Blessed are those who mourn

Blessed are those who mourn.  Oh yeah.  That’s a message we all want to hear.  Especially when it’s translated as “happy are those who are unhappy”.  But remember, this is Jesus.  Everything’s either upside down or backwards.  After all, Jesus is the one who said, Mt 20:16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”  So what else should we expect?

Blessed are the poor in spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit.  Seriously?  The poor in spirit are blessed?  That sounds so backwards!  It’s even more strange when it’s translated as happy are the poor in spirit!  It seems like it should be blessed are the rich in spirit.  And yet, that’s not what Jesus said.  So what did Jesus mean when He said what we now call the first of the Beatitudes?