Who do you think of when you think of all saints? Do you think of the prophets and apostles? Do you think of the early Christian martyrs? Do you think of those who have died believing in the Lord Jesus - your own believing relatives who have died in faith? Who do you think of when you think of all the saints? Our text for this feast of all saints helps us to identify who the saints are. In fact, our text helps us to see what exactly makes them saints.

Our text mentions eight different characteristics that God's saints are blessed with, that God's saints possess. They have these blessings because God has given them to His people. They are the characteristics of God's saints because God gives these characteristics to His people when He brings them to faith in Jesus. So in our text, Jesus is not teaching us, "These are the things you must do to become a saint." Rather, Jesus is teaching us, "These are the things you are, these are the blessings you have, because you are God's saints."

So the first characteristic of God's saints is this: Blessed are the poor in spirit. Now, how are God's saints poor in spirit? It has nothing to do with their bank account. It has nothing to do with their finances. It has to do with their souls. How are God's saints poor spiritually? They are poor because they have nothing to give God but sin. They have a poverty of righteousness, holiness, and goodness. They daily lament this poverty saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

But Jesus says, "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Jesus comes to give poor sinners riches - not earthly riches but heavenly riches. He gives poor sinners His holiness, His righteousness, His goodness. He takes their poverty, their sin, their death, their hell, and He goes to the cross. There He suffers, bleeds, and dies to give us eternal life in heaven. So God's poor saints are rich - rich in the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

The second characteristic of God's saints is this: Blessed are those who mourn. Why do God's saints mourn? They mourn because of their sins. They mourn because no matter how hard they try not to sin, they still fall into sin. They mourn because of what they have lost on account of their sins - their dignity, their reputation, their trustworthiness. They mourn because of the effects of their sin - on God, on others, on themselves. They mourn because of the effects of their sins - pain, sickness, suffering, illness, death.

But Jesus says, "They will be comforted." What is their comfort? It is this. That Jesus has suffered and died for their sins. It is that Jesus forgives them. It is that they are saints not because of their holiness, but because of Jesus' holiness. Their comfort is that even if they are disciplined on account of their sins, even if they have wasted everything by their sins, even days or years of their life - their heavenly Father loves them, welcomes them back to Himself, and forgives them. Their comfort is that they will someday be free from the temptation to sin. Their comfort is that in heaven, they shall be free from the effects of sin - even from sickness, pain, and death.

The third characteristic of God's saints: Blessed are the meek. Who are the meek? Why are they meek, or humble? Because they know who they are. They are as the tax collector in the temple. Remember? The Pharisee prayed to God about himself how he did this and he did that. But the tax collector - he could not even lift up his head to pray. He bowed his head and beat his breast and prayed, "God be merciful to me a sinner." That is meekness - the meekness that comes from knowing who I am in relation to God - a poor, miserable sinner.

Jesus says, "They will inherit the earth." How do the meek inherit the earth? They are able to truly enjoy this present earth. They know what they deserve from God - nothing but death and hell. But not only does God give us His Son and eternal life in heaven. He gives us the beautiful sky, the sunshine, the fall colors, and the good things the earth produces. We enjoy them as gifts from Him. And then there's the new heaven and the new earth we will inherit - the eternal paradise, when heaven will be on earth.

The fourth characteristic of God saints: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Why do God's saints hunger and thirst for righteousness? Because they know and love their God, who is righteous. They want to please Him. They want to serve Him. They want to be like Him. After all, they are His children, and children want to be like their dad. They struggle and strive to be like God, they hunger for it, thirst for it, long for it, and they always fall short.

Jesus says, "They will be filled." With what are they filled? They are filled with Jesus' righteousness. Jesus leads them to the green pastures and quiet waters of His Word and Sacraments. There Jesus fills their souls with His righteousness, with His forgiveness, with His grace. Finally, He brings them to eternal life, where their hunger and thirst for righteousness will be completely filled. They will sin no more.

The first four beatitudes deal with our relationship before God. Once we are in a right relationship with God through Jesus, once we are saints through faith in Jesus, this will affect our relationship with our neighbor. So now the last four beatitudes deal with our relationship with our neighbor.

Jesus says, "Blessed are the merciful." What is mercy? Mercy is compassion. Mercy is pity. Mercy is being moved to help someone, like the good Samaritan - not because of what someone has done to us, not because of what someone can do for us in return. It is pity that moves us to help others simply because they need help. It is the love God had for us - the pity, the compassion by which He sent His Son. Being shown such mercy means we will want to show that mercy to others.

Jesus says, "They will be shown mercy." This is like when Jesus teaches us to pray, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." People who will not forgive have no appreciation for God's forgiveness. They cannot give forgiveness because they have not received forgiveness. They cannot give what they do not have. On the other hand, those who have known God's forgiveness can't help but forgiven. In the same way, those who have been received mercy cannot help but give it away to others. So on the last day, they will be shown mercy when Jesus welcomes them home to eternal life.

Sixth, Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart." Here Jesus is talking about motives - why we do what we do. Why do God's saints show mercy? Why are they Good Samaritans? To be repaid by God, as if God owes them for their good works? To be repaid by others? No, to be pure in heart means to do what we do simply because of love, because we know the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Jesus says, "They will see God." God is pure in heart. God did what He did - God sent His only-begotten Son - purely because He loved us. Jesus did what He did because He is pure in heart. He died for our sins on the cross - purely because He loved us. Moved by that love, cleansed, purified, by that blood, we seek to serve our neighbor with pure motives. And guess what? God is so good, so loving, that He gives us this blessing - we will see Him, and what pure joy that will be.

Seventh, Jesus says, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Now what peace are God's saints concerned about? They are concerned about being at peace with one another, because what is true of one another? We are all peace with God. So how do they establish peace with one another? By going back to the cross of Jesus. When we sin against God, the cross is what made peace between us and Him. So when we sin against one another, making peace means going back to the cross of Jesus too.

Jesus says, "They will be called sons of God." After all, isn't that what their Father did? They seek what their Father sought - peace through Jesus. They have that peace through Jesus. They seek to share that peace through Jesus with their brothers and sisters, until they rest in that peace through Jesus with their heavenly Father in eternal life.

Eighth, and finally, Jesus says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness! Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." What a strange thing! Remember - the beatitudes are characteristics of God's saints - and suffering is one of the characteristics of God's saints? God's saints are blessed even when they are persecuted, insulted, and maligned? Yes! Because what is still true - even when the devil, the world, all their so called friends are hating them, insulting them, and persecuting them, and perhaps even trying to kill them?

Jesus says, "Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven." Yes, "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven." They are blessed even when they are persecuted, hated, despised, and killed, because the Lord still loves them, heaven is still their home, and no one can kill God's children. No one can defeat God's children. God's children do not lose. They win. They do not die. They live. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Truly, blessed are all God's saints - both His saints on earth and His saints in heaven! They are blessed because of Jesus, whose blood makes them saints. They are blessed because of Jesus, whose death, resurrection, and ascension guarantees that heaven is their home. Amen.