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And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
- Matthew 5:1-10
Yesterday we read of the calling of the disciples, and the growth of Jesus' ministry. Walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: . . . Today, we begin reading the Sermon on the Mount, which will comprise the next two chapters of Matthew's Gospel. My study bible tells us that "seated is the traditional position of Jewish rabbis while teaching. Some early Christian preachers (St. John Chrysostom, for example) sat, while the people stood. To understand this sermon is to recognize this Rabbi is the one true Teacher of Israel."
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." My study bible says, "Blessed in this context indicates heavenly, spiritual blessedness rather than earthly happiness or prosperity. In Hebrew, 'poor' means both (1) the materially poor and (2) the faithful among God's people. The poor in spirit, the humble and lowly, have the heart of the poor and their total dependence upon God. These are truly the 'spiritually rich.'"
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." My study bible speaks of "holy sorrow," linked to repentance and to sadness at the suffering of humankind. This is a type of sorrow that leads to considerations of God, and not to despair, but rather to a true source of hope -- in this way it is distinguished from an earthly (or ungodly) kind of sorrow. Later on in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will speak figuratively of a cutting off of hand or eye or foot, meaning temptation to sinfulness in one way or another. Spiritually, we may also "mourn" over necessary losses on the path to God's great love, the things we need to leave behind us.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." My study bible tells us that "meekness is an attitude of being content with both honor and dishonor. It is an imitation of Christ who said, 'Learn from Me, for I am gentle [meek] and lowly in heart' (11:29)." Through meekness in this sense we practice humility before God; as my study bible puts it, "the meek are God-controlled, and through their prayers God gives them mastery over their passions -- especially anger. Meekness is not passive gentleness, but strength under control. Jesus' promise of future blessings is not for the powerful, the rich and the violent, but for those who are meek and humble: they will inherit the earth, the new earth which is everlasting."
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." My study bible says, "Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Greek dikaiosune, also translated 'justification' [or in modern Greek, justice]) see the presence of God and His Kingdom as the most important thing in their lives (see 6:33)."
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." A note says, "Mercy is love set in motion, love expressed in action. God's lovingkindness, His mercy in taking our sufferings upon Himself in order to grant us His Kingdom, sets us free from captivity to the evil one. In view of God's lovingkindness (Luke 6:36), we in turn are to be merciful to all others."
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." My study bible explains: "To be pure is to be unmixed with anything else. The pure in heart are devoted to the worship and service of God. With the aid of the Holy Spirit, they (1) practice all virtue, (2) are not conscious of any evil in themselves, and (3) live in temperance -- a stage of spirituality attained by few in this life." To be truly pure in heart is to have a full desire for God, and the things of God. To be pure in the Greek is also a word for clean, or cleansed. In an important sense, to be pure in heart is to fully love God with an undivided loyalty and passion.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." A note here tells us: "Being Himself the source of peace, the Son of God found no price sufficient for peace but that of shedding His own blood. In doing so, Christ reveals Himself to us as the Reconciler, the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6; Eph. 2:14,16). The Holy Spirit gives peace, the sign of God's presence, to those who meditate on Christ and imitate Him. Peace brings communion with God and concord with all creation, the sign of our sanctity. Thus, peacemakers share God's peace with those around them, participating in the work of God's Son and becoming, by God's grace, sons of God themselves."
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." My study bible teaches here: "Children of God uphold God's truth and refuse to compromise with the ways of the world. They give themselves to no other (6:24, 33; see 1 Cor. 6:19-20). It is not surprising then that they, like Jesus, should be persecuted for righteousness' sake. For Christ's kingdom is the crown awaiting the righteous."
Jesus' Beatitudes are among the most famous passages in all of Scripture. If we look at it one way, the Beatitudes are the teachings of Christ that tell us of the good life of the Kingdom. We all may think we have rules to live by, maxims to live out in our lives, like rules or helpful prescriptions about exercise, or working hard, or studying diligently. But Jesus' Beatitudes give us the blessings of a Godly life, a life in which we "seek first" that Kingdom of heaven which He will preach about in this Gospel. Instead of a set of rules, He gives us a set of blessings, the blessings that follow the life of the pursuit of this Kingdom, this place in God's love, and what we do to get there with an unmixed passion for the love of God. Let us understand that this model of righteousness is about a blessed way of life, one that confers the kind of blessings which moth and rust can't destroy, nor can thieves steal. These are the things that walk with us in our lives no matter what else is happening, no matter what others may think or believe, no matter what fortune or the fickleness of others may bestow in a worldly sense. The Kingdom that He promises is comprised of those things that are a part of us if we but seek them in the ways in which He teaches us, a set of blessings for the way of life He implies when He teaches that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When we think of these laws of love and blessings that He teaches us, let us keep in mind that this is a message about God's love, and that it is couched in blessings and promises. The good news of the Kingdom is here. Let us keep this in mind as we read through the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, and read Jesus' precepts for the life He promises.
