The more I read the Bible the more I learn to expect the unexpected. One of many reasons why is Matthew 5:3-12. Who would expect for "Blessed" to be the first word of the Son of God’s first sermon recorded in Matthew? Didn’t Jesus have more urgent things to do than to teach people how to be happy? He must not have thought so, because that’s exactly what he does in the opening minutes of His opening sermon.

Perhaps even more unexpected than that Jesus teaches about happiness is how Jesus teaches that happiness is acquired. The path to happiness that Jesus reveals is not one that we would expect to end at happiness. Each "be-attitude" that Jesus mentions is a radical rearrangement of our ordinary value system. For example, who would ever think that the path to happiness is one that is muddy from the tears of mourners and the blood of martyrs? Yet this is the course to happiness that Jesus charts for His disciples.

Take a quick look at the itinerary Jesus has scheduled for your trip to happiness:

Step One: Be honest with yourself (Blessed are the poor in spirit…)

Step Two: Be sorrowful over your sinfulness (Blessed are those who mourn…)

Step Three: Be controlled by God (Blessed are the meek…)

Step Four: Be addicted to God (Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…)

Step Five: Be forgiving of the sins of others (Blessed are the merciful…)

Step Six: Be the same person on the inside that you are on the outside (Blessed are the pure in heart…)

Step Seven: Be a peacemaker (Blessed are the peacemakers…)

Step Eight: Be willing to take a stand (Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…)

To fully understand how these steps will lead you to happiness, it is necessary to remember how happiness is acquired. Happiness, like a butterfly and sleep, cannot be possessed by pursuing it. If you seek happiness, it will forever elude you. But if you seek God you will find Him, and then He will grant you happiness. Happiness is a by-product of having a relationship with God.

Accordingly, these beatitudes in-and-of-themselves won’t make you happy. They will first make you holy. Once you are holy, God will make you happy. These be-attitudes are essentially qualities that are necessary in order to have a relationship with God. And it is your relationship to God that produces happiness.

When you finish reading this article read Matthew 5:3-12 for yourself and notice what Jesus says after the "for" in each verse. What you will see is that the happiness mentioned at the beginning of each verse is the result of the spiritual blessing mentioned at the end of each verse. The quality in the middle simply allows the spiritual blessing to become a reality in one’s life. For example, the reason the poor in spirit are happy is not because they are poor in spirit. It’s because they are citizens of the kingdom of Heaven.

Remember the order: holiness then happiness, God then gladness.

~Daniel Hope