The First Four Notes
- 19 hours ago
- 5 min read
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor may not be the greatest piece of classical music ever written, but it is undoubtedly the most famous. Although the symphony is composed of four movements, most people only know the first. And of that first movement, most people only remember the iconic first four notes: Ta-ta-ta-tum. These notes, however, do more than introduce the symphony. They announce the theme that will dominate the entire first movement. For eight glorious minutes, this short-short-short-long motif will be repeated dozens of times in a magical frenzy of musical ecstasy. Ta-ta-ta-tum is actually the thematic centerpiece that holds everything together, giving unity and coherence to the whole. Once you recognize the four-note theme, Beethoven begins to actually make sense.
As the 5th symphony is Beethoven’s greatest piece of orchestral music, so Matthew 5–7 is Jesus’ greatest sermon, an undisputed masterpiece, full of rhetorical artistry, pithy aphorisms, emotional intensity, and divine wisdom. The Sermon on the Mount is the first movement in the greatest symphonic masterpiece ever performed: the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like Beethoven, Jesus chose to preface this sermon with a short, thunderous, and passionate introduction: the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-12). It is the first of these eight Beatitudes that unleashes the initial ka-boom of the gospel symphony. If you fail to grasp the significance of these opening notes, you may have trouble understanding everything that follows.
I want you to use your sanctified imagination and picture Jesus stepping onto the podium in a great orchestral hall. The room is packed and the air is tense with excitement. Jesus taps his baton on the music stand and raises his arms. There is a pregnant silence as the audience leans forward in hushed anticipation. Everyone is eager to know what this Gospel Symphony is going to sound like. With a wave of his arms to the orchestra, Jesus calls forth a thunderous burst of music that shatters the silence. It is short, staccato, and very loud. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3). Ta-ta-ta-tum!
As the Gospel Symphony began, did you hear the distinctive notes that announce its central theme? The angels in heaven heard it and smiled. The demons in hell heard it and trembled. The disciples of Jesus heard it and scratched their heads. But what about you? Did you hear it? It is crucial that you do, or the rest of the symphony won’t make much sense. If you’re not sure whether you heard it or not, don’t despair. I enjoyed Beethoven’s 5th symphony for years before I understood the theme. And many who believe the gospel have yet to grasp its central motif. But something of crucial significance is lost when you don’t see the theme that unifies the whole. To help us in this endeavor, let’s examine the individual pieces of the introduction one note at a time:
Poor in spirit. The Gospel Symphony is not for the rich, the powerful, the successful, the beautiful, or the famous. It is not for those who have their act together. It is, rather, for the spiritually bankrupt; losers and low-lifes, the marginalized and the needy, the destitute and the sick. It is for those who are really messed up. This amazing music is for those who look in the mirror every morning and say, “I just don’t have what it takes.”
Blessed. Here’s the ka-boom. Those who don’t have what it takes are not miserable, wretched, and sad. They are actually in a very good place! The word “blessed” means happy, joyful, and content. The Gospel Symphony is proclaiming that this blessedness is not just a future promise. It is a present reality! The poor in spirit are blessed (present tense). Today. Here. Right now!
The kingdom of heaven. The reason the poor are presently blessed is because the kingdom of heaven has come to earth. We don’t have to wait until we die. We can enter it here and now because the Messiah has come and is standing in our midst. God’s reign on earth has begun because King Jesus is here!
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Ta-ta-ta-tum! If you grasp the significance of these first notes of the symphony, you will understand everything that follows in the gospel story. If you miss it, you will hear only a series of disconnected stories. The music may intrigue you and capture your heart. You may even choose to put your faith in the gospel. But the story line will be missing. Like the first four notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the first beatitude loudly proclaims the theme for everything that follows. Can you hear it?
Ironically, Beethoven became deaf later in life and could not hear the music he had written. Similarly, many Christians have become tone deaf to the opening chords of the Gospel Symphony. Like the members of Laodicea Community Church, they have forgotten what it means to be poor in spirit (see Rev. 3:14-22). In other words, they are deaf to the bankrupt condition of their own hearts. In their delusion, they have begun to believe that they have what it takes and that they are getting along in life quite fine on their own, thank you very much. Like the Laodiceans, they look in the mirror and say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” Jesus rebukes them by reminding them that, in reality, they are “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (v. 17). If they had remembered the opening notes of the Gospel Symphony, this would never have happened.
Dear friend, if you have become deaf to your own spiritual bankruptcy, then you need to do what Jesus urged the Laodiceans to do: be zealous and repent (v. 19)! He stands at the door and knocks, ready to give you the kingdom of heaven, if only you will admit your need. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Ta-ta-ta-tum!
1 It is significant that the symphony literally begins with silence. Note the eighth rest that is slipped in before the first four notes. It’s curious that an eighth rest has an uncanny resemblance to the trigger of a starter’s pistol.
2 For those who want to know more about the significance of these opening chords, see The First Four Notes: Beethoven’s Fifth and the Human Imagination by Matthew Guerrieri (Alfred A. Knopf, 2012).