“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” –Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.

Blessed. We throw that word around a lot, but I’m not always certain we really grasp what it means. Or the depth of what it could mean. The English language, bless its heart, consistently gives us one word for something that in another language would have multiple words to describe a range of rich meanings. Think about the word love. In Greek, there are many words for love, with nuanced differences. (eros, philia, agape, ludus, pragma, and philautia) We are really missing out on the sweeping beauty of a concept when we limit ourselves to just one word.

I’m still stuck in Matthew 5. Namely, The Beatitudes. It’s so dense, it’s hard to take it all in. I feel like this is the essence of Jesus, right up front. His first sermon. Some of the first red letters we find in the Bible. I’ve been reading it in several different Bible translations. But I am consistently drawn to the Amplified Bible. I find it really helpful to read the commentary in the parentheses that brings richness to the text that we lose with the English language.

In Matthew 5:3-12, Jesus uses the word “blessed” nine times. “Blessed are…for they shall…”. I rearranged the words on a separate page, grouping together all the meanings of blessed, then all the types of people who are blessed (the poor in spirit, those who mourn, etc), and then all the rewards (comfort, mercy, etc). This painted a new picture for me. A more complete picture of the word blessed.

Here is what I learned blessed can mean: (Matthew 5:3-12, Amp Bible)

spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired

forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace

inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect

joyful, nourished by God’s goodness

content, sheltered by God’s promises

anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature

spiritually calm with life-joy in God’s favor

comforted by inner peace and God’s love

morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness

All too often, we use the word blessed flippantly to describe material wealth or comfort. Prosperity theology can be very attractive, but I don’t see that definition anywhere in Jesus’ description of blessed. Jesus doesn’t mean wealth or power, Jesus means peace and joy.

I hope you find new ways to understand blessing. I don’t think it only means what we have reduced it to mean. God bless, y’all!

Disclaimer: My viewpoints are not necessarily reflective of my employer, or any local, regional or national organization that I belong to. As a matter of fact, I pretty much just speak for myself. Please keep that in mind.