The Sermon On The Mount - Part 1

The Sermon On The Mount - Part 1

Matthew 5: 1-48

Chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew’s Gospel is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. It includes many memorable teachings of Christ. The Sermon on the Mount contains the core of Jesus’ moral and ethical teaching. These are the principles of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is Eschatological in the sense that it is both future and present. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within us. He is also coming again to establish His physical kingdom upon the Earth during the Millennium. Although the principles set forth in the Sermon on the Mount will not become universal until the Millennium, Jesus expects believers of His day and ours to live by them now.

We enter the Kingdom through the new birth (John 3:1-16) and we enjoy the kingdom by living for those things that please God (Matt 6:33). The world (and worldly believers) would disagree with Christ’s description of a blessed (happy) person, but the description is true just the same. God majors on character, and so should we.

There is little doubt that the Lord’s discourse found in Matthew 5-7 and in Luke 6 are the same sermon. Mathew describes it being given on a mountain and Luke speaks of it being given in a plain. It is probable that a discourse of this importance was given on more than one occasion.

The Beatitudes

[READ Matthew 5:1-12]

Chapter 5 Verses 2-12 are commonly called the Beatitudes. They contain eight sayings that speak of blessings or happiness. The Greek word used throughout is μακάριος which (1) pertains to being fortunate or happy because of circumstances or (2) pertains to being especially favored, blessed, fortunate, happy, privileged from a transcendent perspective. Genuine happiness, said Jesus, comes from:

• recognizing your need for God (spiritual poverty) (5:3) . Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. To be poor in spirit means to be humble, to have a correct estimate of oneself (Rom. 12:3) – “3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly , according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” It does not mean to be “poor spirited” and have no backbone at all! “Poor in spirit” is the opposite of the world’s attitudes of self-praise and self-assertion. It is not a false humility that says, “I am not worth anything, I can’t do anything!” It is honesty with ourselves: we know ourselves, accept ourselves, and try to be ourselves to the glory of God. The poor in spirit are the opposite of the proud or haughty in spirit. Poverty and piety were often associated in Judaism; the term poor could encompass either physical poverty (Lk 6:20), or the faithful dependence on God that it often produced (“in spirit,” as here).

• mourning over your sin (5:4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. This does not refer to mourning because of the state of life. It is the sorrow which one experiences because of fellowship with the Lord Jesus. It is an active sharing of the world’s hurt and sin with Jesus. Therefore, it includes, not only sorrow for one’s own sin, but also sorrow because of the world’s appalling condition, it’s rejection of the Savior, and the doom of those who refuse His mercy. This Beatitude reflects Isaiah 61:2c – “To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,”- and refers to those who mourn because of man’s disobedience to God, as well as for their own sins.

• submitting to divine authority (5:5) Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness never implies weakness. In contrast to weakness, meekness is controlled strength. It is an attitude of heart in which all energies are brought into the perfect control of the Holy Spirit. This promise to the meek is but a repetition of Ps 37:11 – “11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” - ; only the word which our Evangelist renders “the meek,” after the Septuagint, is the same which we have found so often translated “the poor,” showing how closely allied these two features of character are. It is impossible, indeed, that “the poor in spirit” and “the mourners” in Zion should not at the same time be “meek”; that is to say, persons of a lowly and gentle carriage.

• desiring justice or righteousness (5:6) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are promised satisfaction. These people have a passion for righteousness in their own lives; they long to see honesty, integrity, and justice in society; they look for practical holiness in the church. They experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is a proof of their spiritual rebirth. Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognize the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which only God can give them. They shall be filled (KJV) (Gr. chortazō) refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed: “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness” (107:9).

• showing mercy (5:7) Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. In our Lord’s kingdom, the merciful are blessed ... for they shall obtain mercy. To be merciful means to be actively compassionate. In one sense it means to withhold punishment from offenders who deserve it. In a wider sense it means to help others in need who cannot help themselves. The merciful extend mercy to others, thus demonstrating God’s mercy which has been extended to them. Those who have been born again by the mercy of God through His Holy Spirit desire above all else to see the unregenerate around them find this same mercy and salvation. Jesus Himself became the ultimate example of this attitude when He cried from the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

• maintaining a pure heart (5:8) Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. The pure in heart are given the assurance that they shall see God. A pure-hearted person is one whose motives are unmixed, whose thoughts are holy, whose conscience is clean. The expression they shall see God may be understood in several ways. First, the pure in heart see God now through fellowship in the Word and the Spirit. Second, they sometimes have a supernatural appearance, or vision, of the Lord presented to them. Third, they shall see God in the Person of Jesus when He comes again. Fourth, they shall see God in eternity.

• working for peace (5:9) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. The next description deals with the peacemakers. They are the ones who are themselves at peace with God and live in peace with all men (cf. Rom 5:1). They are called “the” peacemakers for these are not social reformers, but rather the ones reformed by the regenerating power of the gospel. They are peacemakers because they themselves are at peace with God. They have entered into the peace of Christ and thus are able ambassadors of God’s message of peace to a troubled world. Hence, they shall be called the children of God. These only shall be called the sons of God! Throughout the Beatitudes Jesus clearly underscores that only those who have the life-changing qualities herein described are citizens of His kingdom.

• rejoicing in the face of persecution (5:10–12)[Luke 6:20–49] Persecution can be related to more than a single reason:

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

1. Verse 10 deals with those who are persecuted, not for their own wrongdoings, but for righteousness’ sake. The kingdom of heaven is promised to those believers who suffer for doing right. Their integrity condemns the ungodly world and brings out its hostility. People hate a righteous life because it exposes their own unrighteousness.

2. Verse 11 it is persecution for Christ’s sake. The Lord knew that His disciples would be maltreated because of their association with, and loyalty to, Him. History has confirmed this: from the outset the world has persecuted, jailed, and killed followers of Jesus.

Salt of the Earth – Light of the World

[READ Matt 5:13-16]

The power of the kingdom citizen is in his difference from the world, just as salt is different from that into which it is placed. Salt also acts to preserve, and the kingdom citizen must act to preserve the world from corruption and to save it from condemnation (cf. Lev. 2:13). As the “light of the world,” a subject of the kingdom is to witness to his faith through personal example and manifest the light by his testimony and actions.[1]

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

In the time of Jesus salt was connected in people’s minds with three special qualities.

Salt was connected with purity. No doubt its glistening whiteness made the connection easy. The Romans said that salt was the purest of all things, because it came from the purest of all things, the sun and the sea. Then if the Christian is the Salt of the Earth he or she must be an example of purity. One of the characteristics of today’s world is a lowering of standards. To be a proper example of purity we must not lower our standards of moral conduct from that which the Lord establishes in His Word. The Christian can not withdraw from the world but as James says in James 1:27, the Christian must be “unstained by the world”.
In the ancient world salt was the commonest of all preservatives. It was used to keep foods from going bad and to hold putrefaction at bay. So then salt preserves from corruption. If the Christian is to be the salt of the earth, he must have a certain antiseptic influence on life. The Christian must be the cleansing antiseptic in any society in which he happens to be; he must be the person who by his presence defeats corruption and makes it easier for others to be good.
But the greatest and the most obvious quality of salt is that salt lends flavor to things. Christianity is to life what salt is to food. The tragedy is that too often people have connected Christianity with the exact opposite – that which takes the flavor out of life. That is a lie of the Enemy. For instance: Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like undertakers.” Robert Louis Stevenson once entered in his diary, as if he was recording an extraordinary phenomenon, “I have been to Church to-day, and am not depressed.” Men need to discover the lost radiance of the Christian faith. It is up to us to demonstrate it. The Christian needs to be the diffuser of joy and thus fulfill the Lord’s statement that we are the Salt of the Earth.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”

This may well be the greatest compliment that Jesus ever paid to the individual Christian. For in John 9:5 Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the World.” When Jesus commands His followers to be the light of the world He commands them to be like Himself.

When Jesus spoke these words, he was using an expression which was quite familiar to the Jews who heard it for the first time. They themselves spoke of Jerusalem as “a light to the Gentiles,” and a famous Rabbi was often called “a lamp of Israel.” But the way in which the Jews used this expression will give us a key to the way in which Jesus also used it.

Of one thing the Jews were very sure—no man kindled his own light. Jerusalem was indeed a light to the Gentiles, but “God lit Israel’s lamp.” The light with which the nation or the man of God shone was a borrowed light. It must be so with the Christian. It is not the demand of Jesus that we should, as it were, produce our own light. The radiance which shines from the Christian comes from the presence of Christ within the Christian’s heart. We often speak about a radiant bride, but the radiance which shines from her comes from the love which has been born within her heart.

When Jesus said that the Christian must be the light of the world, what did he mean?

1. A light is first and foremost something which is meant to be seen. Our Christianity must be visible to all those around us. There is no such thing as a secret disciple, for either the secrecy destroys the discipleship, or the discipleship destroys the secrecy. Our Christianity should be visible not only in the Church but in our day to day activities in the world.

2. A light is a guide. As street lights provide a guide as to where the road is at night, so the Christian should provide a moral guide to those around him. That is to say, A Christian must of necessity be an example. One of the things which this world needs more than anything else is people who are prepared to be foci of goodness.. Suppose there is a group of people, and suppose it is suggested that some questionable thing should be done. Unless someone makes his protest the thing will be done. But if someone rises and says, “I will not be a party to that,” another and another and another will rise to say, “Neither will I.” But, had they not been given the lead, they would have remained silent.[2]

3. A light is often a warning light. A light is often the warning which tells us to halt when there is danger ahead.

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so nthat they may see your good works and ogive glory to your Father who is in heaven.

There are two most important things here.

Men are to see our good deeds. In Greek there are two words for good. There is the word agathos which simply defines a thing as good in quality; there is kalos which means that a thing is not only good, but that it is also winsome and beautiful and attractive. The word which is used here is kalos. The good deeds of the Christian must be not only good; they must be also attractive. There must be a certain winsomeness (lovely, affectionate or amorous) in Christian goodness. The tragedy of so much so-called goodness is that in it there is an element of hardness and coldness and austerity. There is a goodness which attracts and a goodness which repels. There is a charm in true Christian goodness which makes it a lovely thing
Our good deeds should not draw attention to ourselves but to God. The Christian never thinks of what he has done, but of what God has enabled him to do. He never seeks to draw the eyes of men to himself, but always to direct them to God. So long as men are thinking of the praise, the thanks, the prestige which they will get for what they have done, they have not really even begun on the Christian way.

Christ Fulfilled The Law

[READ Matt 5:17-20]

This refers to the entire O.T. revelation and the righteousness required by it. It introduces Jesus’ uncompromising acceptance of the authority of the O.T. as God’s Word (vv. 17–19). Verse 18 reflects the extent of inspiration of the Torah or Law, here a reference to the O.T. Jesus argues that not a “jot” or “tittle” shall pass from the Law. “Jot” is a reference to the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, the yodh. “Tittle” refers to a small extension on a Hebrew letter which differentiates it from another letter. This minuteness of detail makes clear Jesus’ view of the thoroughness of inspiration. He rejects the righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes, which is reflected in their interpretations of the Law. The righteousness demanded by the kingdom of God is a righteousness of the heart, which was envisioned by the Law and the Prophets (vv. 17–48).[3] “Christ is the end of the Law.” (Romans 10:3)

The Jews used the term Law in four different ways:

The Ten Commandments.
The first five books of the Bible. The Books of Moses or Pentateuch.
The term Law and the Prophets was used to refer to the entire scripture.
The term Law was also used to refer to the Oral or Scribal law. In the time of Jesus this was the most commonly used meaning.

Jesus was using the third meaning in these verses. Jesus explained His own attitude toward the Law by describing three possible relationships we can have with it.

We can seek to destroy the Law (v. 17a). The Pharisees thought Jesus was doing this. To begin with, His authority did not come from any of the recognized leaders or schools. Instead of teaching “from authorities” as did the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus taught with authority.
We can seek to fulfill the Law (v. 17b). Jesus Christ fulfilled God’s Law in every area of His life. He fulfilled it in His birth because He was “made under the Law” (Gal. 4:4). Every prescribed ritual for a Jewish boy was performed on Him by His parents. He certainly fulfilled the Law in His life, for nobody was ever able to accuse Him of sin. While He did not submit to the traditions of the scribes and Pharisees, He always did what God commanded in the Law. The Father was “well pleased” with His Son (Matt. 3:17; 17:5).
We can seek to do and teach the Law (v. 19). This does not mean we major on the Old Testament and ignore the New! Second Corinthians 3 makes it clear that ours is a ministry of the New Covenant. But there is a proper ministry of the Law (1 Tim. 1:9ff) that is not contrary to the glorious message of God’s grace. Jesus wants us to know more of the righteousness of God, obey it, and share it with others. The moral law of God has not changed. Nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament epistles and commanded to believers. (The exception is the Sabbath commandment, which was given as a sign to Israel, see Neh. 9:14.) We do not obey an external Law because of fear. No, believers today obey an internal Law and live because of love. The Holy Spirit teaches us the Word and enables us to obey. Sin is still sin, and God still punishes sin. In fact, we in this present age are more responsible because we have been taught and given more! [4]

How Righteousness Works in Daily Life (Matt. 5:21–48)

In vv 21-48, Jesus took six important Old Testament laws and interpreted them for His people in the light of the new life He came to give. He made a fundamental change without altering God’s standards: He dealt with the attitudes and intents of the heart and not simply with the external action. The Pharisees said that righteousness consisted of performing certain actions, but Jesus said it centered in the attitudes of the heart. Likewise, with sin: The Pharisees had a list of external actions that were sinful, but Jesus explained that sin came from the attitudes of the heart. Anger is murder in the heart; lust is adultery in the heart. The person who says that he “lives by the Sermon on the Mount” may not realize that the Sermon on the Mount is more difficult to keep than the original Ten Commandments!

Murder (vv. 21–26; Ex. 20:13). I have read that one out of every thirty-five deaths in Chicago is a murder, and that most of these murders are “crimes of passion” caused by anger among friends or relatives. Jesus did not say that anger leads to murder; He said that anger is murder. There is a holy anger against sin (Eph. 4:26), but Jesus talked about an unholy anger against people. The word He used in Matthew 5:22 means “a settled anger, malice that is nursed inwardly.” Jesus described a sinful experience that involved several stages. First there was causeless anger. This anger then exploded into words: “Raca—empty-headed person!” These words added fuel to the fire so that the person said, “You fool—rebel!”
Adultery (vv. 27–30; Ex. 20:14). Jesus affirmed God’s law of purity, and then explained that the intent of this law was to reveal the sanctity of sex and the sinfulness of the human heart. God created sex, and God protects sex. He has the authority to regulate it and to punish those who rebel against His laws. He does not regulate sex because He wants to rob us, but rather, because He wants to bless us. Whenever God says, “No” it is that He might say “Yes.”
Divorce (vv. 31–32). Divorce in Jewish society is quick and easy for the husband, and extremely unfair to the wife. A man can discard his wife for the slightest reason — simply by giving her a certificate. But Jesus teaches that there is only one reason for divorcing a wife — when she herself has cancelled the marriage by committing adultery. To divorce her for any other reason is wrong, because the marriage is still valid in God’s sight (5:31–32). A discarded wife will be forced to remarry in order to have a home. The new marriage makes both her and her second husband adulterers.[5]
Swearing (vv. 33–37; Lev. 19:12; Deut. 23:23). This is not the sin of “cursing,” but the sin of using oaths to affirm that what is said is true. The Pharisees used all kinds of tricks to sidestep the truth, and oaths were among them. They would avoid using the holy name of God, but they would come close by using the city of Jerusalem, heaven, earth, or some part of the body.
Retaliation (vv. 38–42; Lev. 24:19–22). The original law was a fair one; it kept people from forcing the offender to pay a greater price than the offense deserved. It also prevented people from taking personal revenge. Jesus replaced a law with an attitude: be willing to suffer loss yourself rather than cause another to suffer. Of course, He applied this to personal insults, not to groups or nations. The person who retaliates only makes himself and the offender feel worse; and the result is a settled war and not peace. In order to “turn the other cheek,” we must stay where we are and not run away. This demands both faith and love. It also means that we will be hurt, but it is better to be hurt on the outside than to be harmed on the inside. But it further means that we should try to help the sinner. We are vulnerable, because he may attack us anew; but we are also victorious, because Jesus is on our side, helping us and building our characters. Psychologists tell us that violence is born of weakness, not strength. It is the strong man who can love and suffer hurt; it is the weak man who thinks only of himself and hurts others to protect himself. He hurts others then runs away to protect himself.
Love of enemies (vv. 43–48; Lev. 19:17–18). Nowhere did the Law teach hatred for one’s enemies. Passages like Exodus 23:4–5 indicate just the opposite! Jesus defined our enemies as those who curse us, hate us, and exploit us selfishly. Since Christian love is an act of the will, and not simply an emotion, He has the right to command us to love our enemies. After all, He loved us when we were His enemies (Rom. 5:10). We may show this love by blessing those who curse us, doing good to them, and praying for them. When we pray for our enemies, we find it easier to love them. It takes the “poison” out of our attitudes.

Jesus gave several reasons for this admonition. (1) This love is a mark of maturity, proving that we are sons of the Father, and not just little children. (2) Love is Godlike. The Father shares His good things with those who oppose Him. Matthew 5:45 suggests that our love “creates a climate” of blessings that makes it easy to win our enemies and make them our friends. Love is like the sunshine and rain that the Father sends so graciously. (3) Love is a testimony to others. “What do ye more than others?” is a good question. God expects us to live on a much higher plane than the lost people of the world who return good for good and evil for evil. As Christians, we must return good for evil as an investment of love.

The word perfect in Matthew 5:48 does not imply sinlessly perfect, for that is impossible in this life (though it is a good goal to strive for). It suggests completeness, maturity, as the sons of God. The Father loves His enemies and seeks to make them His children, and we should assist Him![6]

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[1]Believer's Study Bible. 1997, c1995. C1991 Criswell Center for Biblical Studies. (electronic ed.) (Mt 5:13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[2]The Gospel of Matthew : Volume. 2000, c1975 (W. Barclay, lecturer in the University of Glasgow, Ed.). The Daily study Bible series, Rev. ed. (124). Philadelphia: The Westminster Press.

n Philem. 6; 1 Pet. 2:12

o John 15:8; 2 Cor. 9:13; Phil. 1:11; [ch. 9:8]

[3]Believer's Study Bible. 1997, c1995. C1991 Criswell Center for Biblical Studies. (electronic ed.) (Mt 5:13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[4]Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c1989). The Bible exposition commentary. "An exposition of the New Testament comprising the entire 'BE' series"--Jkt. (Mt 5:17). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

[5]Knowles, A. (2001). The Bible guide. Includes index. (1st Augsburg books ed.) (414). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.

[6]Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c1989). The Bible exposition commentary. "An exposition of the New Testament comprising the entire 'BE' series"--Jkt. (Mt 5:21). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.