With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions.

1. Last week we learned about Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. The third time Jesus was tempted, Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, telling him: “I will give it all to you, if you will kneel down and worship me”. Does God offer us the same deal? In what ways do you think we sometimes expect God to operate in this way?
2. In the Old Testament, there are many verses that talk about blessing, that seem to suggest that right living and proper worship to God will result in God’s blessing. Read the beginning of Psalm 1, and the beginning of Psalm 119 for examples of this. What examples from scripture can you think of that challenge the idea that God’s blessing relies on how we live?
3. Consider this quote from pastor, theologian, and author, Tim Keller: “The good things of this world seen as blessings (beauty, power, comfort, success, recognition) received without God are curses. They will drive you and consume you. However, the hard things of this world seen as curses (weakness, deprivation, loss, and rejection) received with faith in God will be turned into blessings.” In what ways does this challenge your thinking on what it means to be blessed? In what ways does this make sense to you? Do you see a connection between God’s presence and God’s blessing?
4. Read Matthew chapter 5. Here, Jesus teaches about what blessing looks like in the Kingdom of God. Based on this teaching, who is most important in the Kingdom of God? How is this different from the world’s ideas about who is most valued? What surprises you in this passage? What questions does it stir up? In what ways does it challenge the way that we often understand blessing? How is blessing different in the Kingdom of God?
5. The blessings Jesus teaches about in this chapter are anchored in the hope of a promised future, when the Kingdom of God will be fully realized on earth as it is in heaven. Yet, the coming of the Kingdom began when Jesus came. It is a now but not yet kingdom. Arriving, but not yet fully realized. In what ways can those who are poor, grieving, living with injustice, or facing persecution experience the blessing that is theirs in the Kingdom of God in the present?
6. Consider the life of Jesus. Was he blessed? In what ways did Jesus embody what it means to be blessed, according to his teaching in Matthew 5? In what ways does Matthew 5 present a portrait of Jesus?
7. Take time to consider each line of Jesus’ teaching on who is blessed in the Kingdom. Is there a line of this teaching that speaks to you in this season of your life? In what ways do you feel challenged to live out the kingdom values presented through this passage? In what ways is this passage good news to you, in the midst of your own challenges and difficulties?

Prayer and Action Item

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. As you have reflected on this important teaching of Jesus, ask God to help you lean into the values of the Kingdom expressed in Matthew 5. Ask God to help you recognize the true blessing of his presence in the midst of your circumstances. Ask him to show you what steps you are being called to take in the season ahead, to participate in God’s work of bringing his kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven. Pray together: Lord, may your kingdom come, and your will be done!