Matthew 5:1-12
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And 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 satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive 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.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(V.1) “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain.”
The Ten Commandments were given from a mountain. Now, Jesus delivers his central teaching from a mountain. The mention of the mountain is not simply a statement of where Jesus spoke. It has ties to something important. Moses received the law from a mountain. Elijah received ministry instructions from a mountain. At the mount of transfiguration Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah. Moses was the lawgiver. Elijah the greatest prophet. Yet the Father said, “Listen to him.” That is, listen to Jesus.
The symbolism is parallel to Exodus 19. It denotes the authority of Jesus. As Moses received the law from the mountain, so Jesus gave his teaching.
Note that Moses wasn’t the source of the law. He received it first, then gave it. But Jesus is the source of his teaching. He gives his law. But it is something more than simple law. Moses gave the law for running a nation. Jesus gives his law for running our lives. Note what Jesus says about this message in chapter 7. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” This is something that Moses could never say. Moses could not legitimately say, “Follow my law.” Whereas Jesus can say “follow my teachings” because he is the source of them. Moses was the source of nothing.
Jesus probably gave this sermon many times. He was an itinerate preacher. There is a parallel of this passage in Luke 6 with slight differences.
As we read these beatitudes of Jesus we should keep in mind that though he was encouraging his disciples, in reality, it was Jesus himself that did all these things. He was poor. He was meek. He mourned. He was all of these things.
(V.3) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.”
Jesus’ first statement in his sermon sets the tone for everything that will follow. Specifically, the “poor” and the phrase “kingdom of God.” What does Jesus mean by using the word poor? To be poor in spirit is to acknowledge spiritual bankruptcy.
Throughout the Bible, the good news of God is generally given to the poor. That is, the average person not necessarily to the powerful and the wealthy. This is not to say that there’s anything wrong with gaining wealth, there’s not, but in Jesus day, it was the wealthy that often persecuted the poor, and in fact that sometimes happens today as well.
More important is the concept of spiritual bankruptcy. What does bankruptcy mean? To put it very simply, it means that you cannot pay your bills. This is how it is in our relationship with God. We owe a debt to God that we can never repay. So Jesus declares from his very first statement in the Sermon on the Mount that those who have nothing to count on, except for God, receive salvation from him, for theirs is the “kingdom of heaven.” Imagine being told, “You are completely bankrupt. Here, the kingdom is yours.”
Now, Jesus was poor. He was humble and a servant. But he was not spiritually bankrupt. He had nothing. But spiritually, Jesus was rich. His was the kingdom.
What is the kingdom of heaven?
There are two stages to the kingdom of heaven. There is the kingdom now, and there is the kingdom future. Right now, every person who gives his life to Christ is part of the kingdom of heaven. And that kingdom is found both on earth and in heaven. But someday in the future, the kingdom of heaven will be on a new earth and a new heaven, which will be one location, one place. If we are poor in spirit, that is, spiritually bankrupt, once we come to receive Christ, we then get the kingdom of heaven both on the earth now and later on in heaven.
(V.4) “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
These statements by Jesus are a study in contrast. That is really true about this passage. On the one hand, there are those who mourn and the other hand those same people will be comforted, meaning, they will not mourn anymore. What do we mourn over? We mourn over our sin and condition.
How do we bring comfort to those who mourn?
In his letter to the Romans Paul makes this statement, “Weep with those who weep” (12:15). Sometimes, morning with someone is a way to bring comfort. To know that you are sharing the hurt of another person, they sense that they do not suffer alone.
I watched my first pastor, Roger Barrier, teach on this subject during a seminar. He had people sit down and groups of 2 to 4 and had them share something difficult from their lives. Then the people listening to that experience were to say something like, “I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’m so sorry.” The result was that people actually began to feel better when they realized somebody sympathized with their pain. Mourning with those who mourn is actually a way of giving comfort.
Remember that Jesus grieved over Jerusalem. In fact, he mourns over the lost.
(V.5) “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.”
What does it mean to be meek?
Often times, when we hear this word, we think of something like humble, introverted, or weak. It’s not a word that we really use much in modern society. But it has deep meaning. To be meek is to be submissive, without malice, self-controlled. So notice the contrast that Jesus is making. Someday, the submissive and controlled will achieve all power by reigning with Christ. That is an incredible contrast to go from being submissive and controlled to being powerful and in control in a spiritual sense.
Of course, ultimately, Jesus is the one with supreme meekness. This passage is also about himself. He is the meek one, and he inherits the Earth. We just get to share it with him.
(V.6) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
To hunger and thirst in this context means to greatly desire something. Think about the things that you want. What do you desire in your life more than other things? Is it a relationship? Is it a promotion or raise or better retirement? Is it something to do with your kids or grandkids? What is it that is your chief desire in life? When I pray, I like to say that I want Jesus to be the chief affection of my life. I hunger and thirst for righteousness. The contrast that Jesus is offering us in this passage is that we shall be satisfied. In other words, we shall achieve the righteousness that we desire through him— through Christ—we will be satisfied only in him.
But what is righteousness?
Righteousness covers a few things. First, righteousness is about our status with God. Are we in a right relationship with him? When we are in a right relationship with God, we are righteous, not by our own works, but by his work in our lives through Christ. Thus, we achieve righteousness by grace through faith.
Secondly, it also means right living in our lives. Theologically, we refer to these distinctions as orthodoxy, that is, right belief, compared with orthopraxy, which is right action. Orthopraxy is a natural result of orthodoxy. If you don’t have right behaviors then you may not have right beliefs.
(V.7) “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
In general, there are two kinds of mercy. There is mercy to the suffering, and there is mercy to the guilty. God is concerned with both kinds of mercy.
God has mercy on us because he recognizes that sin causes suffering. Because of sin, suffering was introduced into the world. And so God desires to be merciful to those who suffer, who are victims of their own sin. But he also desires to show mercy to the guilty, those who sin on purpose. We are all guilty before a holy God. Therefore, we need mercy.
On top of this, God wants us to be merciful just as he is merciful to us. We need to be merciful to the suffering. And we need to be merciful to the guilty. There is always time for mercy. Just as God has shown us mercy, we must also show mercy to others. It’s like the story that Jesus told about the man in Matthew 18 who owed 100 denarii to his master, and his master forgave him. But then that man went out and refused to forgive the smaller amount that someone owed him. The master was furious when he learned it and sent him to prison. He said, “Should you not have shown him mercy as I showed you?” Thus, mercy is a requirement of being a Christian. If you’ve met a Christian who has no mercy. The chances are he may not be a Christian.
Remember the admonition in Micah 6:8, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6:8).
Ultimately, Jesus is the one who shows mercy. He did that on the cross on our behalf. He is the merciful one.
(V.8) “Blessed are the pure heart for they shall see God.”
What does it mean to have a pure heart? Do you have a pure heart right now?
This verse is the culmination of the other verses before it. All of these verses deal with the heart. Being poor in spirit, morning, being meek. These are all things of the heart. So Jesus brings us all down to one great point: blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. If you are all these things, you are pure in heart. And then what follows, in the rest of the beatitudes, are how these things are expressed outwardly in our lives, from the heart.
Note the difference here with the 10 Commandments. Nine of the 10 Commandments were about things that we do, our actions. But Jesus here is dealing with the heart. In fact, the heart was dealt with in the 10 Commandments, especially the 10th Commandment, “Do not covet.” Coveting happens within the heart. But here, Jesus is dealing with the heart in a much deeper way. So those who are pure in heart, who don’t do these things in their heart, who know Christ, get to see God.
What kinds of expressions of the heart please God?
One of my favorite passages is Jeremiah 9:24. “Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things, I delight, declares the LORD.”
Notice what God says about these things. He “delights” in them. I love that word, delight. It’s more than being happy about something. It’s a tender joy in love, justice, and righteousness. I want to live a life where God says of me, “I delight in him.”
Of course, Jesus is the one pure in heart, and he sees the Father as he really is.
(V.9) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Now we get to the actions. These are more than just what is in the heart; these are the things that flow out of the heart that have been previously dealt with. So, the first thing we could say about this passage is that those who delight in these things of God shall be peacemakers. Peacemaking pleases God.
This must’ve been a hard concept for Jesus’ listeners to grasp. They lived in a society where an enemy ruled over them, sometimes brutally. Why would the Jews want to make peace with the Romans? But in fact, there’s much more going in this passage than just peace with one another or peace between nations.
The first kind of peacemaking, and the most important, is making peace with God. Not to have God as our enemy but as our friend. Our charge as Christians is to be peacemakers, bringing people into a peaceful relationship with the Divine Judge. And this is especially appropriate because the scripture calls Jesus the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
Of course, Jesus was the ultimate peacemaker. For it says in Romans chapter 5 that while we were yet still God’s enemies, Christ died for us. He is the ultimate peacemaker.
(V.10) “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
How have you experienced persecution for your faith?
While recently in an African country, I heard the testimony of a man who was persecuted for his faith in Christ. Terrorists beheaded his father and brother, and when challenged to renounce Christ, he held firm. They took a knife to his neck, but he survived. He was persecuted for righteousness’ sake. His scars reminded me of Paul’s words, “I bear on my body the brand marks of Jesus.”
Now, we come to something shocking. After being declared peacemakers, then Jesus says we will be persecuted. Why would we be persecuted for being peacemakers? This is not the natural outcome that we normally think of when we think of peacemaking.
This is the second time in the beatitudes that Jesus says “yours is the kingdom of heaven.” First, it was to the poor in spirit and now it is to those who are persecuted. The poor and the persecuted often deal in the same currency. They have made God their chief affection. And they are persecuted and poor for it. They delight in the things of God, not the things of the world.
Persecution is actually mentioned three times in the Beatitudes. It’s mentioned more than any other topic. First, we see it in this passage and then in the next passages to come, to know that persecution is a mark of faith in Christ, whether it is a soft persecution like we experience in America or a hard persecution where you can even lose your life in some countries, either way, persecution should be regarded as a regular part of the Christian life.
If we pray against persecution in our lives, then we’re denying ourselves the opportunity to identify with Jesus, as he also was persecuted for his faith. But if we pray through persecution, then we share in the things that Jesus experienced as well and can identify with him even more. Ultimately, it will make us more like him.
Noticed that Jesus referred to persecution for “righteousness sake.” Isn’t righteousness all the things that we’ve been talking about up until now? So the first few beatitudes are really setting the stage for how we will be treated by the world. We will be persecuted in some form for all these things.
Jesus was persecuted by the religious leaders of his day. And it was for righteousness’ sake. But his persecution on the cross bought us righteousness.
(V.11) “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
There is a change in language used by Jesus. Previously, he spoke in the third person when he said, “Blessed are…” But now, he speaks directly saying that their persecution would be on “his account.” By saying “blessed are you.” He’s making a direct statement to his hearers. He is speaking directly to you.
The last three beatitudes out of the entire list of nine talks about persecution, persecution for righteousness’s sake, and persecution for Jesus’ sake. The two are actually tied together. Only in Jesus do we have true righteousness.
Slander is part of persecution. The things that you say and teach about Jesus will be twisted and turned into lies and attributed to you. I experienced this once in Mongolia when something I did was twisted into a lie in a court hearing. I could have gone to prison for it, but thankfully, the truth was revealed, and the prosecutor dropped the case against me.
Jesus said these experiences are signs of our blessing. We are being truly identified with Christ. But he goes even further.
(V.12) “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
He doesn’t just tell us we are blessed. He goes further by telling us to express that blessing in a practical way. “Rejoice and be glad.” When was the last time you experienced persecution and thought you should rejoice and be glad for it? And yet the Bible tells us that these things were true of the apostles.
In the book of Acts, the apostles were beaten and reprimanded by the Jewish leadership for talking about Jesus publicly. They went away, rejoicing that they had been worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. And consider Paul in Acts 16. At one point, he was beaten and put in stocks, and he and Silas sang out and praised the Lord late in the evening, which resulted in their jailer coming to faith in Christ.
This reminds me of one of my favorite passages of scripture in the book of Revelation. Jesus is talking to the church of Smyrna, which was undergoing persecution. And he says this. Let me paraphrase. “It’s bad; things are going to get worse, and then you’re gonna die. Be faithful anyway.” In essence, that’s what Jesus is telling his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount. He’s telling them to endure and rejoice in all that they will endure, for great is their reward in heaven.
This passage is also about Jesus. The scripture says in Hebrews, “For the joy sent before him he endured the cross despising its shame.” And for this Jesus received the ultimate reward. He is the king of the kingdom.
INTERPRETATION
How does Jesus fulfill these nine beatitudes?
I began this lesson with the statement that Jesus is the one who does all of these nine things that he lists in the beatitudes. He is the one who is meek. He is the one who was poor. He is the one who is merciful, he is the one who is persecuted. Jesus is the model for how you and I are to live our lives. And that’s why we should interpret this passage as being about Jesus before being about us.
Right away, this should tell us something about the Sermon on the Mount. Many people interpret the Sermon on the Mount as being about morality and how we should live our lives. And there’s a sense where that is true. However, Jesus is setting the stage right up front, and he is making it clear to all of us that this is about him. It’s not just about doing good, or enduring hardship, or enduring persecution. It’s all about him and who he is, and his doing of good, his enduring of hardship, his enduring of persecution, and so on. Remember the purpose of the four Gospels: to reveal to us who Jesus is and his plan for the world and for us.
APPLICATION
So here are some points to consider:
1.) Our attitude about blessings may need readjustment. What is blessing to you?
2.) Blessing is not necessarily about wealth, power, or ease of life. What kind of blessing are you seeking?
3.) Difficulties and persecution can be an opportunity for blessing.
4.) Joining Jesus in suffering identifies us with him.
