Appropriately Broken

As Jesus begins to release His sermon on the mount, He offers wisdom to His hearers in a form that is commonly referred to as the beatitudes. These are the core values of His heart and, therefore, Jesus’ Kingdom. While our tendency is to look at these beatitudes as rules to follow, that was not the intention of Jesus. He is simply stating these Kingdom principles as the things He values and what He desires to produce within each of His followers. With each beatitude, there is an attached reward. These first four of the eight core values that Jesus teaches address the inner condition of our hearts. Clearly, as we hear Him impart to us what He himself values, we are quick to discern that Jesus is completely different than the world around us and its values. He invites us to join Him in this life of distinction by saying yes to an appropriate emptiness.