Sermon on the Mount: 1

Sermon on the Mount

Illustration:

Playing bagpipes at a funeral

Ecclesiastes 1:1–4 NIV

1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” 3 What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

Solomon who had riches and wealth, women, success, it is vanity. Solomon who would in one sense seem to have the blessed life, recognizes that eternal hope and happiness can not come from temporary things. ,

Everything under the sun,

Jesus introduces the nature of the new kingdom and how it is completely upside down to the worlds kingdom.

Jesus helps us to understand what true blessing is, and true happiness is. He is calling them to discipleship, and to preach this message, it is not only about the truths he speaks, but it brings attention to who is speaking.

He spoke with authority, not as one who just recited what was in the book, as a prophet. To speak the word of God..and even with more authority than a prophet

Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary B. Jesus’ Teaching on Discipleship (5:1–7:29)

The Sermon is thus far from being just a collection of moral precepts. It presents the radical demand of Jesus the Messiah on all who respond to his preaching of God’s kingdom. ‘The Sermon on the Mount compels us, in the first place, to ask who he is who utters these words.’

Context:

Matthew 5:1–2 NIV

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said:

The crowds-

Jesus’ following was drawn not only from Galilee, the area of his actual activity, but also from Judea to the south, and to the east from both Decapolis (a largely Gentile confederacy) and Peraea (beyond the Jordan, now in its normal Jewish sense, in contrast with 4:15), which together covered the Old Testament Gilead; thus the whole ancient ‘holy land’ (with the exception of Samaria, which Matthew nowhere mentions except to exclude it; see on 10:5) responded to the coming of the Messiah.

France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 110–111). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Mountainside-

The mountain is not a specific place, but a general term, as we might say ‘into the hills’ (cf. 14:23; 15:29; 28:16, none of which specifies the exact place; contrast 4:8; 17:1, where ‘a high mountain’ indicates a specific, though unidentified, peak). It indicates the steeply rising ground to the west of the lake of Galilee. Such ‘retreats’ to the quiet of the hills, for prayer and teaching, are a regular feature of Jesus’ ministry. It is therefore unlikely that any allusion is here intended to Moses’ ascent of the specific peak of Sinai to receive the law, thus portraying Jesus as a new lawgiver like Moses

France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 1, p. 112). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Sat down-

Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary i. Introduction (5:1–2)

Jesus is depicted sitting (the correct posture for formal teaching

Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary i. Introduction (5:1–2)

there were varying degrees of commitment. But the primary audience is clearly the ‘insiders’.

Session 1

Matthew 5:3–16 NIV

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary ii. The Advantages of Discipleship (5:3–10)

‘Blessed’ is a misleading translation of makarios, which does not denote one whom God blesses (which would be eulogētos, reflecting Heb. bārûk), but represents the Hebrew ’ašrê, ‘fortunate’, and is used, like ’ašrê, almost entirely in the formal setting of a beatitude. It introduces someone who is to be congratulated, someone whose place in life is an enviable one. ‘Happy’ is better than ‘blessed’, but only if used not of a mental state but of a condition of life. ‘Fortunate’ or ‘well off’ is less ambiguous. It is not a psychological description, but a recommendation.

Psalm 1 NIV

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Jesus reorients the listerners to a new undersatnding of what it means to flourish in God’s kingdom.

I want to propose that we often miss our blessings, because what it means to be blessed as God intends.

We say God has blessed me..listen the thriving, rich, blessed life is not about our outward condition. It is a posture of the heart, and attitude towards Christ.

Nice houses, cars, comfort, success, attention, wealth, relationships is not what it means to be blessed.

We have carried worldly standards to the kingdom of God, but we are going to see that not only are those wrong..but they are counter to them. Not only are worldly understandings of blessings missing the mark, but Jesus will show you that they are counter and can work against kingdom blessing. Lets keep reading.

Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:3 NIV

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary ii. The Advantages of Discipleship (5:3–10)

The beatitudes thus outline the attitudes of the true disciple, the one who has accepted the demands of God’s kingdom, in contrast with the attitudes of the ‘man of the world’; and they present this as the best way of life not only in its intrinsic goodness but in its results. The rewards of discipleship are therefore spelt out in the second half of each verse

Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary ii. The Advantages of Discipleship (5:3–10)

The beatitudes thus outline the attitudes of the true disciple, the one who has accepted the demands of God’s kingdom, in contrast with the attitudes of the ‘man of the world’; and they present this as the best way of life not only in its intrinsic goodness but in its results. The rewards of discipleship are therefore spelt out in the second half of each verse. The tenses are future, except in the first and last, indicating that the best is yet to come, when God’s kingdom is finally established and its subjects enter into their inheritance. But the present tense of vv. 3 and 10 warns us against an exclusively future interpretation, for God rewards these attitudes with their respective results progressively in the disciple’s experience. The emphasis is not so much on time, present or future, as on the certainty that discipleship will not be in vain

Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary ii. The Advantages of Discipleship (5:3–10)

Poor in spirit warns us immediately that the thought here is not (as it is in Luke 6:20) of material poverty. The phrase alludes to an Old Testament theme which underlies all the beatitudes, that of the ‘poor’ or ‘meek’ (‘ānî or ‘ānāw) who occur frequently in the Psalms and elsewhere (N.B. Isa. 61:1–2, alluded to in v. 4, and Ps. 37, alluded to in v. 5), those who humbly trust God, even though their loyalty results in oppression and material disadvantage, in contrast with the ‘wicked’ who arrogantly set themselves up against God and persecute his people. The emphasis is on piety and suffering, and on dependence on God, not on material poverty as such

Poor in Spirit- Recognizing their spiritual condition

The first thing Jesus says, as he introduces the heart of the disciple…is to recogize your spiritual brokenness. To recognize your internal weakness. To reocognize your need for Jesus.

Luke 5:31–32 NIV

31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

But aren’t we all sinners? Yes, but only those who have the humility to recognize it will receive it.

Those who recieved Jesus during his ministry were not the religious leaders, it was the sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors, dirty, sick. It wasn’t that they were any more deserving, its just that thier sickness, weakness, wickedness, helped them to recognize their need for a savior.

Hear me..this is the first part of the sermon on the mount because it is the foundation of being a disciple, and it is the posture of all discipleship. We need help! We are in need of Jesus.

It is a troubling thing when after being saved for so long, or coming to church for so long, you begin to lose your desperation for God. You begin to put yourself in some category of good, and you end up losing sight of your own spiritual wickedness.

Blessed are the poor in spirit! Those who recognize thier spiritual condition.

Those who are materially poor, thier body will start to let them know they need food. Their senses will tell them I need water. I need a home. I need help. Thier body lets them know!

But we are hardheaded, we are imporerished spirtually, and miss it. We hide behind our stuff, our goodness, our comforts, and miss the nature of our soul!

Parable

Luke 16:19–31 NIV

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Rich man neglects the poor man (Lazaras)

And the rich man here is condemned because he is rich, or even because he neglects the poor man..but his spiritual poverty is revealed in the fact that he does not offer help to the man at the gate.

He missed his own spiritual poverty…and Lazaras (the poor man) though poor, saw his need for God.

Heres the point…all of us are like Lazaras. We are the ones at the gate that can’t get in unless Christ brings us. We are all spiritual paupers. And let us not allow our stuff or our self righteousness to cause us to miss that fact.

We are not disciples by the good we do, or even measured by the bad we do..we are measured by what He had done.

Every Christian comes into the life of disipleship recognizing thier spiritual brokenness…and walks the journey continuing to recognize I am nothing without Jesus.

The outcasts were seen as not blessed because they didn’t live right or didn’t have it together..Jesus says true blessing is in dependence on me.

How do we know if we are poor in Spirit?

Now this is not entirely seperate from material riches.

Those poor in Spirit leverage worldly riches for kingdom gain.

Rich Young Ruler would rather hold on to worldly wealth than follow Jesus.

Mark 10:17–27 NIV

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Store up treasures in heaven.

Example: Exchange money

The point is not that worldly wealth is bad because of what it is.

The point is that it is a temptation becasue it can cause us to trust in the things of this world rather than God’s kingdom.

Those who are poor in Spirit leverage material wealth for God’s glory.

Luke 19:6–8 NIV

6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Because they see all the world can give to be leveraged for eternal treasure.

You see, Jesus point is that..only those who recognize thier spiritual brokenness can hope to be a disciple.

And those who recognize thier need for spiritual riches in Christ, will exchange thier worldy riches for it.

Paul would say it like this.

Philippians 3:4–8 NIV

4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

After his conversion to Christ, Paul recalculates the value of all of the advantages of his family and his accomplishments, his social class and his moral achievements, and then he enters the new bottom line: they all add up to one overwhelming disadvantage, one huge loss

Hansen, G. W. (2009).

Those things that encourage confidence in me, my fliesh, those things I want to take pride in..are of no advantage, but rather a disadvantage! My family, my status, my race..my intellect. The things I had, that I boasted in…didn’t set me forward, but set me back. Why? Becuase those were exactly the things that tempted me to trust in, and put my identity in them.

Worldy advantages are dangerous, not because of what they are neccisarily, but because of what they encourage: confidence in them and in myself. They encourage self-sufficiency.

All we have is Christ! It is him we need!Those Poor In Spirit know that thier blessedness is not about their good days, or taken by thier bad days..but by Christ being good in all days. They know its not about what they have but who has them!

If you feel like God loves you more on good days, or less on bad days, you are building your kingdom on what you do for God rather than what He is doing for you.

If your desperation Jesus has started to wain and you don’t long for him as you once did, you are building your kingdom on your goodness rather than his.

If see the money God has given you as primarily for your comfort rather than God’s kingdom, you are missing the heart of a disciple and kingdom blessedness.

If we say, how can I make this life into heaven, rather than, how can I exhange this life for heaven…we lose sight of true blessedness and kingdom.

Blessedness is not in the things you see. It is in the blesser.

Jesus continues.:

Matthew 5:4 NIV

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Those who Mourn

This is the natural progression.

How do we know if we recognzie our spiritual brokenness? How do we know if we have lost this?

We will mourn..over what? Our sin.

The story is told that The Times of London at one point early in the 1900s posed this question to several prominent authors: “What’s wrong with the world today?” The well-known author G.K. Chesterton is said to have responded with a one-sentence essay:

_Dear Sir, __I am. _Yours, G.K. Chesterton

The true disciple, walking with Christ..stops looking out at the problem out there, and starts looking at the problem in here.

But theres war and evil and mess all around me RJ. I shouldn’t be mad.

Sure, but there is noones sin that costs us more than our own. No ones sin has destroyed us, and will destroy us more than our own. If you are more angry at others sin, than your own its not righteousness you are fighting for. If you really were fighting for righteousness you would begin with the sin in your heart.

If it was sin, wickedness you were fighting for, what would you mourn for more than your own sin.

One of the surest signs of self-righteousness is that the sin of others bothers us more than our own.

When I stand before God it is not anybody elses sin which will condemn me but my own! Stop looking at everyone elses issue, and start looking at your own heart.

Everyone is so quick to say, America needs to repent, but no one wants to say, I need to repent.

Paul says this :

1 Timothy 1:15 NIV

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

Paul mourned over what…his own sin! He knew that he was a sinner and needed God dailey.

It is this heart of repentance that brings us to

Christ, and as disciples we must continually stay there.

And not just those who mourn over thier sin, but for those who mourn and suffer for the sake of Christ.

Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary ii. The Advantages of Discipleship (5:3–10)

Those who mourn are not necessarily the bereaved, or even the penitent. They are the suffering, those whose life is, from a worldly point of view, an unhappy one, and particularly those who suffer for their loyalty to God

In that time, it was believed that suffering was a sign that you had done something wrong. That it was because you had disobeyed God somehow. That blessing was about physical propserity and comfort. It is not.

Hear me, Jesus says, in Matthew 16:24-26

Matthew 16:24–26 NIV

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

A cross was suffering, pain and death.

Everyone that God has used greatly has gone through seasons of great suffering.

Abraham mourned, David mourned, Joseph mourned, Joshua mourned, Job mournd, the prophets mourned, the disicples mourned, Paul mourned, Jesus mourned.

We can not pray to be a disciple and be afraid of the sufering and tears that come along with it.

There is no such thing as a cross-less Christ, and no such thing as a cross-less Christian.

Can you be trusted with suffering? To keep your eyes on God and allow God to work in you and draw others to him through it? Or do we run from hard things?

Psalm 126 NIV

A song of ascents. 1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. 4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. 5 Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

When we sow in tears..keeping faithful to Christ, in suffering and pain, and loss..we will be rewarded!

Jesus here is completely upending the status quo. He flips the understanding of kingdom blessing on its head.

If others sin bothers you more than your own, you are missing the heart of a disciple, and the life of blessing God has called you to.

Can you be trusted with suffering?

He says, the nobodies that know they are nobodies without me, will be blessed. Those who mourn over thier own sin, and suffer, they are blessed…and he continues.

Which then leads to our next verse.

Matthew 5:5 NIV

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

The Meek

The meek echoes the same Old Testament idea as the ‘poor in spirit’. They are those who do not throw their weight about, but rely on God to give them their due. Meekness

France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 1, p. 115). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Also, we must understand what “meek” means. The Greek word translated “meek” is praeis and refers to mildness, gentleness of spirit, or humility. Other forms of this Greek word are used elsewhere in the New Testament, including James 1:21 and James 3:13. Meekness is humility toward God and toward others. It is having the right or the power to do something but refraining for the benefit of someone else. Paul urged meekness when he told us “to live a life worthy of the calling [we] have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:1–2).

Meekness is to think of others more highly than yourself. It is to not try to be somebody or something. It is to take losses so others can take wins.

Luke 14:7–11 NIV

7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Recognize what true success is and who can give it.

If you live for the worlds praise you will die without His.

If you seek becoming a somebody to the world..you will find yourself a nobody in his kingdom.

He says let God exalt you

Praise, popularity, honor. They didn’t praise Jesus either, you’re in good company. In the Kingdom of God he decides who to honor..and I’m afraid we will find those who think they’re somebody now..may find when the king comes..he doesn’t recognize us..and we are.

There is a particular importance of not being particulary important. Not striving to fight to get whats yours, to be seen..but to be faithful and entrust yourself to God.

Jesus did not run towards the spot light. As a matter of fact, he would retreat to obscurity because he knew where true sucess came from and where true honor can be given!

Meekness means we live for his attention not the worlds. And because the world can’t give me true honor, it can’t take it. Don’t get caught up!

Philippians 2:6 NIV

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary ii. The Advantages of Discipleship (5:3–10)

Jesus applies it not territorially, but in terms of the ultimate vindication of the meek. God will give them the high place they would not seize for themselves

If you try to seize your own place, your reward is you might get it. But you won’t get the place in his kingdom.

Matthew 20:26 NIV

26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

Trying to be somebody in this world will surely lead you to being nobody in His kingdom.

We are not fighting for the worlds attention we don’t need it. We are not fighting for the worlds stuff, we don’t need it!

Jesus continues to flip all of this on its head.

Do you live for God’s attention or the worlds?

Are you comfortable not getting the credit as long as God gets the glory?

Are you willing to take some losses so others can win?

Are you willing to be a nobody to the world, to be somebody in God’s kingdom?

Matthew 5:6 NIV

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Hunger and thirst for righteousness

Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary ii. The Advantages of Discipleship (5:3–10)

the meaning here will be that their one desire is for a relationship of obedience and trust with God. It is thus a personal aspiration, not a desire for social justice. The idea of ‘vindication’ (a regular meaning of ṣědāqâ, ‘righteousness’, in the Old Testament), or of ‘justification’ (dikaiosynē, ‘righteousness’, often carries this sense in Paul, but probably not in Matthew) may be implied in the promise that this desire shall be satisfied, but the ultimate satisfaction of a relationship with God unclouded by disobedience is chiefly in view.

Thier desire first is to know Jesus. to honor Jesus.

Psalm 34:8 NIV

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Blessedness is not in the things. It is in the blesser!

A blessing is not recognized by what it is, but by whethr it brings you closer to or further away from God!

A job can be a blessing or not

A relationship can be a blessing or not

A sickness can be a blessing

Going to prison can be a blessing

The barracks where Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsy, were kept in the Nazi concentration camp Ravensbruck were terribly overcrowded and flea-infested.

They had been able to miraculously smuggle a Bible into the camp, and in that Bible they had read that in all things they were to give thanks and that God can use anything for good.

Betsy decided that this meant thanking God for the fleas.

This was too much for Corrie, who said she could do no such thing. Betsy insisted, so Corrie gave in and prayed to God, thanking Him even for the fleas.

Over the next several months a wonderful, but curious, thing happened: They found that the guards never entered their barracks.

This meant that the women were not assaulted.

It also meant that they were able to do the unthinkable, which was to hold open Bible studies and prayer meetings in the heart of a Nazi concentration camp.

Through this, countless numbers of women came to faith in Christ.

Only at the end did they discover why the guards had left them alone and would not enter into their barracks:

It was because of the fleas.

Any decision that takes you farther away from God, regardless of the percieved benefit, is the wrong decision.

But we have just as much of Jesus as we want.

We are so full on the world stuff.

We can not chase after Jesus and chase after the stuff Jesus didn’t chase.

Power/Reputation

Popularity

Comfort

Wealth

I am not saying these are bad..but we seek God, and in seeking God we must be willing to lay even the worlds best things aside.

How can I be someone in the world and someone in God’s kingdom? They conflict!

You see Jesus here is describing us the attitudes of the disciple..the heart of the disciple. They are impossible though without Jesus.

So, are we walking in the blessings of the kingdom? Do we hunger for the blesser more than the blessing?

The truth is this..Christ is the blessing. There is not blessing apart from Him!

Jesus is the one who desmonstrated to us the kingdom life, he is the one who became poor, set aside his own rights, who mourned for the sin of the world, and suffered for it, Jesus was the meek one…Jesus showed us what it looked like to hunger and thirst for righteousness.

My food is to do the Fathers will.