The Beatitudes: The Core of the Gospel

After years of studying the Bible, including the synoptic gospels, Thomas Gospel, Q Gospel, Marcion Gospel, etc, I came to conclusions as follows:

1. Prophet Jesus was sent to the People of Israel (the people of the book), hence the Gospel was given to the people of Israel, and was originally written in Hebrew language. Jerome called it as matthaei authenticum.

2. However, since the majority of the people of Israel rejected him (and the gospel), therefore the gospel was transferred to another nation(s) or the gentiles, and written in other language, that is Koine Greek (cf: Gospel of Thomas Logia#109, Gospel of Matthew 21:43; and also Quran Sura Fathir (35) verse 32 [note: please read Tafsir Tabari about this verse Quran 35:32])

3. The original gospel that was written in Hebrew didn't survive. The gospels available today are the one that were written in Greek, around a hundred years after Jesus gone. The closest gospel to the original one is either the Gospel of Matthew or the Gospel of Luke (or a better candidate: the Gospel of the Lord by Marcion of Sinope), or somewhere in between (Gospel of Q).

4. Since the Gospel was originally addressed to the Jews, many of the verses of the Gospel are intended for the Jews, and not for the gentiles who are not familiar with the Jewish Bible. For example, "You are the light of the world" which refers to Isaiah 42 and 49, which talk about the role of the Jews as the light for the gentiles; "You have heard that it was said 'You shall love your neighbor ...'" (the gentiles won't be familiar with this verse); "If you greet your brothers only, what credit is that to you? Even the Gentiles do the same"; "Therefore, do not be anxious saying 'what shall we eat, drink or wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things."

5. Because the Jews were the chosen people, it's not surprising that the commandments for the Jews are heavier than that of the Gentiles, including the heavy commandments in the Gospel. After all, the Jews should be stand out among other people, so they have heavier burden compared to others. Some of the very hard commandments in the Gospel that were intended for the Jews and very difficult for the gentiles (or ordinary people) to implement are: "Love your enemies", "Bless those who curse you", "Sell all of your possessions and give it to the poor", etc.

6. However, not all verses in the Gospel are for the Jews only. Some verses are intended for the Jews and the gentiles alike. Some verses that are intended for all human beings include the Beatitudes and the parables in the Synoptic Gospels.

7. One of the missions of Jesus is to fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-2, that is, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor ... to comfort all who mourn."

8. The fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-2 (or Luke 4:18-19) was either in the Sermon of the Mount and/or the Sermon on the Plain. However, for the Beatitudes or the Good News, I prefer the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew's version). Because, the mission of the Jesus is to bring "good news", and not "I have good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first".

9. The original beatitudes are supposed to be like as follows: 

Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven,

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,

Blessed are those who are humble, for they shall inherit the earth,

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied,

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy,

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

 

10. Each of the Beatitudes corresponds to the prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-2, as follows:

Isaiah 61:1-2 (LXX)	Beatitudes	Parables
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor …	Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Mat 5:3)	Lazarus (Luk 16:20-25)
to heal the brokenhearted …	Blessed are those who are humble, for they shall inherit the earth (Mat 5:5)	The Unworthy Servants (Luk 17:10); the Tax Collector (Luk 18:13-14)
to proclaim liberty to the captives …	Blessed are the merficul, for they shall receive mercy (Mat 5:7)	The Unforgiving Servant (Mat 18:23-35); The Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:4-7)
recovery of sight to the blind …	Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Mat 5:8)	The Sower (Luke 8:15)
to declare the acceptable year of the Lord,	Blessed are the peacemakers (Mat 5:9)	The Good Samaritan (Luk 10:29-37)
to declare … the day of vindication …	Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (justice), for the shall be satisfied (Mat 5:6)	The Persistent Widow (Luk 18:3-8)
to comfort all that mourn;	Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (mat 5:4)	The Great Banquet (Luk 14:21)

 

11. Not only that, each of the Beatitudes corresponds to a particular commandment in the Seven Laws of Noah

Beatitudes	Seven Laws
Blessed are the poor	No idolatry: You cannot serve God and money  (Luke 16:13). And the opposite of mammon is being poor.
Blessed are those who mourn	No Blasphemy: the Book of Job (or Iyov) Chapter 1 and 2. Even though Job (or Iyov) was very miserable, he still bless God.
Blessed are those who are humble	Do not murder. Take a lesson from Cain and Abel. Cain killed Abel because he was mad, and he was not humble at all. Murder is related to anger (Mat 5:22), and anger is the opposite of humble/meek.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (justice)	Set up the courts of justice
Blessed are the merciful	Do not steal (Luk 6:29-30)
Blessed are the pure in heart	Do not commit adultery (Mat 5:28)
Blessed are the peacemaker	Do not eat blood and/or the limb of living animal? (okay, i'm not sure about this one)

 

12. Each of the Beatitudes even corresponds to a particular verse in the opening chapter of the Holy Quran, that is surah Al Fatehah, as follows:

No	Al Fatihah	Beatitudes
1	In the Name of God,	Blessed are those who are humble. It’s like the parable of the Unworthy Servants in Gospel of Luke 17:7-10. Everything we do, we do it for God. Bismillah teaches us to begin everything with bismillah (in the Name of God). Bismillah reminds us to begin every activity in the name of God. Basically, we're nothing without God. Everything we do, we do it for God.
2	Praise be to God	Blessed are those who mourn. The story of Job (or Iyov) the prophet teach us to bless God in every condition. It’s the same as no blasphemy in the seven Laws of Noah.
3	The Most Gracious, Most Merciful	Blessed are the merciful
4	King of the Day of Judgement	Blessed are those who hunger and thirst of righteousness (justice). It's very similar to dinim or the commandment to establish courts of justice in the Noahides.
5	To you only we worship, and to you only we ask for help	Blessed are the poor. The poor depend solely on God. You cannot serve God and mammon. (no idolatry). Do not worship two gods (Quran Sura 16:51). You cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon means money, wealth, or riches; and the opposite of mammon or being rich is being poor
6	Show us the straight path	Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God: Can the blind lead the blind? In the Quran, guidance (or huda) is related to the heart and eyes. (ref: Quran Sura 30:53, 43:40, 10:43, 22:46, 17:72)
7	The path of those whom You favor ….	Blessed are the peacemakers. Some interpreters interpret this verse for the Jews and Christians. And one of the memorable verses in the Quran about those two people is “walan tardha ankal yahuudu walan nashara…”. The peacemakers should bring peace, not war. Even if the Jews and the Christians hate us (I doubt that still applied today, however), we -the muslims- should not hate them.

 

So, let us respect the Gospel, especially the Beatitudes. If you, as moslem or non moslem alike, who believe that Jesus will return to this world some day, isn't it good to learn some sayings of Prophet Jesus in the Gospel, in case we meet him in our time? Isn't it good for us to prepare to welcome him, and learn in advance about what will he teach us, the human beings? I think what he preach to us, human beings, won't be far from the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 and some of the parables in the synoptic gospels (especially Luke and Matthew). So you should read the Beatitudes at least once in your life time, or better yet, you should memorize the Beatitudes above (point number#9). God bless you all.