Sermon On the Mount: The Beatitudes
David Steltz
Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction & Review
Introduction & Review
Last week, Mike wrapped up Matthew chapter 4. And he gave us an overview, an outline of how the book of Matthew is broken up, and a couple ways to approach it.
**Remember, we have 3 main sections in Matthew:
Introduction [1:1-4:16]
Body [4:17-16:20]
Conclusion [16:21 - 28:20]
The first 4 chapters are like an introduction, the first main section of the book, and part way through chapter 4 we have a transition into the main body, and we’re going to be getting into that next main body section today, starting with chapter 5.
But there’s also a pattern throughout the whole book that we can see, of alternating sections of story and teaching.
**There are five sections, five pairs of story and teaching, followed by one final section of story.
Chapters 1–4 (S); 5–7 (T); 8–9 (S); 10 (T); 11–12 (S); 13 (T); 14–17 (S); 18 (T); 19–22 (S); 23–25 (T); 26–28 (S).
We just finished up the first section of story, in chapters 1-4, so we’re now entering into the first section of teachings.
So far, we’ve seen first the birth of Jesus and his early life, then a shift to John the Immerser and his teachings, then a shift back to Jesus, when as an adult he comes on the scene and takes over for John after John is arrested.
In chapter 4 verses 18-22 we saw Jesus beginning to call disciples, specifically hand-picking young men to follow him and learn from him. Remember, Jesus is presented in many ways as a new Moses, and has come to establish a new Israel, and while he accumulates many disciples, he specifically chooses 12 men for his inner circle, symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel. Though so far in Matthew, we’ve only been introduced to 4 of them. But we’ve been introduced to that idea of Jesus reaching out and choosing, calling people to follow him.
Then in verses 23-25, we see his teaching, preaching, and healing begin to draw crowds to him simply for his reputation.
Let’s go ahead and read those last 3 verses in chapter 4, as they transition us into chapter 5:
23 Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 Then the news about him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And he healed them. 25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
So this is just a general summary of Jesus’s early ministry, and then in chapter 5 we get a specific example of what it looked like when Jesus taught.
Introduction
Introduction
1 When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to teach them, saying:
Let’s just pause here for a moment. For the next three chapters, story time is over. Matthew has mostly been in narrative mode so far, and now it’s time for a long section on teaching that goes through to the end of chapter seven. If your bible has the words of Jesus in red letters, that means you have basically three whole chapters of red letters to read here. Other than 2 verses at the beginning, introducing it, and 2 verses at the end, concluding it, Matthew chapters 5-7 are entirely teachings directly from Jesus. That’s pretty cool!
But I want to point out a few things before we dive in.
The Mountain
The Mountain
First of all, he goes up a mountain.
Most English translations use the word “mountain” here, and the teaching that follows, like Mike mentioned last week, has since been known as the “Sermon on the mount.” If you’ve been in or around churches long enough, chances are you’ve at least heard that title “Sermon on the Mount.” It’s probably the most famous and well-known passage of teachings from Jesus.
We call it the “Sermon on the Mount” but I want to talk for a minute about this “mountain.”
There’s a practical aspect to him going up a mountain. It was a reactionary measure to deal with the large number of people who wanted to hear him speak…a mountainside would make that more practical…more people would be able to see him and hear him if he were up at the top, while they gathered around.
It might surprise you, though, to see what this “mountain” looks like…it did me, anyway. When I picture a mountain, I picture the Adirondacks. The high peaks. Right? Or even bigger mountain ranges...the Alps, or the Andes, or the Himalayas. Majestic, snow-capped peaks!
But I want to clarify that this wasn’t a rock-climbing expedition! It’s really more of a hill! This particular region isn’t what we would typically consider “mountainous” but more “hilly.” In fact, the CJB uses the word “hill” rather than “mountain.”
**Here’s a view of the sea of Galilee from the traditional site of the sermon on the mount. It’s actually referred to by some as the “Mount of Beatitudes” which is another word we’ll talk about in a minute.
**There’s actually a Franciscan church established nearby, called the “Church of the Beatitudes.” This building was built in the 1930’s, but there’s also some ruins of an older church building nearby, dating back to the 4th century! The significance of this site, and the scholarly consensus that this is where the sermon on the mount took place, goes back more than 1600 years.
**Here’s an aerial view of the area. The church building is in the center, the sea of Galilee is visible towards the top left, and again you can see that it’s pretty hilly, but maybe not as mountainous as you might think at first.
**I’ll go back to this view, without the buildings, because this is probably closest to what Jesus would have been seeing, if you can picture the hillside just filled with people wanting to be near him and hear him speak.
I think it’s cool to actually see what it looks like, and though it might be more accurate to call it a hill rather than a mountain, the use of the word “mountain” is actually intentional, and it serves a purpose.
Mountains play a significant role in the Bible. Remember the mountains in the story of Elijah! You have mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal, and then Elijah goes to mount Sinai, or mount Horeb, and THAT connects his story back to that of Moses and Israel, gathering at mount Sinai to meet with God and receive the law through Moses for the first time.
Remember, just like John is presented as a new Elijah, Jesus is presented as a new Moses. That’s a key concept to keep in mind throughout the rest of the sermon. Not just my sermon, Jesus’s sermon.
Jesus ascending a “mountain,” even if it’s a tiny one, and then delivering a message from the mountaintop, in which he makes numerous references to the law and allusions to Moses, it’s all connecting him to Moses.
Matthew has already given us several parallels between Jesus and Moses, even from the details of his birth how they both escaped a murderous king through divine intervention! For Moses it was Pharoah and for Jesus it was Herod! The detail about the “mountain” here just continues, and reinforces that connection.
Mount Sinai, the mountain of Moses, is closely associated with the law, and Jesus, throughout his sermon is going to refer to and illuminate various aspects of the law, as well as allude to how he himself will be the ultimate fulfillment of that law.
So, that’s an important connection, established right away, that we need to keep in the backs of our minds as we continue throughout the next few chapters.
Sitting Down
Sitting Down
One other thing I wanted to point out, because I just think it’s a fun detail, is that Jesus sat down. When someone in our culture today is speaking publicly, like me right now, the typical layout is exactly this. The speaker stands, perhaps elevated on a stage, and the listeners sit down in front of the stage. Even if Mike or I decide to sit down, it’s still on tall chairs and on a stage. And that’s really for no other reason than to make it easier for everyone to see and hear.
But in Jesus’s day, in the first century, it was kind of the opposite. Although Jesus did go up a mountain, or a hill, kind of a natural “stage,” it was customary for teachers, rabbi’s, to sit down while teaching, and for his students, his disciples, or talmidim to stand while they listened. It was a way of showing respect and designating the teacher as the focus of attention. It’s just kind of opposite the way we think, but that was how they did it.
In fact, the only time teachers would stand when speaking was when they were reading directly from scripture, from the tanakh. And that was a recognition of the words they were reading having a higher authority than their own words…they were reading the words of the ultimate authority, the ultimate teacher, God himself, and would stand to acknowledge that, then sit back down when they were offering their own words, their own thoughts and exposition.
Kind of cool, actually, I think. And I told Mike I wanted to try doing the whole sermon that way, I could sit down while I speak, unless I read from scripture, then I would stand up, and meanwhile everyone else would have to stand the whole time. Don’t you think that would be fun? Or we could go outside to the hill, and I could sit on top of it and make you all stand on the hill.
Don’t worry, we won’t actually do that, you can stay in your nice comfy seats. But it’s kind of fun to think about.
Disciples
Disciples
Speaking of teachers and disciples though, when it says in verse 1 that “his disciples came to him” or “his disciples gathered around him,” it’s not just referring to the 12 disciples, or to the 4 that we’ve been introduced to by name. Jesus had many disciples, he drew crowds! And I’m sure the audience was rather mixed at times…we know, as Mike brought out last week, that there were people from all over, from different countries and people groups other than just Israel. We know there were people from different backgrounds, both men and women, and of various ages who gathered to listen to Jesus. And some of them probably came just out of curiosity, and others out of skepticism, or even to try to get him in trouble. But a significantly large number of people actually followed him and took his teachings to heart, listening intently, with the intent to learn and become more like him, enough to be called “disciples.” Many more than just the 12. There were at least 72 devoted disciples, and some guess those 72 were selected from a group of a couple hundred or more. And we know there were at least a couple of occasions when Jesus addressed crowds of thousands of people!
That’s a lot of people! We don’t know how many people were at the sermon on the mount, probably not thousands, but the point is when we see that word “disciples,” in this context, we should be picturing a crowd of people, not just the 12 “special” ones.
Beatitudes
Beatitudes
Alright, so we have our setting, and we’ve set the stage with the backdrop of Moses at Sinai, and we have a crowd of people waiting to hear from their teacher.
And in verse 2, he “opens his mouth.” That is to say, of course, he began to speak. But that phrase “he opened his mouth” was a common idiom to emphasize the significance, the gravity of the words to follow.
Then, in verses three through twelve, we get a series of formulaic sayings, almost like proverbs. You have eight sayings in a row which follow a specific structure, plus a ninth at the end which deviates from the structure but continues the concept. So, depending on who you ask, we have 8 or 9 of these sayings, and they’ve become known as “The Beatitudes.”
How many of you have heard that term before? Other than a few minutes ago? Like “Sermon on the Mount,” it’s a title that’s not in the Bible, it’s just a title born from tradition that we use to refer to this particular passage.
I grew up in church, so I remember hearing this term pretty young. In fact, the first time I heard it I think was when our pastor was preaching through the Beatitudes, maybe one or two at a time. And I remember him saying at some point, and it’s possible this is just my 6 year old brain making this up, but I’m pretty sure he said something like this:
The “Beatitudes” are called “Beatitudes” because you should “BE” these “Attitudes.” They are “Attitudes” to BE.”
And I also remember thinking that he made that word up. He didn’t. But he did make that definition up. And it’s not true.
So, What is a “Beatitude?”
So, What is a “Beatitude?”
The word “beatitude” comes from the Latin beatitudo. It’s not actually in the English bible. It means “the state of being blessed” or “blessedness.” That’s all it means.
Which makes sense, because each of the next several statements begins with “Blessed is” followed by “the one who” with a designation, and then a “because” qualifying the nature of blessedness for that kind of person.
So, using regular English, you could refer to these verses as “the blessedness teachings” or “blessed sayings” That’s what beatitudes means.
But that leads us to the next question:
What is the state of being blessed?
What is the state of being blessed?
In the Old Testament, particularly in Psalms, we’ll often find similar statements translated from Hebrew as “happy is.” And the Greek word used here in Matthew is also associated with “happiness” and “good fortune.”
But “happiness,” the way we tend to understand it from a worldly perspective, is not necessarily the best way to think of being blessed.
Even in the Old Testament, the idea of “blessedness” or TRUE “happiness” is the idea of a fortunate, blissful state, based NOT on worldly circumstances, but on divine conditions. There are quite a few of these conditional blessing statements throughout Old Testament wisdom literature, especially the Psalms.
Let’s look at a few of those together:
17 See how happy is the person whom God corrects;
so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.
1 How happy is the one who does not
walk in the advice of the wicked
or stand in the pathway with sinners
or sit in the company of mockers!
1 How joyful is the one
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered!
2 How joyful is a person whom
the Lord does not charge with iniquity
and in whose spirit is no deceit!
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord—
the people he has chosen to be his own possession!
1 Happy is one who is considerate of the poor;
the Lord will save him in a day of adversity.
3 How happy are those who uphold justice,
who practice righteousness at all times.
34 Anyone who listens to me is happy,
watching at my doors every day,
waiting by the posts of my doorway.
14 Happy is the one who is always reverent,
but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble.
In a biblical context, blessedness is divine favor applied to humans (or other parts of creation). In some cases, that divine favor is manifested in present, physical health and prosperity, happiness and comfort. However, we can also see divine favor, the status of blessedness applying to people who have a hope in the future.
And ultimately, blessedness comes in the form of spiritual health and reconciliation with God, rather than in physical, wordly fortune.
And you can see that Jesus is drawing on a tradition that already existed in ancient Hebrew wisdom literature. He didn’t invent the concept of beatitudes, he’s using a common framework. In fact, this type of saying wasn’t just common in Jewish wisdom literature, but also that of ancient Egypt, as well as Hellenistic (Greek) literature.
But the type of blessedness, and to whom it is applied, is rather unexpected when Jesus gives his version. Let’s read them all together:
The Blessedness Teachings:
The Blessedness Teachings:
2 Then he began to teach them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the humble,
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 sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
**Alright, here they are listed out individually:
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Structure
• (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
(Of course there’s also the bonus: Insulted, persecuted, falsely accused blessed because their reward is great in heaven and they are like the prophets).
Interpretation
Interpretation
So, what do we do with this? Without parsing out the finer details of each one, I think we can grasp the big picture of what Jesus is saying here.
Paradoxical
Paradoxical
First of all, we have to recognize that the way Jesus is framing Blessedness appears to be somewhat paradoxical, even compared to the Old Testament verses we read earlier. Generally, blessing sayings could be read as formulas for success, or as promises of rewards for righteousness.
In other words, if you want to be happy, follow God.
But what Jesus is talking about here clearly transcends happiness. And I think that applies to a proper understanding of Psalms and Proverbs as well. Jesus gets that. And he’s making it clearer for us here.
As with all Jesus’s teaching, he’s not negating or contradicting the Old Testament, he’s clarifying its meaning and original intent.
In fact, here’s one more verse from Psalms which Jesus pretty much quotes in verse 5:
11 But the humble will inherit the land
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.
See, he’s clearly tying into and referencing the Old Testament, but the overall tone and message is a little different from what people may have expected. I think it’s reasonable to assume that some of these statements would have come across as somewhat confusing to his listeners!
Can you imagine being one of the people following and listening to Jesus, and being someone who’s poor, grief-stricken, humble, and hungry, and hearing this words?
It might sound wonderful! It would give you hope!
But it also might sound ridiculous!
It might give cause for skepticism.
And the same could be true for anyone reading or hearing these words today.
Especially for someone who has never experienced the joy of the presence of God, of citizenship in the kingdom of heaven, this might sound like total nonsense!
You can tell someone they’re blessed, but that doesn’t mean they feel blessed. I can tell you you’re blessed. But you’re not going to believe me unless I back that up with some proof or reason.
But the ones who were least likely to feel or appear to be blessed are the ones Jesus is calling out as the most blessed.
In a way, that’s the point…the least likely, the least expected, are the ones who for whom Jesus reverses the narrative. And it all centers around the kingdom of heaven.
For those hearing these concepts for the first time though, imagine being in that crowd and hearing this, and having it resonate with you…you could say “yeah, that’s me! I’m hungry! But you’re telling me I’m blessed? because I’ll be filled? OK great, but how? when?”
And then after the beatitudes Jesus just moves on, and talks about salt and light, and fulfilling the law, and murder, and adultery, and divorce, and loving your enemies, and giving, and praying, and fasting, and on and on…and you just want to know how and when your so-called “blessedness” status will be fulfilled!
Really, everything in Jesus’s sermon on the mount is related, and it’s all about understanding the kingdom mindset, but it’s OK if it doesn’t all make sense all at once. If there’s something that Jesus says that resonates with you, but you don’t fully understand or accept it yet, I just encourage you to keep listening with an open heart and open mind, and keep thinking, and ask questions, and just see how Jesus proves himself. He’s not just spewing nonsense, he speaks with authority and acts with power.
Honestly, sometimes, that’s all someone who’s followed Jesus for a while can say to a newcomer or skeptic…just keep listening to him, and watching him, and let him heal you.
Future Promises
Future Promises
Now, part of what might make these statements seem a little confusing, and this is true of most any discussion about the kingdom of God, is how they make statements about the present AND the future.
What he’s saying to those people in these categories, is that you are blessed NOW, because of what WILL happen.
Fulfilled by the Messiah
Fulfilled by the Messiah
And Jesus is the one who’s going to make it happen.
All of these things are delivered by the Messiah.
These are not just rewards for virtue, in fact only a few of them could truly be called “virtues.” This isn’t about anyone being good or pious enough to receive these rewards, it’s about Jesus fulfilling that role on behalf of everyone, and particularly for those who realize their need for him, because those are the people who will accept it.
And yes, the beatitudes, along with the rest of the sermon on the mount, address the core moral fiber of Christianity. But it’s important to realize that these blessings are only possible because Christ himself ushers them in.
Each of these beatitudes can be mapped to prophesies, promises about the Messiah, for example, check this out in Isaiah:
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and freedom to the prisoners;
Jesus is bringing good news to people, not because their own merit, but because of who HE is, and what HE’s going to do.
Like Mike said last week, the first four chapters of Matthew presented the historical and contextual proof of Jesus being the Messiah, and now we’re shifting into Jesus himself proving he’s the Messiah by his words and his actions.
Big Scripture Picture
Big Scripture Picture
Let’s take a moment now to consider this passage in the context, not just of Matthew, but within the context of the bigger scripture picture.
Remember God’s original blessing to humans:
28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”
Adam and Eve were given the blessing of ruling the Earth on God’s behalf. They were God’s ambassadors on Earth. But they betrayed God. And all of creation has suffered ever since. Human’s relationship with each other, with the rest of creation, and with God has been fractured and filled with betrayal and violence.
After the flood, there was a reset, and God blessed Noah, and it sounds awfully familiar in Genesis 9, doesn’t it?
1 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority.
It’s a re-calling, a re-establishment of humanity’s original purpose, although now tainted by violence. And of course humans fail again, but God commits, through a covenant promise to Noah, to never hit the “reset” button again.
But that means God’s going to have to do some work to really bring about this blessing.
And he starts that work with Abraham:
1 The Lord said to Abram:
Go from your land,
your relatives,
and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.
2 I will make you into a great nation,
I will bless you,
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt,
and all the peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.
Again, this is about multiplying, creating a nation, a people group, who then spread God’s blessing to the rest of the world.
And the birth of that nation happens through Moses, who says this to Israel after God delivers them from Egypt:
29 Blessed are you, O Israel.
Who is like you, a people who is saved by Yahweh,
the shield of your help,
and who is the sword of your triumph,
and your enemies, they shall fawn before you,
and you shall tread on their backs.”
The Hebrew word here is usually translated as “Happy” but in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, it’s the same adjective used in the beatitudes. “Blessed.” And it’s the only time the Septuagint uses this adjective when translating the words of Moses.
So, with Jesus now using this adjective, we come full-circle, with a new Moses, identifying his disciples as a new Israel, with a new salvation, and a new conquest. But this time it’s a spiritual deliverance and a spiritual conquest, the enemies being sin and death, which will fawn before Christ, who will tread on the back of evil, who will crush the head of the serpent who led the first humans to defile themselves and their original blessing.
Israel, led by Moses, inherited the land promised to Abraham. The poor, the meek, the persecuted, they inherit the whole earth and the kingdom of heaven.
And Jesus is claiming to be the one to usher in that kingdom.
Indeed, he is claiming to have already ushered it in! Again, it’s that sense of “already but not yet” that we will see over and over again.
The arrival of the kingdom happened as soon as Jesus arrived, but the fulfillment of many kingdom promises would occur only in the future. Even while Jesus was speaking on the mount, he had yet to endure the cross and accomplish his earthly mission.
And now today there is still a future fulfillment awaiting his second coming.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Now, I know we haven’t spent much time actually considering each of the beatitudes individually, and there can be some merit to doing that. There is quite a bit to this one little passage I haven’t even begun to cover. But when Jesus himself was teaching, he didn’t dwell on each one, he just made these statements and moved on!
So we’re going to move on for now, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth meditating on and studying further, so I would encourage you to take this week as an opportunity to do so on your own, and I’d love to hear what God teaches you through them.
Regardless of the exact implications of each one, and whether you want to say there are 8 or 9 beatitudes, as a whole they provide a framework for the people of God to understand what it means to be a part of God’s kingdom.
The theological purpose of the Sermon on the Mount in general, and of the beatitudes in particular, centers on the kingdom of heaven. The beatitudes introduce a kingdom value system that seems upside-down, because individual value is not found primarily in virtue, but in the potential for redemption.
The beatitudes bring consolation and comfort to those who are weary and heavy-laden, and help put into perspective the difficulties of the present. It gives hope to believers that makes helplessness and suffering bearable in light of the future.
It may not make sense or bring consolation immediately, but as you continue to listen to Jesus, and the more you watch him, and allow his words to saturate your life, the more his image of the kingdom will come into clarity.
Pray
Pray