The Adventist Review staff is happy to provide back issues of the magazine (in web and PDF) as a service to our readers. The content of the Review is copyrighted material and is intended for non-commercial use only. Anyone may photocopy articles for use in their local church, classroom, or home Bible-study group. Articles are not to be posted on other websites without the written permission from the editorial staff. Permission for all other uses must be authorized. Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904, Matthew 5:3 depicted in the window of a Trittenheim church Matthew 5:3 is the third verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It is the opening verse of the Sermon on the Mount, and the section of the sermon known as the Beatitudes. This verse opens the first of nine statements of who is blessed. Each, except for the last, follows the same pattern of naming a group of people and the reward they will receive.

Betz notes that in Jesus' time blessed was a common way of describing someone who is wealthy. In Solon's discussion of Croesus in Herodotus, for instance, the link between being blessed and being wealthy is assumed.[2] Similarly, Albright and Mann prefer the word "fortunate" to "blessed" for makarios. They argue that the term has none of the religious implications that the word blessed today has in the English language.[3] Kodjak believes that this opening of the sermon was meant to shock the audience, it was a deliberate inversion of standard values. Today he feels that the text is so common that its shock value has been lost.[4] While not a mainstream view, Betz feels this Beatitude has important pre-Christian precedents. He traces it back to Socrates' notion of enkrateia, which explained that the philosopher was one who had no interest in wealth. This idea was adopted by the Cynics, who rejected wealth and saw poverty as the only route to freedom. This group, while small, had a wide influence and some of their ideas were embraced by some Jewish communities at the time of Christ.

Luke 6:20 simply has "blessed are the poor"; that Matthew adds "in spirit" is seen to be of great import. Rv Rental Niles MiThe phrase does not appear in the Old Testament, but Psalm 34:18 comes close.Light Bulb For Viking Refrigerator[6] The phrase "poor in spirit" occurs in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and seems to have been an important notion to the Qumran community. Best Laptops For TorrentingScholars agree that "poor in spirit" does not mean lacking in spirit, be it courage, the Holy Spirit, or religious awareness. Rather it is that poverty is not only a physical condition, but also a spiritual one. Schweizer feels the extra note asserts that simply being poor is not a ticket into heaven, but rather only those who understand the nature of real poverty are blessed.

To this group blessing is promised without qualification. Schweizer also feels that the addendum makes clear that the poor are not to be envied. He also notes that nowhere in this section is there any mention of a need or obligation to help the poor. The poor translates more closely to beggar than to one merely of few possessions. In the New Testament the term applies to those who require the charity of others in order to survive.[9] Nolland notes that there have historically been three main interpretations of what is meant by "the poor" in this verse. One view is that it refers to the disadvantaged, those forced to the fringe of society. An alternative is that it refers to those who willingly surrender their belongings as a sign of piety. The third view is that poverty refers to hardship in general, and not simply economic disadvantage.[10] Matthew makes a second reference to the poor at Matthew 11:5. In that verse it is a reference to Isaiah. The important phrase Kingdom of Heaven, generally understood as referring to the Messianic age after the Second Coming.

For a full discussion of Matthew's use of this phrase see Matthew 3:2. ^ The World English Bible has the same, literal, translation as KJV. For a collection of other versions see BibleGateway Matthew 5:3 (Click arrow next to American Standard Version) ^ Essays on the Sermon on the Mount. ^ Albright, W.F. and C.S. Mann. The Anchor Bible Series. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971. ^ A Structural Analysis of the Sermon on the Mount. ^ The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary on the Greek text.The Good News According to Matthew. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975 ^ The Gospel of Matthew. ^ The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary on the Greek text.Sunday School Teacher's Guide - this is just one possible lesson plan.  Visit the Heaven Bible Lesson Plan for further ideas This lesson is about heaven.  Children are very curious about heaven and sometimes are afraid of the thought of it at first (especially since death has to come first).  This lesson will try to help children understand

why heaven is such an amazing place and biblically answer some questions like who is there and what it's like.  Hopefully by knowing a bit more about Heaven will make it more exciting and less frightening. It might be a good idea to follow this lesson with the Free Gift teacher's guide which explains how to become a Christian. I've split this message into two separate ones depending on the age level. For the younger children, the message is simple: Heaven is a wonderfulFor the older children, we expand on this message and say God is preparing a special place for those who believeAlong with this message it will be necessary to reinforce how to become a Christian by following up with the Free Gift teacher's guide or having some discussion about the importance of becoming a Christian. Make sure you repeat the message many times during the lesson.  Heaven Take Home Sheet  home with the children to encourage parents to reiterate the message during the week.