--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When God wants to sort out the world, as…" description: "\"“When God wants to sort out the world, as the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount make clear, he doesn't send in the tanks. He sends in the meek, the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/n-t-wright-1173_beatitudes_when-god-wants-to-sort-out-the-world-as_512927.png" --- # When God wants to sort out the world, as the Beatitudes in… ![“When God wants to sort out the world, as the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount make clear, he doesn't send in the tanks. He sends in the meek, the broken, the justice hungry, the peacemakers, the pure-hearted and so on.” quote by N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/n-t-wright-1173_beatitudes_when-god-wants-to-sort-out-the-world-as_512927.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/n-t-wright-1173_beatitudes_when-god-wants-to-sort-out-the-world-as_512927.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/n-t-wright-1173_beatitudes_when-god-wants-to-sort-out-the-world-as_512927.png) > ““When God wants to sort out the world, as the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount make clear, he doesn't send in the tanks. He sends in the meek, the broken, the justice hungry, the peacemakers, the pure-hearted and so on.”” [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The divine plan favors humility, compassion, and justice over forceful power. **In simple terms:** God chooses meekness and justice, not military might. Key Takeaway Embrace humility and seek justice. Themes humility justice peace compassion spirituality Mood reflective hopeful serene Type biblical inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - social activism - conflict resolution - community building - personal growth Key Concepts beatitudes ethical leadership nonviolence Questions to Reflect On - How can you embody meekness in a violent world? - What does justice hunger look like today? A Different Perspective Powerful forces can still dominate despite moral virtue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beatitudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beatitudes/) [Beatitudes Sermon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beatitudes-sermon-4163651/) [God Wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-wants/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Kingdom of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdom-of-god/) [Sermon Mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sermon-mount/) [Sermon on the mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sermon-on-the-mount/) [World Beatitudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-beatitudes-4342658/) ## Related quotes > [“Look at the commencement of His ministry. In the Beatitudes with which the Sermon on the Mount opens, He speaks: “Blessed are the poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-murray/look-at-the-commencement-of-his-ministry-in-the-beatitudes-with-which/) [Andrew Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-murray/) > [“the Sermon on the Mount is God’s formula for revival. The Beatitudes are His recipe for His kingdom to come and His will to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-baker/the-sermon-on-the-mount-is-god-s-formula-for-revival-the-beatitudes/) [Heidi Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-baker/) > [“The same Sermon on the Mount that influenced Tolstoy to write “The Kingdom of God is Within You”, inspired me to a great extent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-same-sermon-on-the-mount-that-influenced-tolstoy-to-write-the/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“From there Ari took her to the church which marked the place of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes a short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/from-there-ari-took-her-to-the-church-which-marked-the-place-of-the/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). But, often with tears in their eyes, the demand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/for-some-reason-the-most-vocal-christians-among-us-never-mention-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Powers Hapgood had just come from court because there was some kind of dust-up on a picket line. The judge was so curious about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/powers-hapgood-had-just-come-from-court-because-there-was-some-kind/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The basis for the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount is not what works, but rather who God is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/the-basis-for-the-ethics-of-the-sermon-on-the-mount-is-not-what-works/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [“It is this fulfillment motif that is so critical to interpreting not only the Sermon on the Mount but the larger role of Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rubel-shelly/it-is-this-fulfillment-motif-that-is-so-critical-to-interpreting-not/) [Rubel Shelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rubel-shelly/) > [“These sermons of Jesus Christ are meant for your will and your conscience, not for your head. If you dispute these verses from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/these-sermons-of-jesus-christ-are-meant-for-your-will-and-your/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [... some people cannot bear the truth, no matter how tactfully it is told. No doubt the haughty, the tyrannical, the unmerciful, the impure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-church-terrell/some-people-cannot-bear-the-truth-no-matter-how-tactfully-it-is-told/) [Mary Church Terrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-church-terrell/) > [“The Sermon on the Mount is law, not grace, for it demands as the condition of blessingMt 5:3-9 that perfect character which grace, through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sermon-on-the-mount-is-law-not-grace-for-it-demands-as-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If God is not with us, we do not want to continue. If the Sermon on the Mount is simply impractical, our mission work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-baker/if-god-is-not-with-us-we-do-not-want-to-continue-if-the-sermon-on-the/) [Heidi Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-baker/) > [“We heard the Sermon on the Mount and I knew it was too complex, It didn't amount to anything more than what the broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/we-heard-the-sermon-on-the-mount-and-i-knew-it-was-too-complex-it/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Modern poverty is not the poverty that was blest in the Sermon on the Mount.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/modern-poverty-is-not-the-poverty-that-was-blest-in-the-sermon-on-the/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Never look for right in the other man, but never cease to be right yourself. We are always looking for justice; the teaching of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/never-look-for-right-in-the-other-man-but-never-cease-to-be-right/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) ## More by N.T. Wright > [“This means that the church, the followers of Jesus Christ, live in the bright interval between Easter and the final great consummation. Let's make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/this-means-that-the-church-the-followers-of-jesus-christ-live-in-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The very mention of crucifixion was taboo in polite Roman circles, since it was the lowest form of capital punishment, reserved for slaves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-very-mention-of-crucifixion-was-taboo-in-polite-roman-circles/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Sunday, kept as a commemoration of Easter ever since that event itself (a quite remarkable phenomenon when you come to think about it), is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/sunday-kept-as-a-commemoration-of-easter-ever-since-that-event-itself/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The point of trying to understand the cross better is not so that we can congratulate ourselves for having solved an intellectual crossword puzzle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-point-of-trying-to-understand-the-cross-better-is-not-so-that-we/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“there is no such thing as a god’s-eye view (by which would be meant a Deist god’s-eye view) available to human beings, a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-god-s-eye-view-by-which-would-be-meant-a/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The “goal” is not “heaven,” but a renewed human vocation within God’s renewed creation. This is what every biblical book from Genesis on is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-goal-is-not-heaven-but-a-renewed-human-vocation-within-god-s/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“having a hard enough time explaining to his disciples that he had to die; they never really grasped that at all, and they certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/having-a-hard-enough-time-explaining-to-his-disciples-that-he-had-to/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“If we are talking about the victory over evil and the launch of new creation, it won’t make much sense unless we are working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/if-we-are-talking-about-the-victory-over-evil-and-the-launch-of-new/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The personal message of Good Friday, expressed in so many hymns and prayers which draw on the tradition of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-personal-message-of-good-friday-expressed-in-so-many-hymns-and/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“To recognize that the Psalms call us to pray and sing at the intersections of the times--of our time and God's time, of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/to-recognize-that-the-psalms-call-us-to-pray-and-sing-at-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Successful resistance to temptation may result in an increase of moral muscle, but that is because one is going to need it. A temptation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/successful-resistance-to-temptation-may-result-in-an-increase-of/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Blessings on the poor in spirit! The kingdom of heaven is yours” (Matt. 5:3) doesn’t mean, “You will go to heaven when you die.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/blessings-on-the-poor-in-spirit-the-kingdom-of-heaven-is-yours-matt-5/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“As C. S. Lewis regularly remarked, the chronological snobbery of the modern age (i.e. the assumption that anything that comes after around 1750 is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/as-c-s-lewis-regularly-remarked-the-chronological-snobbery-of-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“The kingdom of God is, at its heart, about God’s sovereignty sweeping the world with love and power, so that human beings, each made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-kingdom-of-god-is-at-its-heart-about-god-s-sovereignty-sweeping/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“pre-Christian Judaism, including the disciples during Jesus’s lifetime, never envisaged the death of the Messiah. That is why they never thought of his resurrection,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/pre-christian-judaism-including-the-disciples-during-jesus-s-lifetime/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) [Explore all 278 N.T. Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) ## More Beatitudes quotes > [“I am waiting for the meek to be blessed and inherit the earth... without taxes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/i-am-waiting-for-the-meek-to-be-blessed-and-inherit-the-earth-without/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [I love the melodies in the Old Testament, how preachers highlight them when they read from the Scripture. But I was influenced forever by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-love-the-melodies-in-the-old-testament-how-preachers-highlight-them/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“the Sermon on the Mount is God’s formula for revival. The Beatitudes are His recipe for His kingdom to come and His will to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-baker/the-sermon-on-the-mount-is-god-s-formula-for-revival-the-beatitudes/) [Heidi Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-baker/) > [For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). But, often with tears in their eyes, the demand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/for-some-reason-the-most-vocal-christians-among-us-never-mention-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“From there Ari took her to the church which marked the place of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes a short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/from-there-ari-took-her-to-the-church-which-marked-the-place-of-the/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [They're called in the Scripture the Beatitudes. You know why they're called the Beatitudes without being prestigious? Because they should be the attitudes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/they-re-called-in-the-scripture-the-beatitudes-you-know-why-they-re/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [British Beatitudes! ... Beer, beef, business, bibles, bulldogs, battleships, buggery and bishops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/british-beatitudes-beer-beef-business-bibles-bulldogs-battleships/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“Blessed are the sleepy ones: for they shall soon nod off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nietzsche-friedrich-2/blessed-are-the-sleepy-ones-for-they-shall-soon-nod-off/) [Nietzsche, Friedrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nietzsche-friedrich-2/) > [We need to build up society in the light of the Beatitudes, walking towards the Kingdom with the least among us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/we-need-to-build-up-society-in-the-light-of-the-beatitudes-walking/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“The Beatitudes declare what a child of the kingdom looks like; they do not list dos and don’ts that get you in the kingdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-w-glenn/the-beatitudes-declare-what-a-child-of-the-kingdom-looks-like-they-do/) [R W Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-w-glenn/) > [High above all earthly lower happiness, the blessedness of the eight Beatitudes towers into the heaven itself. They are white with the snows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penrhyn-stanley/high-above-all-earthly-lower-happiness-the-blessedness-of-the-eight/) [Arthur Penrhyn Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penrhyn-stanley/) > [The Beatitudes, far from being a new set of virtues that further divide the religious haves and have nots, are words of hope and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bryan-smith/the-beatitudes-far-from-being-a-new-set-of-virtues-that-further/) [James Bryan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bryan-smith/) > [ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. \[Matt 5:4\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/blessed-are-those-who-mourn-for-they-will-be-comforted-matt-5-4/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“BEATITUDES My God, this is staggering, Woah! Immense. This epiphany quivers me as I write. How powerful, nonpareil, & superordinary is your Word. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bright-heaven-s/beatitudes-my-god-this-is-staggering-woah-immense-this-epiphany/) [Bright Heaven's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bright-heaven-s/) > [“An Attitude of Gratitude Delivers to you the Altitude of Beatitudes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/an-attitude-of-gratitude-delivers-to-you-the-altitude-of-beatitudes/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) [Browse all 35 Beatitudes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beatitudes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When God wants to sort out the world, as the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount make clear, he doesn't send in the tanks. He sends in the meek, the broken, the justice hungry, the peacemakers, the pure-hearted and so on.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "N.T. Wright" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/when-god-wants-to-sort-out-the-world-as-the-beatitudes-in-the-sermon/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beatitudes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/when-god-wants-to-sort-out-the-world-as-the-beatitudes-in-the-sermon/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/n-t-wright-1173_beatitudes_when-god-wants-to-sort-out-the-world-as_512927.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/n-t-wright-1173_beatitudes_when-god-wants-to-sort-out-the-world-as_512927.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/faf/n-t-wright-1173_beatitudes_when-god-wants-to-sort-out-the-world-as_512927.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When God wants to sort out the world, as the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount make clear, he doesn't…” — N.T. Wright", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "N.T. Wright", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When God wants to sort out...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/when-god-wants-to-sort-out-the-world-as-the-beatitudes-in-the-sermon/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/when-god-wants-to-sort-out-the-world-as-the-beatitudes-in-the-sermon/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```