When we considered the Great Commission that Jesus gave to the leaders of his followers we noted that it takes a disciple to make a disciple. Following Christ entails inviting others to join us in that adventure. Therefore, it should not surprise us that early in his ministry, Jesus gathered those same leaders-in-training around him to give them an overview of what discipleship entailed. In so doing he did not instruct them in some retreat hideaway, but with a wider audience overhearing the lesson. For that wider audience also represented actual and future learners in Christ’s apprentice school.

The fact Jesus walked up a mountainside with his followers trailing behind him is also significant. Three times in Matthew’s Gospel a mountain becomes the site of a significant stage in his ministry. The second occasion was when Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain where he was enveloped for a brief time in heaven’s glory and Moses and Elijah appeared. They represented the witness of the law and the prophets to him. Then they heard the reassuring voice from heaven, “This is my Son, whom I love; with hi m I am well pleased, Listen to him.” And the third occasion is on the Mountain in Galilee where they were commissioned for their world-wide task of making disciples.

On the first occasion that we will be thinking about during the next five days, Jesus gives a major summary of his teaching on discipleship. Some scholars have compared the occasion to Moses giving the law on Mount Sinai. But, as we will see, the Good News brought by Jesus results in a very different kind of “law.”

Jesus’ first word to his disciples is a word of encouragement and affirmation. The word he uses nine times is notoriously difficult to translate into modern English. It is usually rendered, “Blessed,” which sounds rather benign and churchy to our ears. Other suggestions to bring out the meaning are “Fortunate are…,” or “It will go well with…,” even “Congratulations!” The Australians have a phrase that captures the essence of “Blessed”, “Good-on-ya!”

Whatever word or phrase we use, it is evident that the term is far from benign when you see just who are “blessed” in specific areas of life. It is important that these nine beatitudes be treated together like a bunch of bananas, rather than considered in isolation. When we bring these descriptions together to build a composite picture they form a character portrait of Jesus himself.

As we begin the journey of faith we need to recognize that this journey is not for down-in-the-mouth losers. God’s first word to us is not to draw attention to our shortcomings, or pour guilt on us but to welcome us with a hearty, “Good-on-ya!” But when we learn just who Jesus considers to be the fortunate ones, then we find ourselves in an upside-down kind of world. As we travel along with Jesus and his followers nothing looks like it once did.

Here are the nine markers that indicate who is truly fortunate.

• The fortunate individuals are those who are have come to end of their own resources and have learned to depend on God. We are no longer self-satisfied, standing on our rights or attempting to justify ourselves. We have handed our lives over to God so that he can express his love and purposes through us. That’s what it means to live within the sphere in which God rules. God’s kingdom values and resources are available now, not on the far side of the rainbow.

• The fortunate individuals are those who see themselves as they really are apart from God’s forgiveness and generosity as well as see the world around them with its insoluble problems. And they grieve over that. In so doing we will know the heart of God: his depth of concern, his patience, his ultimate purpose for the world he came to save. Such a realization will provide us with a sense of well being that can come from no other source. Because only God can forgive and make new, and he wants to begin to do that through his apprentices – you and me.

• The fortunate individuals are those who are considerate towards others and who are not always trying to be one better than everyone else. To be meek does not mean to be cowardly, avoiding confrontation at any cost. On the contrary, it means being gentle, controlled, yet firm in our responses. It means rejecting the me-first, competitive assertiveness of our culture, and demonstrating a more caring society based on consideration of other people. Meekness is not underestimating yourself, but forgetting yourself. In the long run it is such people who have the greater influence, for it demonstrates the societal value of treating others in the same way that you would like them to treat us.

• The fortunate individuals are those who are passionately concerned for a more just society. We need to remember that the audience on the mountainside largely consisted of people who were poor by this world’s standards, had suffered the loss of property, land and those whom they held dear. Who knew what it was like to scrape out an existence in face of the unreasonable and sometimes unbearable demands placed upon them by greedy landowners, grab-all tax-collectors, condemning religious leaders, and a capricious army of occupation. The social conditions of the times should caution us against over-spiritualizing. But satisfaction does not come from taking revenge, but from pursuing a right relationship with God. As in many politically tense regions today it was all too easy to trigger a spiral of violence. Jesus was well aware of revolutionary groups that were planning an armed insurrection with disastrous consequences,

• The fortunate individuals are those who are forgiving towards other people, understanding the pressures they are under, recognizing the influences that have fueled their prejudices and hostility, seeking to help them to have a better attitude and to improve their performance. When we remember the mistakes we have made and the people who believed in us and were prepared to give us a fresh start, then we will be less judgmental towards other people. Consideration and forgiveness are contagious and create a positive corporate climate. As followers of Jesus we are in the people-building business.

• The fortunate individuals are those who have cleaned out their lives, determining to become what God intended. As we refuse to tolerate the contradictions in our lives and learn to live more consistently so we will see God more clearly. We must renounce self-seeking hidden agendas and become transparent. What you see is what you get! Jesus closest followers could say of him that he was full of grace and truth. In other words he was both considerate and generous in the extreme as well as being genuine through and through. It is as we become more like Jesus that we see God’s true nature more and more clearly.

• The fortunate individuals are those who are the reconcilers and peacemakers. This comes as a special challenge to followers who become increasingly contentious and confrontational, on the mistaken assumption that God has called them to be a judge, jury and jailer instead of a witness. Peacemaking requires the ability to help people calm down, listen patiently and actively to one another. A true peacemaker works for the wellbeing of all and is skilled in the process of transformation.

• The fortunate individuals are those who have learned how to face opposition. Jesus is not speaking in theoretical terms for there is already mounting opposition leading to attacks against his person. And when the author of this Gospel wrote these words, the communities he had in mind were themselves suffering rejection by society. Some people bring hostility upon themselves because of their unwise words and inappropriate actions. The religious protests may have more to do with personal quirkiness, political ambitions or as a way of drawing attention to themselves. The persecution Jesus has in mind is that caused by the hostility of the world towards people who represent an alternative way of living demonstrated in these opening words. Darkness finds it impossible to coexist with light. Conflict is inevitable, Yet the fortunate individual is the person who has developed the right response to put-downs and false-accusations. We can rejoice and be glad that we have not been sucked into their dark and destructive world, but that heaven is both our present experience and future reward.

Every blessing presents a challenge. As we review these nine markers that indicate a true follower of Jesus, they present a formidable obstacle course. But as we hear the starters gun, we hear Jesus say, with my help you can do it. “Good-on-ya!” And he is already at the finishing tape ready to shout “Congratulations!”