense, is the driving force of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Through him, our sins are forgiven and we ourselves receive aid by the gift of God’s spirit (1 Corinthians 12). The Spirit’s reason for showing us this mercy is simply that God loves us (John 3:16). (D.A. Carson)
Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
“Clean hands and pure hearts” denote integrity, singleness of devotion, undivided loyalty. Integrity goes well beyond avoiding deceit and bad behavior. The root of integrity is wholeness, meaning that our actions are not choices we put on or take off as may seem convenient, but stem from the whole of our being. Notice that Jesus pronounces the blessing of being pure in heart not right after the blessing of hungering for righteousness, but after the blessing of showing mercy. Purity of heart arises not from perfection of our will, but from reception of God’s grace.
We can determine how much of this blessing we have received by asking ourselves: How much commitment do I have to integrity, when I might be able to get away with skillful deception? Do I refuse to let my opinion of someone be shaped by gossip and innuendo, no matter how juicy? To what extent are my actions and words accurate reflections of what is in my heart? Benson Commentary
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
The seventh beatitude takes every Christian into the task of conflict resolution. Conflicts arise whenever people have differences of opinion. In a fallen world, the tendency is to ignore conflict or suppress it by using force, threat, or intimidation. But both of those are violations of the integrity (the sixth beatitude) of the people in conflict. In God’s kingdom, it is a blessing to bring people together who are in conflict. Only then is it possible to resolve the conflict and restore the relationships. The result of conflict resolution is peace, and peacemakers will be called “children of God.” They will reflect the divine character in their actions. God is the God of peace (1 Thessalonians 5:16) and we show ourselves to be his children when we seek to make peace in the community, in our homes, and in the whole world. (D.A. Carson)
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who have evil spoken against them falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12). Righteous people may be subjected to active, even severe persecution by people who benefit—or believe they benefit—from injustice. For example, if you speak up for—or merely befriend—people who are victims of gossip or discrimination expect persecution. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Benson Commentary)
The Beatitudes represent the gospel of love or the way the Lord would have us live irrespective of any and all other codes or creeds.
Note: The descriptions or meanings of these Beatitudes have come from several different bible scholars recognized on the Internet. I have put them together the way they were most meaningful to me.