The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes
1 ?a?When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on ?b?the ?1?mountain; and
after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
2 ?a?He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 "?1??a?Blessed are the ?2?poor in spirit, for ?b?theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
4 "Blessed are ?a?those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 "Blessed are ?a?the ?1?gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 "Blessed are ?a?those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
shall be satisfied.
7 "Blessed are ?a?the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 "Blessed are ?a?the pure in heart, for ?b?they shall see God.
9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for ?a?they shall be called sons of God.
10 "Blessed are those who have been ?a?persecuted for the sake of
righteousness, for ?b?theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people ?a?insult you and persecute you, and
falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for ?a?in the
same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
[1]
RELATIONSHIP OF THE SUBJECTS OF THE KINGDOM TO SELF
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his
disciples came unto him:
And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying [Matt. 5:1-2].
Although He did not actually give the Sermon on the Mount to the multitudes, He
gave it to the disciples because He saw the multitudes and their need. Therefore, it
was given to the multitudes indirectly.
In our day, men need first to come to Christ. While the kingdom is actually in
abeyance, the present state of it is a place where the seed is being sown, and the
seed is the Word of God. Our business in the world is to sow the seed, and the
day is coming when Christ will establish His kingdom upon this earth.
[2]
A. The Beatitudes (5:1-12)
5:1, 2 The sermon opens with the Beatitudes, or blessings. These set forth the
ideal citizen of Christ's kingdom. The qualities described and approved are the
opposite of those that the world values. A. W. Tozer describes them thus: "A
fairly accurate description of the human race might be furnished one unacquainted
with it by taking the Beatitudes, turning them wrong side out, and saying, 'Here is
your human race.' "
5:3 This first blessing is pronounced on the poor in spirit. This does not refer to
natural disposition, but to one's deliberate choice and discipline. The poor in spirit
are those who acknowledge their own helplessness and rely on God's
omnipotence. They sense their spiritual need and find it supplied in the Lord. The
kingdom of heaven, where self-sufficiency is no virtue and self-exal tation is a
vice, belongs to such people.
5:4 Those who mourn are blessed; a day of comfort awaits them. This does not
refer to mourning because of the vicissitudes of life. It is the sorrow which one
experiences because of fellowship with the Lord Jesus. It is an active sharing of
the world's hurt and sin with Jesus. Therefore, it includes, not only sorrow for
one's own sin, but also sorrow because of the world's appalling condition, it's
rejection of the Savior, and the doom of those who refuse His mercy. These
mourners shall be comforted in the coming day when "God shall wipe away every
tear from their eyes" (Rev. 21:4). Believers do all their mourning in this life; for
unbelievers, today's grief is only a foretaste of eternal sorrow.
5:5 A third blessing is pronounced on the meek: they shall inherit the earth. By
nature these people might be volatile, temperamental, and gruff. But by
purposefully taking Christ's spirit on them, they become meek or gentle (compare
Matthew 11:29). Meekness implies acceptance of one's lowly position. The
meek person is gentle and mild in his own cause, though he may be a lion in
God's cause or in defending others.
The meek do not now inherit the earth; rather they inherit abuse and
dispossession. But they will literally inherit the earth when Christ, the King, reigns
for a thousand years in peace and prosperity.
5:6 Next, a blessing is pronounced on those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness: they are promised satisfaction. These people have a passion for
righteousness in their own lives; they long to see honesty, integrity, and justice in
society; they look for practical holiness in the church. Like the people of whom
Gamaliel Bradford wrote, they have "a thirst no earthly stream can satisfy, a
hunger that must feed on Christ or die." These people will be abundantly satisfied
in Christ's coming kingdom: they shall be filled, for righteousness will reign and
corruption will give way to the highest moral standards.
5:7 In our Lord's kingdom, the merciful are blessed ... for they shall obtain mercy.
To be merciful means to be actively compassionate. In one sense it means to
withhold punishment from offenders who deserve it. In a wider sense it means to
help others in need who cannot help themselves. God showed mercy in sparing us
from the judgment which our sins deserved and in demonstrating kindness to us
through the saving work of Christ. We imitate God when we have compassion.
The merciful shall obtain mercy. Here, Jesus is not referring to the mercy of
salvation which God gives to a believing sinner; that mercy is not dependent on a
person's being merciful-it is a free, unconditional gift. Rather the Lord is
speaking of the daily mercy needed for Christian living and of mercy in that future
day when one's works will be reviewed (1 Cor. 3:12-15). If one has not been
merciful, that person will not receive mercy; that is, one's rewards will decrease
accordingly.
5:8 The pure in heart are given the assurance that they shall see God. A pure-
hearted person is one whose motives are unmixed, whose thoughts are holy,
whose conscience is clean. The expression they shall see God may be understood
in several ways. First, the pure in heart see God now through fellowship in the
Word and the Spirit. Second, they sometimes have a supernatural appearance, or
vision, of the Lord presented to them. Third, they shall see God in the Person of
Jesus when He comes again. Fourth, they shall see God in eternity.
5:9 A blessing is pronounced on the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of
God. Notice that the Lord is not speaking about people with a peaceful
disposition or those who love peace. He is referring to those who actively
intervene to make peace. The natural approach is to watch strife from the
sidelines. The divine approach is to take positive action toward creating peace,
even if it means taking abuse and invective.
Peacemakers are called sons of God. This is not how they become sons of
God-that can only happen by receiving Jesus Christ as Savior (John 1:12). By
making peace, believers manifest themselves as sons of God, and God will one
day acknowledge them as people who bear the family likeness.
5:10 The next beatitude deals with those who are persecuted, not for their own
wrongdoings, but for righteousness' sake. The kingdom of heaven is promised to
those believers who suffer for doing right. Their integrity condemns the ungodly
world and brings out its hostility. People hate a righteous life because it exposes
their own unrighteousness.
5:11 The final beatitude seems to be a repetition of the preceding one. However,
there is one difference. In the previous verse, the subject was persecution because
of righteousness; here it is persecution for Christ's sake. The Lord knew that His
disciples would be maltreated because of their association with, and loyalty to,
Him. History has confirmed this: from the outset the world has persecuted, jailed,
and killed followers of Jesus.
5:12 To suffer for Christ's sake is a privilege that should cause joy. A great
reward awaits those who thus become companions of the prophets in tribulation.
Those ?OT? spokemen for God stood true in spite of persecution. All who imitate
their loyal courage will share their present exhilaration and future exaltation.
The Beatitudes present a portrait of the ideal citizen in Christ's kingdom. Notice
the emphases on righteousness (v. 6), peace (v. 9), and joy (v. 12). Paul probably
had this passage in mind when he wrote: "For the kingdom of God is not eating
and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom.
14:17).
[3]
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [Matt. 5:3].
This verse says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." It doesn't tell you how to
become poor in spirit; it just says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." In these twelve
verses, our Lord used the word blessed nine times. By the way, the Psalms open
with the same word: "Blessed is the man ." (Ps. 1:1). This is in contrast to the
curses of the Mosaic Law. You may remember that Joshua was told that when
the people of Israel were come over Jordan, they were to stand on Mount
Gerizim to bless the people. And then the curses were to be given from Mount
Ebal. The blessings from the Sermon on the Mount are in sharp contrast to the
curses from Mount Ebal, and they far exceed the blessings from Mount Gerizim,
because Christ alone can bring those blessings. In our day only the saved sinner
can know his poverty of spirits-"Blessed are the poor in spirit." The Sermon on
the Mount, instead of making folk poor in spirit, makes them boast-like the man
I referred to. He was boasting that the Sermon on the Mount was his religion, and
he was trying to kid himself and kid me into thinking that he was keeping it. He
wasn't keeping it at all; it was just making a hypocrite out of him. And there are a
lot of those around.
I played golf one day in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a very wealthy oil man. He told
me, "I went to church just like the rest of the hypocrites, and I was one of them,
talking about keeping the Sermon on the Mount. Then one day I found out that I
was a lost sinner on the way to hell. I turned to Jesus Christ, and He saved me!"
Oh, my friend, don't be deceived. Only the Spirit of God can reveal to you your
poverty of spirit. The Lord Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount was not telling His
disciples how to become citizens of the kingdom of heaven. They already were
citizens of the kingdom.
We Christians today are actually very poor in spirit, we are spiritually bankrupt,
but we have something to give which is more valuable than silver and gold. Paul
expressed it this way: "As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making
many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things" (2 Cor. 6:10). "As
poor, yet making many rich" is referring to spiritual riches which are available to
everyone who belongs to Christ.
The next beatitude is:
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted [Matt. 5:4].
It is interesting to note that the same thoughts expressed in the Beatitudes can be
found elsewhere in the Scriptures. The poor in spirit are referred to in Zephaniah
3:12. Micah is an example of those who mourn and are comforted (see ch. 7).
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth [Matt. 5:5].
We find this in Psalm 37:11. The meek are not inheriting the earth in this day in
which we live-I'm sure you recognize that. So apparently the Sermon on the
Mount is not in effect today. However, when Christ is reigning, the meek will
inherit the earth.
How do you become meek? Our Lord was meek and lowly, and He will inherit
all things; we are the heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. We are told
that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, temperance, and meekness. Only the Spirit of God can break you and make
you meek. If you could produce meekness by your own effort, you would be
proud of yourself, wouldn't you? And out goes your meekness! Meekness is not
produced by self-effort but by Spirit effort. Only the Holy Spirit can produce
meekness in the heart of a yielded Christian. The Christian who has learned the
secret of producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit can turn here to the Beatitudes and
read, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth," and see that the
rewards of meekness are still in the future. Paul asked the Corinthian believers,
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? ." (1 Cor. 6:2).
The Beatitudes present goals which the child of God wants to realize in his own
life, but he can't do it on his own. You may have heard of the preacher who had a
message entitled "Meekness and How I Attained It." He said that he hadn't
delivered his message yet, but as soon as he got an audience big enough, he was
going to give it! Well, I have a notion that he had long since lost his meekness.
Meekness can only be a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Then in verse six we are told:
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be
filled [Matt. 5:6].
What about the natural man; does he hunger and thirst for righteousness? The
ones I meet do not! "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of
God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). The "natural man" is in contrast to the
spiritual man who has found that Christ is his righteousness-". of him are ye in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30).
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy [Matt. 5:7].
This beatitude is so misunderstood in our day because it makes our obtaining
mercy conditional on our being merciful. This is not the condition on which we
obtain mercy-"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing
of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5, italics mine). We should be merciful because we
have obtained mercy. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath
called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a
people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now
have obtained mercy" (1 Pet. 2:9-10).
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God [Matt. 5:8].
No honest man can say that his heart is pure. How can the heart of man, which is
desperately wicked, be made clean? The Lord Jesus said, "Now ye are clean
through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3). It is by the washing
of regeneration that we are made clean. Only the blood of Christ can cleanse us
from all sin (see 1 John 1:7).
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God [Matt.
5:9].
Can you name one peacemaker in the world right now? There is no one today
who can make peace. Christ alone is the great Peacemaker. He made peace by
His blood between a righteous God and an unrighteous sinner. "Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.
5:1).
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven [Matt. 5:10].
The application of this beatitude to our day and to the remnant of Israel during the
Great Tribulation is easy to see. But can it apply to the kingdom which is to be
established? Won't all evil be removed in the kingdom? Well, many Scriptures
show that in the millennial kingdom there will still be evil in the world because it
will be a time of testing. The outbreak of rebellion at the end of the Millennium
reveals that evil will be prevalent during the Millennium (see Rev. 20:7-9).
[4]
5:1-7:29 The Sermon on the Mount introduces a series of 5 important discourses
recorded in Matthew (see Introduction: Historical and Theological Themes). This
sermon is a masterful exposition of the law and a potent assault on Pharisaic
legalism, closing with a call to true faith and salvation (7:13-29). Christ
expounded the full meaning of the law, showing that its demands were humanly
impossible (cf. 5:48). This is the proper use of the law with respect to salvation: It
closes off every possible avenue of human merit and leaves sinners dependent on
nothing but divine grace for salvation (cf. Rom. 3:19, 20; Gal. 3:23, 24). Christ
plumbed the depth of the law, showing that its true demands went far beyond the
surface meaning of the words (5:28, 39, 44) and set a standard that is higher than
the most diligent students of the law had heretofore realized (5:20). See note on
Luke 6:17-49.
5:1 was seated. This was the normal posture for rabbis while teaching (cf. 13:1, 2;
26:55; Mark 4:1; 9:35; Luke 5:3; John 6:3; 8:2). See note on Luke 4:20.
5:3 Blessed. The word lit. means "happy, fortunate, blissful." Here it speaks of
more than a surface emotion. Jesus was describing the divinely-bestowed well-
being that belongs only to the faithful. The Beatitudes demonstrate that the way to
heavenly blessedness is antithetical to the worldly path normally followed in
pursuit of happiness. The worldly idea is that happiness is found in riches,
merriment, abundance, leisure, and such things. The real truth is the very opposite.
The Beatitudes give Jesus' description of the character of true faith. poor in spirit.
The opposite of self-sufficiency. This speaks of the deep humility of recognizing
one's utter spiritual bankruptcy apart from God. It describes those who are
acutely conscious of their own lostness and hopelessness apart from divine grace
(cf. 9:12; Luke 18:13). See note on 19:17. theirs is the kingdom of heaven. See
note on 3:2. Notice that the truth of salvation by grace is clearly presupposed in
this opening verse of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was teaching that the
kingdom is a gracious gift to those who sense their own poverty of spirit.
5:4 those who mourn. This speaks of mourning over sin, the godly sorrow that
produces repentance leading to salvation without regret (2 Cor. 7:10). The
"comfort" is the comfort of forgiveness and salvation (cf. Is. 40:1, 2).
5:5 the meek. Meekness is the opposite of being out of control. It is not
weakness, but supreme self-control empowered by the Spirit (cf. Gal. 5:23). The
fact that "the meek shall inherit the earth" is quoted from Ps. 37:11. See notes on
vv. 9-11.
5:6 hunger and thirst for righteousness. This is the opposite of the self-
righteousness of the Pharisees. It speaks of those who seek God's righteousness
rather than attempting to establish a righteousness of their own (Rom. 10:3; Phil.
3:9). What they seek will fill them, i.e., it will satisfy their hunger and thirst for a
right relationship with God.
5:7 they shall obtain mercy. The converse is also true. Cf. James 2:13.
5:8 see God. Not only with the perception of faith, but in the glory of heaven. Cf.
Heb. 12:14; Rev. 22:3, 4.
5:9 peacemakers. See vv. 44, 45 for more on this quality.
5:10 persecuted. Cf. James 5:10, 11; 1 Pet. 4:12-14. See note on Luke 6:22.
[5]
5:1-12 EIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF KINGDOM DWELLERS
The Beatitudes (5:1-12) revealed eight characteristics that should be true of the
righteous remnant in the promised kingdom. The truths implied in these
characteristics all reflect pervasive themes in the Old Testament. They revealed to
the listeners what the lives of people in the process of repentance should be like
and caused them to reflect upon their own character in relation to the character of
God. The Beatitudes were built upon an if/then logic, and hidden in each
Beatitude was an if/then relationship. For example, the first Beatitude says in
essence, "If you realize you are in need of God, then you will receive the kingdom
of God" (5:3). The Beatitudes both demand and describe. They demand good
character as they describe the "blessed" results of following the demands of
kingdom living.
The attitudes of realizing a "need" for God, "mourning," and "gentle and lowly" all
draw upon Old Testament themes and underscore the need for human
responsibility and the work of divine grace. The basic element demanded by all
the Beatitudes was a right relationship with God. The Beatitudes were intended to
inspire Matthew's readers to think about the character of the repentant person so
that they also could follow the path of repentance.
Matthew 5:3-16 should be seen as one single unit of thought. The word "blessed"
("blesses," 5:3; etc.) literally means "happy." For "realize their need for him" (5:3)
see Psalms 40:17; 69:29-30, 33-34; and Isaiah 57:15; 61:1; 66:2, 5. This
characteristic describes the inner attitude of a person when confronted with the
holy God and his demands. Realizing a "need for" God means admitting that no
one can have spiritual wealth in and of themselves-that all are dependent on God
alone for spiritual salvation and daily grace. Such a person aligns with God's will,
even against the desires of his own.
[6]
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a Matt ch 5-7; Luke 6:20-49
b Mark 3:13; Luke 6:17; 9:28; John 6:3, 15
1 Or hill
a Matt 13:35; Acts 8:35; 10:34; 18:14
1 I.e. fortunate or prosperous, and so thr v 11
a Matt 5:3-12; Luke 6:20-23
2 I.e. those who are not spiritually arrogant
b Matt 5:10; 19:14; 25:34; Mark 10:14; Luke 6:20; 22:29f
a Is 61:2; John 16:20; Rev 7:17
a Ps 37:11
1 Or humble, meek
a Is 55:1, 2; John 4:14; 6:48ff; 7:37
a Prov 11:17; Matt 6:14, 15; 18:33-35
a Ps 24:4
b Heb 12:14; 1 John 3:2; Rev 22:4
a Matt 5:45; Luke 6:35; Rom 8:14
a 1 Pet 3:14
b Matt 5:3; 19:14; 25:34; Mark 10:14; Luke 6:20; 22:29f
a 1 Pet 4:14
a 2 Chr 36:16; Matt 23:37; Acts 7:52; 1 Thess 2:15; Heb 11:33ff; James 5:10
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Mt 5:1-12). LaHabra,
CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru
the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:29). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
OT Old Testament
[3]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. (1997, c1995). Believer's Bible Commentary
: Old and New Testaments (Mt 5:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[4]McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru
the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:29-31). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
lit. literally
[5]MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.)
(Mt 5:1). Nashville: Word Pub.
[6]Hughes, R. B., Laney, J. C., & Hughes, R. B. (2001). Tyndale concise Bible
commentary. Rev. ed. of: New Bible companion. 1990.; Includes index. The
Tyndale reference library (400). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
.
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