In Jesus’ day, many people thought of the kingdom of God was aexclusive club, a club for only the "best and brightest" . Only certain people could “pay the price” of admission. Only certain people had the right connections to get in.
Certainly such an exclusive club was not the kind of club that Jesus envisioned. He wanted a club to which everyone on earth could belong. But still, it would be a club where its members had certain attributes. And here is where it becomes the most extraordinary club ever conceived. In Matthew 5 Jesus lists the qualifications for this club. He called the members of this club “blessed.”
