In recent years, Jesus’ frequent use of the future tense in the causal clauses of the Beatitudes (among a few other, subtler evidences) has inclined me to think of them not as a set of timeless aphorisms (e.g., if-this-then-that precepts or visions of human flourishing), but instead more as an historical announcement in direct relation to Jesus’ advent—a sibling to Jesus’ claim in Luke 4:16-21 to being Himself the messianic fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1-2, and a cousin to the Songs of Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon slightly earlier in Luke.
Hence, when I’m translating or paraphrasing Matthew 5:3-11, I’m now given to rendering μακάριος, traditionally translated “blessed,” as “fortunate,” “lucky,” or most colloquially, “in for a treat” instead and to making explicit the Jesus-specific, redemptive-historical subtext I sense. Like this:
- [Now that I, Jesus, am here,] the poor in spirit are in for a treat, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
- Those who mourn are fortunate, because now they’ll receive comfort.
- [In light of what I’m up to,] gentle people are the lucky ones, because they’ll inherit the earth.
- Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness/justice are in for a treat, because [with what I’m doing] that hunger will be satisfied.
- The merciful are lucky, because they’re gonna receive mercy.
- The pure in heart are in for a treat, because [in Me] they’re gonna see God.
- People who make peace are the lucky ones now, because they’ll be dubbed God’s children.
[The above was in response to Richard Beck’s recent post recapping part of Jonathan Pennington’s argument about how to view and translate the Beatitudes.]