In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spent time teaching what following Him looked like. His teaching was very countercultural because it flew in the face of the Jewish tradition. This passage, a part of a larger section called the Beatitudes, highlights the good life that pursues righteousness. This view of true goodness is completely countercultural.

Each of these beatitudes represents an internal characteristic. Bible teacher Jen Wilkin called these specific beatitudes the “character of a disciple.” So, what do these internal characteristics look like? Those who are poor in spirit recognize how unworthy they are of God’s grace but also how dependent they are on Him. Those who mourn are those who experience grief over sin. The meek are those who treat others with humility and exhibit self-control. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are those who long for righteousness that can only come from God.

• How do these characteristics – humility, mourning, meekness – look different from the traits that the world values?
• Which beatitudes describe you? Which ones don’t describe you? Why?
• How can you better live out the beatitudes that don’t describe you?