For theirs is the kingdom of heaven

Blessed are the poor in spirit. And those who mourn. And the meek. And those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. And the merciful. And the pure in heart. And the peacemakers. And those who are persecuted because of righteousness.

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

They will be comforted. And inherit the earth. And be filled. And know mercy. And see God. And be called His children.

But what does that look like? I mean, it sounds great…but I need to be able to earth it…to flesh it out.

Come with me to Luke 5:17-26.

Some men came carrying a paralysed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

These men were broken for their friend. They grieved his paralysis. They wanted wholeness… healing for him. And they were desperate. They would stop at nothing. Recognising their friend’s need…knowing their own lack…hearts flooded with mercy…they took him to Jesus. Craving the rightness that Jesus offered, they humbly came.

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Or come with me to Luke 7:36-50. Another story you probably know well.

A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisees house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

Do you sense this woman’s grief over her sin…her sense of brokenness? Mourning what she had become…who she had become. Filled with shame and regret she longed to made clean…for a pure heart…for a fresh start. She wanted mercy.

So she came.

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Or Luke 8:40-56.

And a woman who had suffered heavy bleeding for 12 years. Imagine the inconvenience to her daily life. The shame attached to being unclean. The physical and emotional toil. Desperately yearning for healing she reached out from the crowd and touched Jesus. In faith. Believing he had something she needed.

Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Or Luke 18:35-43.

And a blind beggar. Daily suffering from this physical brokenness. Powerless. Vulnerable. Wanting so much more. Desperate…thirsting for healing. Wanting mercy.

‘Son of David, have mercy on me.’

‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him.

‘Lord, I want to see,’ he replied.

Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The Kingdom of Heaven is for those who know their need and know that only Jesus can meet it.

As Jesus said elsewhere: “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Mark 2:17)

The Kingdom of Heaven is for the sick. The spiritually sick. It’s for those who want to be healed…restored. It’s for those who yearn for the life that only Jesus offers.

The Kingdom of Heaven is for all who will enter in.