Sunday Morning, August 30, 2009: The Pursuit of Happiness

The Pursuit of Happiness

Matthew 5: 1 – 12

I. Introduction.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one
people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That
to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —

These are the first three sentences of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. Beautiful and meaningful words to all U.S. citizens. All human beings were created equal. All human beings were created with the same unalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

A few years ago (2006), there was a movie with the title “The Pursuit of Happyness.” (It is showing this weekend on cable TV—TNT.) It was the story of a man name Chris Gardner, and how Mr. Gardner pulled himself out of poverty and homelessness to become a self-made, millionaire stock broker. In many ways, Mr. Gardner’s story is the story of the American dream. However, I found the story to be hollow and sad. I walked away from the movie with the impression that money and happiness are synonymous. If you can just make more money, you can achieve happiness. It makes me wonder if this is the kind of “American Dream” our nation’s founders had in mind when they wrote the words, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Many scholars attribute Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of Independence to the philosophical writings of John Locke. Locke’s original words claimed “no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions.” Some even claim that Jefferson’s original draft of the Declaration claimed the unalienable rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of property.”

While many Americans might easily substitute the words “happiness” and “property,” I find a significant difference between the two. For example, psychologists from the University of Rochester (New York) recently conducted a survey of their recent graduates. The survey attempted to measure the subjective term “happiness” based on the objective measurement of personal goals. They discovered that a person who has achieved most of their external goals (wealth and fame) we less happy than people who had achieved their internal goals (health and relationships). Perhaps there is a difference between happiness and property.

With all due respect to Thomas Jefferson, I believe that happiness is not a goal to be pursued. Happiness is a byproduct or a result of a certain kind of life. Happiness is an elusive goal: the more you pursue happiness, the less likely you are to obtain it. However, it is possible to obtain happiness. We find happiness when we pursue other things. It is a byproduct. Believe it or not, Jesus taught us about happiness and how it can be found in human life.

Read Matthew 5: 1 – 12.

These words mark the beginning (or introduction) of one of Jesus’ most famous sermons—The Sermon on the Mount. Beginning today, we are going to take a careful look at The Sermon on the Mount and what it has to say to us in the Twenty-First Century.

There are various interpretations of The Sermon on the Mount. Some say that it does not apply to us today, because it only applied to the original twelve disciples. Others say that Jesus taught two levels of commitment: pastors are to follow The Sermon on the Mount, but lay people are exempt. There is even a group of teachers who say The Sermon on the Mount teaches us how to live in the future millennial reign of Jesus but nothing for our world today. I do not believe like this. I believe this is Jesus’ standard for all Christians to live out as long as we are followers of Christ.

II. Matthew 5: 1 – 2…Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

Notice that Matthew 5: 1 tells us Jesus went up on the mountain and began to teach. This is one of nine parallels Matthew draws between Jesus and Moses in Matthew 1 – 4. For Matthew, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Messianic hope that God would raise up another prophet “like Moses” (Deuteronomy 18: 15). Therefore, Jesus goes up on the mountain just like Moses. Moses went up on the mountain to receive God’s Law for God’s people. Jesus went up on the mountain to issue a new and proper understanding of God’s Law for God’s people. In this sense, The Sermon on the Mount is not a new Law. It is a radical, new understanding of the Law.

Perhaps you are confused, since I started out talking about happiness. Yet, so far Jesus has said nothing about happiness. He was talking about being “blessed.”

There are some translations of the Bible that actually use the word “happy” to translate the verses we just read. This is because the Greek word in Matthew 5 (makarios) is not the usual Greek word for blessed (eulogia).

This does not mean what we normally assume “Blessed by God” to mean. We usually think “blessed by God” means something similar to Benjamin Franklin’s idea of “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Instead, Jesus was using a common secular term that described a person’s state of being. Again, some Bibles have translated this as “Happy” instead of “Blessed.” The word makarios was used in secular Greek to refer to the kind of life enjoyed by the gods. They lived a care-free life above the day to day concerns of regular people. They did not worry about money, work, sickness or death. It was also used to describe the extremely wealthy, who also lived above the normal cares of life found among the less fortunate. Philosophers used this word to describe those who had achieved “inner joy.”

I believe Jesus was using this term like the philosophers. He illustrates a new kind of life filled with joy and happiness that is only possible in the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom of God, it is possible for a person to experience inner peace, joy and happiness regardless of the external circumstances.

The power of Jesus’ words lies in the external circumstances he describes. In other words, the truly blessed people are not the ones who have an easy life. The truly blessed people are the ones who receive their peace and joy and happiness from a completely different source. It is a reversal of traditional human values. The ones Jesus calls “Blessed” are the same ones the world calls “cursed.”

Modern-day Beatitudes:

Jesus said... ... ... The World Says

Poor in Spirit... ... ... Arrogant

Those who mourn... ... ... Those who hide emotions

Meek... ... ... Powerful

Hunger & thirst for Righteousness... ... ... Self-sufficient

Merciful... ... ... Those who do what it takes to succeed

Pure in Heart... ... ... Those who get away with sin

Peacemakers... ... ... Manipulators

Persecuted... ... ... Persecutors.



III. Matthew 5: 3… Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes is different from Luke’s. Luke simply says, “Blessed are the poor.” Matthew says, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit.” Poor in spirit is a characteristic of those who were poor. Throughout the New Testament, there is an association between poverty and piety. There is nothing inherently spiritual about being poor. However, those who are poor are more likely to recognize their need for God. They have no other recourse than to depend on God. Those who are rich tend to solve, or at least attempt to solve, their own problems with their own resources. Jesus said that those who illustrate this kind of dependent spirit are blessed. True inner peace and joy and happiness comes from allowing God to supply our needs.

IV. Matthew 5: 4… Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

This is ironic to say that those who mourn are experiencing true inner joy. But again, these are the ones who have been taken advantage of by the world and mourn as they wait on God’s provision. Mourning is a sign of brokenness—broken heart, broken relationship or broken dreams. It’s interesting that Jesus does not tell us how we will be comforted. But I think there is an assumption that God will be the source of our comfort. The ones who are truly blessed are the ones who find their comfort in God alone.

V. Matthew 5: 5… Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

There are several ways we can interpret the word “meek.” For example, it may refer to gentleness in our relationships with others. Some interpreters have compared it to a horse that has been broken by its owner, so that its power is harnessed and limited to certain activities. The best way to understand this is to say that to be meek is to be powerless. We can think about earthly power as political power, military power or even physical strength. And Jesus tells us that we are not supposed to use earthly power to accomplish God’s objectives. We are to rely on God’s power. Those who choose not to and exert earthly power or force or influence over others must depend on God to come to their aid. This is the essence of the Kingdom of God: His power over our power.

VI. Matthew 5: 6… Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Do you ever watch the TV show “Man vs. Wild?” It is a survival show centered around a man named Bear Grylls. He is dropped by helicopter into some of the most inhospitable, remote areas of the earth and forced to survive for seven days. Whether he is left in the hot, dry desert or in the frozen Arctic, the first thing Bear Grylls does on each show is search for water. That is because the human body cannot satisfy its natural desire and need for water from within itself. Thirst is satisfied only by some external source. Jesus is saying the same thing about righteousness.

The Greek word “Righteousness” can also be translated either “justice” or “righteousness.” In either case, the Beatitude says the same thing. Those who have true inner joy are those who long for either a justice or a righteousness which comes from outside themselves, not from within. This is what it means to be hungry or thirsty. It means that we are lacking something. It means we have a need which cannot be met from within. Just as we must look outside ourselves to satisfy our desire for food and water, so we must look outside ourselves to satisfy our desire for righteousness.

VII. Matthew 5: 7… Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy

This represents a different emphasis. Jesus is now describing the way we treat other people. Those with true inner joy are the ones who show active love toward their neighbors. The biblical idea of mercy is just like the concept of love. Biblical love never refers to romantic feelings, affection or concern. Rather, biblical love is always active, showing mercy to others.

VIII. Matthew 5: 8… Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

This relates the importance of a changed inner person. It is never enough just to be poor, downtrodden or oppressed. Those who have true inner joy have a consistency between doing and being. Also, it picks up on an Old Testament emphasis that sinners cannot stand in the presence of a holy God. Before any of us will ever “see God,” we must be changed on the inside.

IX. Matthew 5: 9… Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

This is one of the biggest differences between Christianity and other world religions (Islam in particular). Jesus has never asked his followers to establish his Kingdom on earth through military or political means. Rather those with true inner joy wait on the Lord.

X. Matthew 5: 10… Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

This only applies to those whose suffering is the result of their relationship with God. It is not joyful to be persecuted. However, it is joyful to be persecuted on Jesus’ behalf, for righteousness sake.

XI. Conclusion—Matthew 5: 11 – 12… Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

There are two things I want you to note about these two verses. First, these verses are similar to the previous verses, because they begin with the word “blessed.” Second, these verses are different from the previous verses, because Jesus shifts from the third person to the second person (those who are persecuted becomes “you”). For this reason, I do not believe this is a ninth Beatitude. This is application. Jesus tells us that he was not really talking about other people. He was talking about us!

The Beatitudes serve as a warning and a promise for us, if you become a follower of Jesus you can expect to experience hardships AND blessings. These promised blessings are not a result of hardship. They are the Grace of God. The rest of the sermon is about ethics. But there can never be ethics without Grace. Ethical behavior begins with a relationship with Jesus.