August 1 | Matthew 5:2-11

Terry Gustafson
Aug 1, 2025
2 min read

DAILY READING

The Opposite

By Terry Gustafson

REFLECTION

I would often ask my students what they wanted out of their college education. Certainly some means of gainful employment was high on their list, but a very common life goal was “to be happy”. I don’t ever recall a time that a student responded that they sought to be blessed. Yet, we often have a tendency to conflate happiness with being blessed. The Sermon on the Mount begins with eight blessings, commonly known as the Beatitudes, from the Latin beatus, “blessed”. Each quality of those who are considered blessed seems antithetical to those in our society who are considered successful and, supposedly, happy. Yet, the rewards associated with those qualities in the Beatitudes are priceless, including the kingdom of heaven and adoption as children of God.

Consider the following comparison of the Beatitudes to my own effort to consider what constitutes the “opposite” of each quality. (You may have your own idea of what is “opposite” so please allow me some latitude in my choices!)

The Beatitudes	The “Opposite”
Poor in spirit	Arrogant
Mourning	Pursuing pleasure
Meek	Self-aggrandizing
Hungering and thirsting for righteousness	Hungering and thirsting for power and prestige
Merciful	Unforgiving
Pure in heart	Blatantly pursuing sinful endeavors
Persecuted	Vindictive, seeking retribution
Reviled	Constantly seeking to be honored

As you look at the two lists, which qualities best represent the characteristics of those who are considered successful in our society? Have you ever had a boss, co-worker, friend, or acquaintance who represented one list or the other? Which characteristics do you think your friends and colleagues see in you?

John R. W. Stott begins his book on the Sermon on the Mount, Christian Counter-Culture, with the following sentence:

The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed.

That sentence has challenged me frequently since I first read it. How do we begin to reflect the counter-culture that Jesus proclaims to a society that values the “opposite” in so many ways?

PRAYER

Repeat the following breath prayer throughout the day:

(Breathe in) Lord Jesus, teacher

(Breathe out) Today may I seek to be blessed according to Your standard

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TERRY GUSTAFSON

My wife, Mary, and I have been attending UALC for about 12 years. We have two grown daughters and one grandchild. I am a retired professor of chemistry at Ohio State, where I served many years as the faculty advisor to the IVCF graduate student chapter and as a member of the Faculty Christian Fellowship. I currently have the privilege of serving on the UALC Council.