Our Lord’s Beatitudes
What does our Lord’s
Beatitudes mean for
Christian care-givers?
Matthew 5: 3-11
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted
Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
for they shall be filled
Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God
Blessed are the peacemakers
for they shall be called sons of God
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
What are the Beatitudes?
Jesus Answer to the Question:
How does one transform a
society?
Applied to our situation:
How to transform healthcare the Jesus way
Some presuppositions of Jesus
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Society is a matrix of relationship networks
Transform society by transforming a
significant number of persons in each
relationship network
These transformed people will influence every
network they are part of
Jesus wants us to transform healthcare in this
way too
Character-based transformation is the Jesus
way to influence our societies
“Blessed” = makarioi
1.
2.
Root words = me (not) + ker (death /
fate)  not enslaved by death or fate
Two-fold meaning:
1. The profound eschatological religious joy of
the citizens of the kingdom of God that
transcends even adverse circumstances
2. A person whom God pronounces to be:



Singularly favoured
Graciously approved
Liberated heir of God’s abundant life
Christian care-givers:
8 characteristics of those being transformed
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Poor in spirit
Mourn
Meek
Hunger and thirst for righteousness
Merciful
Pure in heart
Peacemaker
Persecuted for righteousness’ sake
Christian care-giver = Poor in spirit
= Having the courage to acknowledge
spiritual bankruptcy: P = A + B
A. I am unable to save myself
• Unable to buy my salvation
• Unable to merit my salvation
B. Jesus Christ is the Only One who can
save me. Therefore:
• I repent and accept His rule over my life
• I participate in the life of the kingdom
Repentance
 Self-deliverance
– Self-help psychology / psychiatry
– Christ-less personal growth and
development models and practices
– Cross-less spirituality
 Rebellion
– Not accepting God’s ethical rules
 Relativism
– Rejecting God’s truth
 Evolutionary
thinking
 Philosophies of man
Christian care-givers mourn
Grieving because of
the power and presence of sin
and its consequences in a broken world
1. Own sin
2. Personal sin of others
3. Institutionalized sin in health field
Christian care-givers are meek
1.
2.
M=T+B
Meekness = Tenderness + Benevolence
Meekness = Using the minimum power
needed to bring justice in relationships
1.  The Christian care-giver makes
appropriate use of power in relationships
1.
2.
Adapt % of power to the person(s) you deal with
Up to 100% power, but only when needed
2.  Healthcare is ethically determined
Repentance
 Lack
of tenderness
– Insensitivity
– Hard-heartedness
– Roughness
 Lack
of benevolence
– Selfishness
– Injustice
– Money matters more than ethics
Christian care-givers Hunger and
Thirst for righteousness

H + T = Intense desire
Tri-dimensional Righteousness:
1. Righteousness imputed by Christ
2. Lifestyle righteousness – proper attitudes
and behaviour  Christ-likeness (WWJD)
3. Justice in healthcare in the broadest sense

1+2+3 = INTEGRITY
Repentance
 Sinful
lusts and desires
– Gluttony
– Avarice
– Immorality
 Injustice
– Cost of healthcare equipment, medication
– Structural
– Institutional
Christian care-givers are Merciful
M=F+C
F
= expensive Forgiveness for the guilty
– Guilt: Legal, Personal, Social, Theological
C
= Compassion  controlled
identification with the suffering of others
leading to enabling action within the
framework set by God
Repentance
 Bitterness
 Unresolved
conflicts
 Lack of compassion
 Empty promises
Christian care-givers are Pure in heart
P=C+H
C = Cleansed from sin and evil  sin
truly repented of, cleansed by Jesus
blood
H = Holiness with three aspects:
1.
2.
3.
Set apart for God +
Used for God’s purposes +
Transformation towards Christlikeness
Repentance
Lack of purity / holiness:
–
Spiritual: Occult diagnosis / therapy? Occult
bondage?
–
Doctrinal: False doctrine of salvation? Unbiblical
–
Ethical: Pro-Lifer? Hippocratic ethics, pluralistic
view of man?
relativist?
–
Sexual: Do those of the opposite sex in your
–
Professional: Integrating faith and science under
workplace see you as a pure person? Covenant with
your eyes, like Job? Immorality? Pornography?
the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Evidence-based
medicine? Outdated anatomy? Casuistic ‘proof’ of
effectiveness? Reductionistic regular medicine? Semiscientific New Age medicine?
Christian care-givers are peacemakers


Make Peace = Bringing God’s shalom
into situations where it is absent
Peacemakers - what do they do?
1.
2.
3.
4.
 Conflicts will come…
Handle conflicts
Solve problems
 Problems will come…
Deal with hindrances Hindrances will come…
Strive for reconciliation  Enmity will come…
Praise God anyhow!
Repentance
 Not
making peace / not bringing
shalom into the workplace
 Gossip, slander, malicious talk
 Cowardice
– Not handling conflicts
 Laziness
– Not solving problems, procrastination
Christian care-givers are persecuted
for the sake of justice
1.
2.
3.
4.
A crooked and perverse generation
hates justice and will seek to destroy it
That is why Christ Jesus and His
followers have been persecuted
throughout the history of Christianity
We will be no exception. It is part of the
package deal of being disciple of Christ
Chocolate soldiers melt when the heat is
turned on
Repentance
 Fearfulness
– Of the consequences if we take a stand
 Lack
of ethical backbone
– Not speaking up for the weak
Our harvest of blessings
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The kingdom of heaven (2x)
Comforted
Inherit the earth
Filled with righteousness
Obtain mercy
See God
Called sons of God
Our deepest needs are met:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
God’s kingdom  True Security
Comfort  True Hope for life
Inherit the earth  True Riches
Filled with R  True Well-being
Mercy  Real Space to live in
See God  Truly Inspiring Relationship
God’s sons  Truly belonging
Character test:
How are you doing, my dear colleague?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Poor in spirit?
Mourn?
Meek?
Hunger and thirst for righteousness?
Merciful?
Pure in heart?
Peacemaker?
Persecuted for righteousness’ sake?
Go in Shalom
my singularly favoured
and graciously approved
colleagues!