Matthew 5:1-20

The Sermon on the Mount

I have chosen to break up Matthew 5 and the complete Sermon on the Mount over a period of a couple of weeks. This is going to be a daunting task that only the grace of God will see us through. The Sermon on the Mount is kind of like an Inaugural Address for Jesus. In it He sets the standards for how a Christian should act. Some say that the moral and ethical standard put forth by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount is set so high that it is impractical and unreachable. To those people I quote Jesus when He says, "All things are possible with God". Some scholars debate whether all the information in this Sermon was given at one sitting but taken from several of Jesus' teachings others say it was was one giant lecture. I don't really care about that, all I care about is that these are the words of my Lord. Let's get to it!!

For this exercise I am going to predominantly use my NLT translation because it opens things up for me and I understand it better. "Poor in Spirit"? What does that mean exactly? "Mourn"? Over what? Well, for me the NLT translation spells it out much clearer and I hope it will for you as well.

The Beatitudes

Right off the bat I want to point out something that can oftentimes go overlooked in the study of this grand discourse. In verse one it states that Jesus sat down before teaching His disciples. It was common practice for the religious teachers and Rabbis of the day to sit before preaching. Jesus is basically telling us that He is the Rabbi of all Rabbis and teachers of all teachers by this simple gesture.

In the NIV the first of the Beatitudes says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit...." and I was always confused by that. What does it look like to be poor in spirit? Well when I started reading the newest edition of the NLT it says, "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." You see.....I can relate to that statement much more than I can with the "poor in spirit" thing. I know for a fact that I need Him and I am poor without His presence in my life.

In verse 4 it says that God blesses those who mourn. I always wondered what Jesus meant by that. What should I mourn? I thought mourning was bad. I thought mourning was something that you looked to avoid at all costs. What Jesus is telling us to mourn over is our sin and that which keeps us separate from God. Believe me I mourn over that. I hate anything that keeps me from the warmth of God's embrace.

As I read the rest of these Beatitudes I am struck by how extremely opposite of our culture and societal ways Jesus is telling us to be like. Humble? Merciful? Pure hearts? Being persecuted? Not here in the good ol' USA. The only ones I think our country does in excess (although it doesn't always go about it in the right way)is thirsting for justice and working for peace. Although the peace and justice Jesus is talking about is a little different than the one we so willingly invade other countries for. It's all about motive and somehow I think our motive has been and always will be about our wealth and comfort not necessarily the well being of man-kind in general. I better get off this soapbox before I get myself in trouble. I am not judging just trying to state my opinion.

Jesus is saying, "BE DIFFERENT!" than the rest of the world. As children of the most high God we should look and act very different from everyone else. Because of this difference we will be mocked and made fun of. In some parts of the world we may even be killed. Jesus tells us to be glad for that. It means we must be doing something right. He will reward us for our perseverance under trial. It is easy to state that these standards are impossible to reach so we might as well not even try. What is hard is seeking God for the strength, wisdom, and discernment to reach for and exceed these high expectations. What is hard is being different and being mocked and standing tall and staying the course for your convictions. I know I can do a better job of this.

Salt & Light

In this section Jesus is restating and condensing the previous 12 verses. He is again practically yelling for us to BE DIFFERENT. What good is salt that isn't salty. As a chef I know the beauty that only a pinch of salt can make to a recipe. It brings out all the other flavors of the dish and enhances them. Do you or I do that? Can it be said that the people around us are better off with us or without us? What impact do we make to those around us (in a good way). Do people even know that we are Christians? Would someone be able to tell you are a follower of Christ if not for the bumper sticker on your car that states "God is my co-pilot" or the NtW t-shirt? Do you bring out the best in people or are they relieved when you leave the building? These are all hard questions I must ask myself each day and I am not always pleased with the answers.

We are Jesus' ambassadors. We are His secretaries of state. We are to go unto the world and be His department of foreign affairs. We are to advance His objectives and interests in the world. We should be implementing His foreign policy. When we don't we are like salt that has lost it's flavor. We are like a light that has been put under a basket.

Teaching about the Law

Jesus is very clear in His next statement. He says, "Don't misunderstand!" He didn't come to give us new laws to follow. He came to clarify the existing Law that was written down by Moses as given to him by God. He expected his followers to understand and apply the moral principles already revealed in Scripture. He is using this introduction (vv 17-20) so-to-speak as an opening for the remainder (vv 21-48) of His lecture on the Law. He is basically saying, "If you thought the Law was tough, then wait until you see this! If you really want to be my disciples than give me your hearts!"

Tomorrow we will continue our discussion on Matthew chapter 5. After grabbing his disciples' attention with his opening statements, Jesus defines the Law not only in terms of how people behave but also in terms of who they really are (5:21-48).

Have a great day! God bless!