Emphasis Preaching Journal
(M)William...
Illustration
(M)
William Barclay points out the beatitudes, in their original setting, had no verbs. That is, instead of reading, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," a more correct translation would be, "Oh, the blessedness of the poor in spirit!" This takes them beyond the realm of simple statements. They become exclamations of joy.
This becomes all the more evident when we realize that the word we usually translate as "blessed" is much better rendered as "happy" or "joyous." The beatitudes, then, contain a joy that is realized when one walks in the presence of Christ.
William Barclay points out the beatitudes, in their original setting, had no verbs. That is, instead of reading, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," a more correct translation would be, "Oh, the blessedness of the poor in spirit!" This takes them beyond the realm of simple statements. They become exclamations of joy.
This becomes all the more evident when we realize that the word we usually translate as "blessed" is much better rendered as "happy" or "joyous." The beatitudes, then, contain a joy that is realized when one walks in the presence of Christ.
