In His longest
recorded sermon, Jesus began by describing the traits He was looking for in His
followers. He called those who lived out
those traits blessed because God had something special in store for them. Each beatitude is an almost direct
contradiction of society's typical way of life.
In the last beatitude, Jesus even points out that a serious effort to
develop these traits is bound to create opposition. The best example of each trait is found in
Jesus Himself. If our goal is to become
like Him, the Beatitudes will challenge the way we live each day.
