The Beatitudes: The Heart of the Gospel

After years of studying the Bible, including the synoptic gospels, Thomas Gospel, Q Gospel, Marcion Gospel, etc, I came to conclusions as follows:

1. Prophet Jesus was sent to the People of Israel (the people of the book), hence the Gospel was given to the people of Israel, and was originally written in Hebrew language. Jerome called it as matthaei authenticum.

2. However, since the majority of the people of Israel rejected him (and the gospel), therefore the gospel was transferred to another nation(s) or the gentiles, and written in other language, that is Koine Greek (cf: Gospel of Thomas Logia#109, Gospel of Matthew 21:43; and also Quran Sura Fathir (35) verse 32 [note: please read Tafsir Tabari about this verse Quran 35:32])

3. The original gospel that was written in Hebrew didn't survive. The gospels available today are the one that were written in Greek, around a hundred years after Jesus gone. The closest gospel to the original one is either the Gospel of Matthew or the Gospel of Luke (or a better candidate than Luke: the Gospel of the Lord by Marcion of Sinope), or somewhere in between (Gospel of Q).

4. Since the Gospel was originally addressed to the Jews, many of the verses of the Gospel are intended for the Jews, and not for the gentiles who are not familiar with the Jewish Bible. For example, "You are the light of the world" which refers to Isaiah 42 and 49, which talk about the role of the Jews as the light for the gentiles; "You have heard that it was said 'You shall love your neighbor ...'" (the gentiles won't be familiar with this verse); "If you greet your brothers only, what credit is that to you? Even the Gentiles do the same"; "Therefore, do not be anxious saying 'what shall we eat, drink or wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things."

5. Because the Jews were the chosen people, it's not surprising that the commandments for the Jews are heavier than that of the Gentiles, including the heavy commandments in the Gospel. After all, the Jews should be stand out among other people, so they have heavier burden compared to others. Some of the very hard commandments in the Gospel that were intended for the Jews and very difficult for the gentiles (or ordinary people) to implement are: "Love your enemies", "Bless those who curse you", "Sell all of your possessions and give it to the poor", etc.

6. However, not all verses in the Gospel are for the Jews only. Some verses are intended for the Jews and the gentiles alike. Some verses that are intended for all human beings include the Beatitudes and the parables in the Synoptic Gospels.

7. One of the missions of Jesus is to fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-2, that is, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted ... to comfort all who mourn."

8. The fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 61:1-2 (or Luke 4:18-19) was either in the Sermon of the Mount and/or the Sermon on the Plain. However, for the Beatitudes or the Good News, I prefer the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew's version). Because, the mission of the Jesus is to bring "good news", and not "I have good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first".

9. The original beatitudes are supposed to be like as follows: 

Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven,

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,

Blessed are those who are humble, for they shall inherit the earth,

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied,

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy,

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10. Each of the Beatitudes corresponds to a particular commandment in the Seven Laws of Noah

11. Each of the Beatitudes even corresponds to a particular verse in the opening chapter of the Holy Quran, that is surah Al Fatehah, as follows:

So, let us respect the Gospel, especially the Beatitudes. If you, as moslem or non moslem alike, who believe that Jesus will return to this world some day, isn't it good to learn some sayings of Prophet Jesus in the Gospel, in case we meet him in our time? Isn't it good for us to prepare to welcome him, and learn in advance about what will he teach us, the human beings? I think what he preaches to us, human beings, won't be far from the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 and some of the parables in the synoptic gospels (especially Luke and Matthew). So you should read the Beatitudes at least once in your life time, or better yet, you should memorize the Beatitudes above (point number#9).

'What will be your condition when the son of Mary will come down and become your Imam' (HR Bukhari Muslim from Abu Hurairah) (there are two versions of this hadith, that is between wa ammakum and wa imamukum, but I believe that the son of Mary will be both an imam and a just judge/hakeem for mankind)

Notes: In Tafseer Qurthubi on Al Imran 3-4, there's a riwayah that states that there will be an ummah in the end of times that will memorize the Gospel (Injil). I hope it's us.