INTRO TO BEATITUDES

Intro to the Beatitudes

Matt 5

The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary

MOUNT OF BEATITUDES. This was the name given to the mountain mentioned in Matt. 5:1, probably the place known as the “Horns of Hattin,” Kurun Hattîn, near Capernaum, and on the W of the Lake of Galilee. The Italian Franciscan sisters built a church on the site.

Hattin is the name of the village above “the horns.” It is centrally located to both the peasants of the Galilean hills and the fishermen of the Galilean lake, and would therefore be a natural place for Jesus and His disciples when they retired from the shores of the Sea of Galilee for some solitude, and also to the crowds who assembled from Galilee, and Decapolis, from Jerusalem, from Judea, and from beyond the Sea of Galilee.

Many Bible scholars have called the Mount of Beatitudes the “Sinai of the New Testament.” To readers in that day, the reference Matthew makes to Jesus ascending the mountain very likely was meant to recall the story of Moses at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19:3, 20.

The Beatitudes, the opening dialogue of Jesus’ most important sermon, set down the ground work or fundamental principles of His Kingdom and the new covenant between God and man…….a new relationship…….and rule of conduct, from the old covenant, that was set forth by Moses after receiving the 10 Commandments from God, which set up the the rule of conduct in the Old Testament.

Do you see the correlation? Both of these instances or divine revelations are the moral, ethical, and spiritual guidelines that should govern the conduct of all citizens of the Kingdom of God.

It is a profound privilege Christians have to be citizens of His Kingdom. And it is not exclusively a future privilege in the sweet by and by, it is here and now, in the present for true subjects of the King of kings

The first of five sermons/teachings delivered by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. and sets the tone for the rest of Matthew’s Gospel.

John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Mt 5:1–12.So Jesus started a sermon series that is recorded in Matt 5:3–7:27 that lays out a condensed description of how a citizen of the kingdom of God should live during our earthly life. Luke actually mentions several parallel teaching in the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6:20–49.

John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Mt 5:1.

The word “beatitude” originates from the Latin word beatitudo (Betz, The Sermon on the Mount, 92). They are also called “macarisms,” a label that corresponds to the Greek word usually translated “blessed” (μακάριος, makarios) that begins each of the beatitudes.

Beatitudes are also found 28 times throughout the New Testament outside of Matt 5:3–10 and Luke 6:20–23 (e.g., Matt 11:6; 13:16; Luke 1:45; 7:23; 11:27; John 20:29; Rom 4:7–8; Jas 1:12; Rev 1:3; 22:7).In Jesus’ day, the most important person or persons in a group would sit while the rest stood. Rabbis sat while giving instruction.

Matthew does not mention how many of Jesus’ followers were disciples in the full sense.

While Jesus chose 12 for special status (10:1–4), Luke records that at least 72 were disciples of some sort (see note on Luke 10:1–20); Jesus selected these 72 from a larger group. He likely had as many as a few hundred disciples.

The language of this verse reflects Moses’ reception of the law at Mount Sinai.

Turner divides the first eight Beatitudes into “two groups of four, with the first group emphasizing the disciple’s vertical relationship to God, the second emphasizing the disciple’s horizontal relationship to people” (Turner, “Whom Does God Approve,” 33–34).

• (Matt 5:3)—Poor in spirit blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven

• (Matt 5:4)—Mourners blessed because they will be comforted

• (Matt 5:5)—Meek blessed because they will inherit the earth

• (Matt 5:6)—Hungry blessed because they will be filled

• (Matt 5:7)—Merciful blessed because they will receive mercy

• (Matt 5:8)—Pure blessed because they will see God

• (Matt 5:9)—Peacemakers blessed because they will be called sons of God

(Matt 5:10)—Persecuted blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven

The first and eighth Beatitudes (Matt 5:3, 10) are paired together by virtue of the identical phrase, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, autōn estin hē basileia tōn ouranōn). Each of the descriptors in the first four beatitudes—“poor” (πτωχοὶ, ptōchoi), “mourn” (πενθοῦντες, penthountes), “meek” (πραεῖς, praeis), and “hunger” (πεινῶντες, peinōntes)—begin with the same letter in the Greek and describe “the persecuted (passive) condition of the disciples” (Davies and Allison, Matthew, 429). The second four beatitudes in this scheme are then considered to be “the ethical (active) qualities leading to persecution” (Davies and Allison, Matthew, 429).

Osborne proposes a different organization of the Beatitudes, dividing them into three thematic groups (Osborne, Matthew, 164, following Hagner, Matthew, 90–91):

1. (Matt 5:3–6)—Those who depend on God

a. (Matt 5:3)—The poor in spirit

b. (Matt 5:4)—The mourners

c. (Matt 5:5)—The meek

d. (Matt 5:6)—The hungry and the thirsty

2. (Matt 5:7–9)—Those who live for God

a. (Matt 5:7)—The merciful

b. (Matt 5:8)—The pure in heart

c. (Matt 5:9)—The peacemakers

3. (Matt 5:10–12)—Those who are persecuted

a. (Matt 5:10)—The persecuted

b. (Matt 5:11–12)—The insulted and slandered

They pronounce rewards for the virtuous, and reversals for the unfortunate.

Beatitudes primarily focus on rewards for virtuous, godly behavior. Collins summarizes, “Those who are praised in the Matthean beatitudes are those whose lives reflect authentic Christian existence from the viewpoint of continuing church life” (Collins, “Beatitudes,” 631). Along the same lines, Keener says, “Jesus’ beatitudes mean that it will ultimately be well with those who seek first God’s kingdom (Matt 6:33)” (Keener, Matthew, 166). Such an understanding finds its root in Judaism—“most Jewish teachers stressed rewards for righteousness … Likewise, Jesus emphasizes rewards for righteousness (e.g., 5:11, 46; 6:1; 10:41–42) reserved in heaven (6:19–21; 19:21)” (Keener, Matthew, 167).

The second part of each Beatitude—set off by “for” (ὅτι, hoti)—signals a reward that is given to those who exhibit these characteristics. The Beatitudes serve to demonstrate “what kingdom-ready people should be like” (Keener, Matthew, 167). James Thompson suggests further that the second half of the beatitudes bring a focus on “entrance requirements to the kingdom”—the good news is “for those who adopt the pattern of life demanded by Jesus … [which] fits well with the entirety of the Sermon on the Mount and the perspective of Matthew’s Gospel … [and] calls for a superior righteousness that is a prerequisite for entering the kingdom of heaven (5:20)” (Thompson, “Beatitudes in Matthew and Luke,” 114).

—“The kingdom is declared as a reality apart from any human achievement. The Beatitudes are predicated upon the experience of the grace of God” (Hagner, Matthew, 96). This new reality is pronounced by the content of the Beatitudes. As Turner concludes, “the beatitudes are primarily the eschatological blessings of the kingdom, not requirements for entrance into the kingdom. One should not view the beatitudes as God’s challenge for disciples to perform up to a certain standard in order to earn His approval” (Turner, “Whom Does God Approve,” 29). This view goes against Thompson and others who understand the Beatitudes as depicting “entrance requirements to the kingdom.”

Garland writes, “The beatitude promises consolation to those living in the midst of despair and oppression … The long-awaited blessings of the future age have come near for the poor in spirit, the weeping, the lowly, the hungry, the reviled, and the persecuted” (Garland, Reading Matthew, 54). Willard suggests that the Beatitudes declare, “Blessed are the spiritual zeros”—certain people are blessed precisely because they are non-religious with “no spiritual qualifications or abilities at all” (Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, 100).

France points out that Matthew’s use of the future tense in Matt 5:4–9 (“they shall be …”) along with the present tense in Matt 5:3 and 5:10 (“theirs is the kingdom of heaven”) “warns us against an exclusively future interpretation, for God rewards these attitudes with their respective results progressively in the disciple’s experience” (France, Matthew, 114).

Regardless of the approach, the Beatitudes provide a framework for the people of God to understand what it means to be a part of the kingdom. Turner notes, “The theological purpose of the Sermon on the Mount in general and of the beatitudes in particular centers in the kingdom of heaven” (Turner, “Whom Does God Approve,” 36). In conjunction with the Sermon on the Mount, members of the kingdom are to be salt and light (Matt 5:13–16), providing an example as a “contrast community” (Bailey, “Model for Community,” 86) in the world. The Beatitudes—with their pronouncements of blessings as rewards and reversals—communicate a value system that is of the kingdom of God. Finally, as Davies and Allison conclude, the Beatitudes “bring consolation and comfort to Jesus’ heavy-laden followers … putting into perspective the difficulties of the present,” giving believers a “hope that makes powerlessness and suffering bearable” (Davies and Allison, Matthew, 467).

Bibliography

Allison, Dale C. “The Structure of the Sermon on the Mount.” Journal of Biblical Literature 106, no. 3 (Sept 1987): 423–45.

Bailey, James L. “Sermon on the Mount: Model for Community.” Currents in Theology and Mission 20, no. 2 (1993): 85–94.

Betz, Hans Dieter. The Sermon on the Mount: A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3–7:27 and Luke 6:20–49). Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995.

Blomberg, Craig L. “The Most Often Abused Verses in the Sermon on the Mount: And How to Treat Them Right.” Southwestern Journal of Theology 46, no. 3 (2004): 1–17.

———. Matthew. The New American Commentary 22. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2001.

Bock, Darrell L. Luke Volume 2: 9:51–24:53. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 1996.

Carson, D.A. “Matthew.” Pages 3–599 in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary 8. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984.

Davies, W.D., and Dale C. Allison, Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew 1. The International Critical Commentary. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1988.

France, R.T. Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1985.

———. The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2007.

Garland, David E. Reading Matthew: A Literary and Theological Commentary on the First Gospel. Reading the New Testament. Macon, Ga.: Smith & Helwys Publishing, 2001.

Guelich, Robert A. “The Matthean Beatitudes: “Entrance Requirements or Eschatological Blessings?” Journal of Biblical Literature 95, no. 3 (1976): 415–34.

Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 1–13. Word Biblical Commentary 33A. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002.

Hanson, K.C. “How Honorable! How Shameful! A Cultural Analysis of Matthew’s Makarisms and Reproaches.” Semeia 68 (1994): 81–111.

Marshall, I. Howard. The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Exeter: Paternoster Press, 1978.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992.

Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005.

———. Luke 9:21–18:34. Word Biblical Commentary 35B. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002.

Osborne, Grant R. Matthew. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.

Powell, Mark Allan. “Matthew’s Beatitudes: Reversals and Rewards of the Kingdom.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 58, no. 3 (1996): 460–79.

Stott, John R.W. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7): Christian Counter-Culture. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1985.

Thompson, James W. “The Background and Function of the Beatitudes in Matthew and Luke.” Restoration Quarterly 41, no. 2 (1999): 109–16.

Tuckett, Christopher M. “The Beatitudes: A Source-Critical Study.” Novum Testamentum 25, no. 3 (1983): 193–207.

Turner, David L. “Whom Does God Approve? The Context, Structure, Purpose, and Exegesis of Matthew’s Beatitudes.” Criswell Theological Review 6 (1992): 29–42.

———. Turner, David. “Matthew.” Pages 1–389 in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary 11. Carol Stream, Ill.: Tyndale, 2005.

Jason C. Kuo

Blessing

Blessing pertains to favorable situations, conditions, and experiences enjoyed by the person or persons to whom the blessings belong. It can either refer to pronouncements intended to bring about these beneficial/favorable circumstances, or to the resulting circumstances themselves.

Fortunate, favorably treated, deep abinding happiness, joy

Joy is a central theme of the Beatitudes.

Blessed and highly favored.

Jesus Swears an Oath to the Crowd at the Sermon on the Mount

Mt 5:17–18 records an oath Jesus swore to the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount. The oath took place at the mount where Jesus preached. The reasons were fulfillment and law.

Mt 5:17–18

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.

How much interior patience and humility a servant of God may have cannot be known so long as he is contented. St. Francis of Assisi

Blessed are the Merciful Illustration

Choosing to Help the Noisy Paperboy

Matthew 5:7; Luke 6:36; Colossians 3:12; James 2:13

Preaching Themes: Forgiveness, Giving, Mercy, Neighbors, Service

When neighbors in a Michigan community were annoyed over a paperboy’s car making too much noise early in the morning, they thought they had two choices: They could file a noise complaint with the police or call the newspaper and get him fired. Instead, they decided to help out someone in need. The paperboy, 20-year-old Tyler Anderson, had a big hole in his muffler that he couldn’t afford to fix. The community decided to show him “the love of Jesus” and raised $300 to fix the muffler. It was then that they learned that the young man’s mother had recently passed away. When they learned that, they again came together to help the young man. The community fixed some other issues with his car, and offered to help him get his GED. Mike Gruppen, a resident who helped collect the money, said, “We had already made the decision to help him out before finding that out, and that just added to the story.”

—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Giving, Mercy, Poverty

Rewarded for Giving to a Beggar

Proverbs 3:27; 19:17; 28:27; Luke 6:30, 38; 2 Corinthians 8:14; 9:6–7

Preaching Themes: Giving, Mercy, Poverty, Stewardship

A Swedish man who planned a social experiment by posing as a homeless beggar and then giving passersby money back said his plan was foiled when no one offered him a donation. Konrad Ydhage planned to sit in a relatively affluent area and ask strangers for one Kronor (about 14 cents U.S.). He would reward people’s generosity by giving them back twice the money they gave him. Ydhage said the problem was no one offered him any money while he was begging on the streets. Rather than give up, Ydhage decided to move his experiment to a nearby neighborhood—a poor area populated mainly by immigrants. While begging in that neighborhood, he had the opportunity to reward 34 strangers who gave him money. Reflecting on the experience, Ydhage said, “It’s amazing how down I got after two hours in [the wealthy neighborhood]. I really got no reaction at all. It felt like they hated me. But in [the poorer area], the people were so kind. It felt like it confirmed my existence.”

—Jim L. Wilson