Introduction
The term the Sermon on the Mount was one used by Augustine to describe the group of sayings of Jesus as he taught the crowds which gathered on the side of a mountain. Matthew 5-7 It was added to a note in the Coverdale Bible and thus gained popularity until today it is recognised as the title for these teachings. They focus on the Kingdom of Heaven which is the same as the Kingdom of God or spiritual life. Matthew 19:23ff; Mark 10:23ff; Mark 9:45-47 This simply means the reign of God in the lives of His people.
The Kingdom of Heaven as used in the Gospels does not apply to the universal sovereign reign of God over all his creation which comprises His Kingdom but the sovereignty of God coming to bear upon his saving purposes. To enter into the Kingdom of Heaven is to possess the spiritual life of characterised by Heaven.
Matthew 4:23-25 'And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.'
Matthew 5:1 'And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:'
The term disciples here is a general description of the crowds which followed Jesus and not only the twelve disciples which Jesus had chosen to follow him. Matthew 7:28 Jesus stresses that these disciples have need of entering into spiritual life. Matthew 7:21-23
Beatitudes
The title from these sayings comes from the Latin 'beatus' and Greek word 'makarios'. Matthew 5:3-12 It can best be translated as blessed and not happy as some have tried to do. To be blessed of God not only brings happiness but the approval of God. One can be happy and not blessed of God.
To the number of beatitudes there is some debate, is it seven, eight, nine or even ten? It is generally accepted as either seven or eight. The blessings promised in each of these beatitudes supernaturally grows out of the associated character. These are the characteristics of Kingdom citizens. These are a description of what Kingdom citizen are like, not a list of what to do to become one.
Poor in spirit
This is not to be understood as materially poor, or even poor in spiritual wealth. Jesus does not say blessed are the poor. It is to come to a realisation that apart from God we are morally and spiritually bankrupt. It is not arrived at through a self-hatred, but rather a self-examination where there is a realisation of sinfulness and a genuine turning in repentance toward God. It is not false humility but honest confession of who we are as rebellious creatures before God. Thus to the one who truly repents in genuine contrition the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. The road to God's Kingdom is covered with the tears of repentant sinners who have come to acknowledge their poverty of spirit and empty themselves of all self-righteousness and self-esteem to embrace the Savior to become rich in Christ.
Mourners
Closely related to poverty of spirit is the mourning which accompanies it. This is not a wallowing self-pity but rather a genuine grief over personal sin. This type of mourning is the logical response of those who have come face to face with the Holy God. Isaiah 6:5; Exodus 3:6; Luke 5:1-8 When one sees the character of God as holy and separate from sinful man then they are brought to the place of mourning over what their sin has done. It has caused the death of the Son of God. But the promise to the mourners is that of comfort. The mourner is met with the oil of gladness and praise because they realise the greatness of the deliverance from sin. Matthew 1:21 One day there will be no more weeping and mourning as all will be made new. Revelation 21:4
Meek
While poverty of spirit deals with our assessment of ourselves, meekness tends to deal with the way we respond to others. Meekness is not cowardice, or weakness. In the child of God it is a strength. Meekness is promoting others over yourself. Numbers 12:3; Matthew 11:28 As is obvious this blessing goes counter to the competitive cruelty of a materialistic society. But when the world thinks that the Christian is the great looser, God comes and says that it will be the meek who will inherit the earth. Psalm 37:11; 2 Corinthians 6:10; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23
Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
The Christian is side-tracked if this is not the centre of his focus. Even if the other pursuits are good, they push aside the best. This again is not a pursuit of self-righteousness, but a pursuit of the righteousness of God. This is no Christian option or luxury but and absolute necessity. It is as vital as food and drink. The Christian must have a desire to conform to the will of God. The promise of God here is that he will be filled with this righteousness if he pursues it with all of his being. John 4:14; 6:35
Merciful
Now this verse must be guarded against misuse because it has been made to say that God's mercy is dependant upon our showing mercy to others. This would remove what mercy really is, and replace it with a works righteousness. Mercy is God treating us who are miserable as we do not deserve. Kingdom citizens are to treat others with compassion and mercy because that is how they have been treated by God. Those who show mercy are those that mercy has been shown. Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13
Pure in Heart
The only way man can see God is by obtaining a pure heart. This can only happen by the miraculous grace of God. Psalm 24:3ff; 73:1 Holiness will be the only way man can have fellowship with God. Hebrews 12:14 The characteristic of this kingdom citizen is not the outward conformity to a set of rules but the inward change of heart toward God. It is not possible to see God in our sinful state. God is spirit and those that want to see God must approach him in a spiritual way with a pure heart. With the final consummation of God's kingdom all believers will be able to see Him as he is. 1 John 3:2 The beatific vision is the ultimate blessing for the believer.
Peacemakers
Those who are called sons of God follow after the prince of Peace. Jesus Christ makes peace with God by removing sin by means of the sacrifice of his own life thus bringing reconciliation between God and Man. All who carry this message of peace become peacemakers. Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15 As a follower of the Prince of Peace, the Christian seeks peace on every level in his own life and those around him.
Persecuted
This blessing is restricted to one's relationship to righteousness. Persecution for being strange or obnoxious is not included here. We ought not to think it strange however when the pursuit of righteousness brings Christians against the tide of society that there will be persecution. One indication of the Christian's entering into the kingdom of God is faithfully enduring persecution for the name of Christ. John 15:18-20; Philippians 1:29; 2 Timothy 3:12 This is the only beatitude that Jesus goes on to expand upon. Matthew 5:11-12
Witnessing and the Kingdom
Having described the characteristics of the Kingdom citizen Jesus goes on to show that Christians are not simply to be passive in persecution but active in witnessing. They are to make an impact on the world they live in. Two illustrations are used to convey this truth. Salt is to have a preserving property in society. If the salt looses its saltiness then it is only useful for paving roads. The witness of the followers of Christ is also likened to light. It is not to be hidden but displayed and seen by all. Light is to reveal what is hidden in darkness. The Christian is to bring the sin of the world to light. Matthew 5:15 The end of this activity is the glory of God. Matthew 5:16
The Kingdom and the Old Teatament
What then of the place of the Old Testament in the life of the Christian? Is it replaced or nullified by the teaching of Jesus. Jesus says not at all. Both the Law and the Prophets which represent the Old Testament have a fulfilled place in the life of the New Testament believer. The sermon on the mount does not do away with the law from mount Sinai. Thus Jesus begins to take some of the laws found in the ten commandments and show how they have been perverted by the Jewish law makers and how they are to be properly understood. Rather than a reinterpreting of the law, Jesus given the original intention of the law as it was set out in the beginning by God.
It must be remembered that Jesus is not speaking to religiously unrighteous men. They were morally upright people who had made a life long pursuit of righteousness. But Jesus says that to enter heaven, the type of righteousness that is display must exceed that of the Pharisees. A high standard and a searching comment. What was missing from the Pharisees was their heart. They had most of the externals right but their heart was far from God. Jesus proceeds to give several concrete examples to illustrate his point.
Murder Matthew 5:21-26
The Pharisees had heard their own interpretation of the law described many times. Jesus is not saying that they had heard the law of Moses as recorded in the Bible. The Scribes and Pharisee's had added their own understanding to the law in order to crawl out from under its searching demands. The first law Jesus mentioned deals with murder, the sixth commandment. Exodus 20:13 Driving a knife into the back of another man is not the only way in which this commandment can be broken. It can be violated by being angry with your brother. Anger is the seed of murder and can be carried out without the shedding of blood. The Scribes and Pharisee's had tried to limit the jurisdiction of this commandment to calling another Racca or fool. Jesus shows that any verbal abuse is unacceptable and in the true spirit of murder.
Adultery Matthew 5:27-30
This pertains to the seventh Commandment. Again Jesus goes to the heart of the issue, in declaring that adultery can be committed with the eyes and the mind. Plucking out the eye or cutting off the hand is not meant to be taken literally as Origen an early Church father did in castrating himself. Jesus is emphasising the seriousness of dealing with sin. It is possible to remove both eyes and still lust after another in the mind and heart. Jesus demands radical dealings with the sin of the heart and mind. Colossians 3:5-6
Divorce Matthew 5:31-32
The Scribes and Pharisees had made up the rule that if you wanted to divorce your wife you could write a divorce paper and divorce her. They based their actions on Deuteronomy 24:1-4 which did not make divorce as easy as the Scribes and Pharisees had made available. Jesus shows that Divorce is an unnatural disruption of the God ordained intention. Divorce was allowed because of the sinfulness of man and the hardness of man's heart. Matthew 19:5-8 It is clear from Malachi 2:16 that God hates divorce. Divorce is to be the last resort and exception rather than the common practice. The only exception which Jesus allows is for marital unfaithfulness in adultery. The weight of this passage is on Jesus' high view of marriage and not on the exception. Paul allowed divorce in the case of the desertion of an unbelieving partner. 1 Corinthians 7:15
Oaths Matthew 5:33-37
Next Jesus addresses the question of truthfulness. The Scribes and Pharisee's had practised taking an oath to bind their words as true. This meant that the Scribe and Pharisee could disregard truthfulness if there was no oath. Jesus makes the point that every word that man speaks ought to be true, not just when they are under oath. While some have taken this to mean that it is not right for a Christian to take an oath in court or an oath of allegiance, however the Old Testament did not forbid the taking of oaths. Deuteronomy 10:20; Genesis 9:9-11 In the New Testament Paul took oaths and called God to be his witness. Romans 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 2:5-10; Philippians 1:8 In the Jewish handbook the Mishnah an oath was not binding if you swear by (beside) Jerusalem, but it was if you turned and faced Jerusalem. The legalism of the Jews was put in place to make it possible to lie in certain situations. Jesus wants to stress truthfulness in every situation. James 5:12
Revenge Matthew 5:38-41
The law is found in Exodus 21; Leviticus 24 and Deuteronomy 19. This law was given to the Nation of Israel to prevent them from going too far in the meeting out of punishment. The law was meant to keep the punishment in line with the crime. It was also not a rule for personal revenge but to be administered by the judicial system within Israel. Here Jesus is not talking to soldiers and policemen but rather to the personal abuses of this law and the spirit of vengeance. The Christian is to be giving, gracious and kind while taking into account those who will take advantage. But even if you are commandeered and made to do something by force, it is still possible to show kindness.
Neighbour Matthew 5:43-48
The Scribes and Pharisee's had twisted the law to say that the opposite of loving your neighbour is hating your enemy and by so doing they had added to the law of God what was not there. They also limited their love to their neighbours alone. The question of neighbour is solved by any who are in need. Luke 10:29-37 In a marriage relationship your nearest neighbour is your spouse. Love does not stop with neighbours but extends to enemies, in fact our enemies are also our neighbours. Jesus sets God out as the standard when he says that we are to be holy as He is Holy. Luke 23:34
Hypocrisy
Alms Matthew 6:1-4
Giving to the poor is a biblical principle. Deuteronomy 15:11; Proverbs 19:17 The danger addressed here is the tendency to be more concerned with personal reputation and looking good than with the genuine needs of others. Jesus warns the giver not to be involved in blowing his own horn. Those involved in self-promotion are dealing in hypocrisy. Church giving was done openly, but individual giving was done secretly.
Does this mean that absolutely no one should have a knowledge of our giving? No it means that we should not announce it with a trumpet or post it on the bulletin board. The knowledge of spiritually mature deacons is not a violation of this principle. If no one could know about our giving then Peter would be guilty of violation of this principle because he was aware of Annanias and Sapphire's financial situation. Acts 5:1-11 They had not given all they said they had. In fact their sin was their secrecy, they tried to use their secrecy to their own advantage.
This passage speaks more to the legalistic way in which the Pharisees were giving than to the literal secrecy of giving. Jesus was emphasising the fact that we are not to announce it with trumpets. Jesus is dealing with the spirit and motivation of giving and not our method of giving. The sin is not in the knowing but in the bragging. It is once again the sin of pride that our Lord is addressing.
Prayer Matthew 6:5-14
Fasting Matthew 6:16-18
Fasting is the practice of denying oneself of food or other comforts. Incidentally, fasting and prayer, constantly go together in the Scriptures. Jeremiah 14:11-12; Nehemiah 1:4; Ezra 8:21
Israelite law ordained fasting only on the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:29-30 While the word fasting was not present the idea of fasting certainly was. However in the course of time the deeper meaning of fasting, as an expression of man's humbling of himself before God, was lost for Israel. Psalm 35:15 Increasingly it came to be regarded as a pious achievement. The struggle of the prophets against the emptying of the concept was without success. Isaiah condemned it as a cloak for wickedness and preached instead a 'fast' consisting of moral conduct. Isaiah 58:4-6; Jeremiah 14:12
By the time of Jesus those who were earnest about their religion, especially the Pharisees, were required to keep two fast days each week. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 that our fasting is not to be done before the eyes of men, but before God who lives in secret and sees into the secret place. Matthew 6:16-18 Prayer was backed with fasting in the New Testament Church. Acts 13:3; 14:23 Jesus practised fasting before his temptation Matthew 4:2 but also defended his disciples not fasting. Matthew 9:14-17
Kingdom Life
Kingdom Life
Hypocrisy is a very real danger for the Kingdom citizen. However for the Christian the Christian life is not only a negative one but a positive experience. The citizens of God's Kingdom have their lives fixed on the concerns of the Kingdom.
Treasures in Hevean Matthew 6:19-21
Here treasures are not gold and silver money but that which is of eternal value. Material possessions are given to decay and rot while spiritual treasures last for eternity. The Christian is to be full of light rather than full of darkness. Matthew 6:23 It is impossible to serve two masters. The idea is not so much holding down two jobs as it is trying to be a slave to two masters. If you put your confidence in anything other than God alone then you will not love God. The Path to the Kingdom is single minded.
Worry Matthew 6:25-34
Then what about necessities like food and clothing. Jesus appeals to the providence of God in providing for his people, if our priorities are straight. To worry is to question the Sovereignty of God over our lives. This is not to be understood as promoting idleness and laziness. God still requires that man work for a living. Jesus is not appealing for irresponsibility from his citizens, rather a balanced trust in putting God first in all things, even the little things. Even the necessary things of life like food and clothing can not justify worrying, God is very aware of the Christian's needs and he does care.
Discerning Christians
Being Judgmental Matthew 7:1-6
The matter of Judging others is important especially if you are the one being judged. This is not a blanket statement against any and all discerning judgment. Later Jesus instructs Christians to be fruit examiners. Matthew 7:15 Jesus is reminding Christians that they are not to adopt a critical and judgmental attitude. Romans 14:10ff Jesus is calling Christian to judge themselves first and then they will be in a much better attitude to see others faults.
When the unbelieving world is overly critical and unreceptive of the Gospel then the preaching should no longer continue among these 'dogs', or 'swine'. Acts 13:44-51; 28:17-28 Christian must be able to judge between those who appreciate the Gospel and those who trample it under their feet.
Being Persistent Matthew 7:7-12
Sometimes it is thought that certain things are not worth praying for, so we have not because we ask not. These prayers are based on the goodness of God and should be offered in persistence.
Being Discerning Matthew 7:13-29
The narrow and broad way are often confused in the world's thinking. To be broad minded is thought to be politically correct while being narrow minded is thought to be a intolerant. Jesus speaks the truth of salvation in teaching that the Christian life is a difficult road. Jesus doesn't promise a bed of roses but rather emphasises the thorns.
The problem of false prophets is a universal one in the history of the Christian Church. The only way of discerning who are true and who are false is by examining their fruit. This judging is essential for the health of the Church and her members.