Surrenity

"I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.

I believe that the blessing is contained in the second part of each beatitude. The first part of each beatitude speaks to our current condition in this fallen world and the heart attitudes that please God: poor in spirit, those who mourn, pure in heart, etc. The second part of each beatitude represents our future condition and our reward in the Kingdom of Heaven, once we are with God. They also speak to the blessings available to us in the here and now, once we are in Christ. Through faith in Christ we are made citizens of the Kingdom of God, and His Kingdom rule is active and sovereign in our lives and His blessings freely available to us in all their fullness. Jesus made each beatitude a paradox because He wanted to challenge and shake up the religious status quo. He was speaking to those who were being left out and shamed because of the strict religious laws and exclusivist teachings of the Pharisees and Scribes who believed that only Jews - and only those Jews who kept all their man-made laws - could receive God's blessing.