The Blesser of All Blessings

“Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon. . .” (Matthew 16:17, NKJV).


Our Lord pronounces a blessing on Simon Peter because of his spiritual insight into the work of the Father through His Son. This blessing is really paradigmatic, for all blessing comes through Christ. While His blessings fall on the just and the unjust, there are special blessings targeted for His own. These blessings gravitate to the believer on a regular basis.

The word for “blessing” in the original language of our text is “makarios.” This word is rich with meaning. Haddon Robinson, in his book, What Jesus Said About Successful Living, offers insight into the origin of the word makarios:

In secular Greek the island of Cyprus was called the makarios isle, the blest isle. The idea was that those who lived on Cyprus never had to leave its shores in order to have all they needed to be content. They had natural resources and minerals. They had a beautiful place to live, with fruit and flowers. The island was self-contained. No one had to search for the needs and wants of life. . . . When we are blessed by God, we are in a sense self-contained; that is, our happiness does not come from circumstances, or by accidents, or through diligent searches. It comes because we stand approved before the Creator of the universe. . . . To be blessed means to sense the joy, or happiness, that comes from knowing that we stand approved before God (Robinson, Successful Living, 28).

Likewise, the Christian experiences no blessing apart from Jesus Christ, who is a kind of island unto Himself. He is the “Makarios Isle.” You’re a citizen of His King-dom[inion]. Every blessing that Jesus possesses can become yours. Are you experiencing His blessings? Are you expressing His blessings? All you need for contentment and satisfaction can be found in Christ: “For all of the promises of God are in Him [Jesus] ‘Yes’, and through Him ‘Amen,’ to the glory of God through us” (2 Cor. 1.20).