On the eighth day of Christmas … eight maids-a-milking. This day’s gift in the song can stand for the eight beatitudes that Jesus preached about during His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was going throughout Galilee teaching, preaching, and healing the sick. Crowds began to gather to see His good works and to hear the good news of His Kingdom.
“When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them. He said:
‘[1] Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
[2] Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
[3] Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
[4] Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
[5] Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
[6] Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
[7] Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
[8] Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 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.’” (Matthew 5:1-12 NIV)
Both in Jesus’ time and now, this kind of language is hard to digest for many people. Jesus seemed to be elevating people who we commonly see as losers. However, to be “poor in spirit” is not being a loser, it is to be humble. Humility in the Lord is the understanding that all blessings come from God and checking your self-pride. If you are humble before God, you are capable of admitting your sin and repenting, therefore being able to embrace the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus isn’t just talking about “those who mourn” the loss of life here on earth. Jesus is also talking about mourning our own sinful nature that constantly tries to drag us down into the pits of despair. This mourning enables us to ask for God’s forgiveness, in which He will renew us in Christ and bring us comfort by the grace of God.
A “meek” person is not someone who is weak or frail; it is someone who has self-control, someone who is gentle and kind. If we are meek in the Lord, we will have peace and tranquility in this world. Also, we should all “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” This means that we have an appetite for God’s virtue, justice, grace, mercy, and love. We can only find these things in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We have been conditioned in our society to think that strength is a measure of one’s physical prowess or that success is measured by how large a treasure you’ve stored up. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Take the story of Samson (Judges 13-16). He was so strong that he killed 1,000 Philistine men with the jawbone of a donkey. Yet when Delilah cut his hair, he lost all his strength – until he realized that his strength was not his own, but was instead God’s strength being used through him.
Jesus also tells us to beware of loving money more than God: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:19-21, 24 ESV)
God loved us first and showed us mercy by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for all our sins. We are called to do the same: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36 ESV). If we are “merciful” and show love and empathy to one another, our relationships with one another will be peaceful and fruitful. “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15 ESV)
To be “pure of heart” means to be free of our own selfish desires and motivations. Jesus demonstrated this by sacrificing His own life for the redemption and salvation of all. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3 ESV). To be a “peacemaker” means to not just have a peaceful life, but to share peace and friendship with others; to show others the love of our Father in Heaven.
Jesus Christ gives us the sure hope of salvation, even in the face of certain persecution and death in His name. In the United States, we don’t face much physical persecution for our faith in Jesus Christ; thanks be to God! However, there are many people persecuted around the world for Jesus’ name. One day, if you find yourself being persecuted for your faith in Him, have no fear! Rejoice and be glad! For your reward in heaven is near!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Philip Frank
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”The Twelve Days of Christmas” song image in the corner is by Xavier Romero-Frias and used under Creative Commons license BY-SA 3.0.
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