Matthew 5:1-11
Today's Passage: Matthew 5:1-11
Today we begin looking at the Sermon on the Mount—one of the most important teachings of Jesus regarding what true discipleship is.
The ESV Study Bible summarizes the Sermon on the Mount in this way:
These collections of teachings are some of the most compact, important teachings of Jesus we see recorded in the gospels. And it is important to remember that these are not primarily meant to be another list of rules to keep or behaviors to conform to; rather, they are meant to be first and foremost from the heart that leads to outward change.
Looking specifically at Matthew 5:1-11, we see Jesus give an introduction of sorts to the mindset of the rest of the book. I’ve heard the Sermon on the Mount be compared to an “Upside Down Kingdom”, meaning that the way of Jesus is counterintuitive and countercultural at the same time. The beatitudes listed in verses 1-11 give credence to this idea.
Again, the ESV Study Bible offers helpful insight on what Jesus is talking about when he says “blessed” repeatedly in this section. (By the way, go ahead and get a copy of the ESV Study Bible if you can).
Take a minute and read through the beatitudes on your own. What stands out to you?
Here’s what stands out to me:
These are qualities that reflect a life that is completely and sufficiently satisfied in God, and not focused on self. This means a recognition of your true status before God (poor in spirit, mourning over sin, meekness) while also having a strong hunger for God (hungering and thirsting for righteousness, reflecting the mercy God’s shown you to others, having a pure heart before God, being a peacemaker, being willing to risk persecution).
Far too often, if I’m honest, my heart and actions don’t reflect these traits. But more than a list of things you and I need to perform, these qualities are things we must beg God to help us have, while simultaneously being diligent to put them to death in our own lives.
Written By: Graham Withers
Today we begin looking at the Sermon on the Mount—one of the most important teachings of Jesus regarding what true discipleship is.
The ESV Study Bible summarizes the Sermon on the Mount in this way:
“Speaking to his disciples (5:1), Jesus expounds the reality of discipleship lived in the presence and power of the kingdom of God but within the everyday world. Some interpreters have thought the purpose of this sermon was to describe a moral standard so impossibly high that it is relevant only for a future millennial kingdom. Others have thought its primary purpose was to portray the absoluteness of God’s moral perfection and thereby to drive people to despair of their own righteousness, so they will trust in the imputed righteousness of Christ. Both views fail to recognize that these teachings, rightly understood, form a challenging but practical ethic that Jesus expects his followers to live by in this present age. The sermon, commonly called the “Sermon on the Mount,” is probably a summary of a longer message, but the structure is a unified whole.”
These collections of teachings are some of the most compact, important teachings of Jesus we see recorded in the gospels. And it is important to remember that these are not primarily meant to be another list of rules to keep or behaviors to conform to; rather, they are meant to be first and foremost from the heart that leads to outward change.
Looking specifically at Matthew 5:1-11, we see Jesus give an introduction of sorts to the mindset of the rest of the book. I’ve heard the Sermon on the Mount be compared to an “Upside Down Kingdom”, meaning that the way of Jesus is counterintuitive and countercultural at the same time. The beatitudes listed in verses 1-11 give credence to this idea.
Again, the ESV Study Bible offers helpful insight on what Jesus is talking about when he says “blessed” repeatedly in this section. (By the way, go ahead and get a copy of the ESV Study Bible if you can).
Blessed. More than a temporary or circumstantial feeling of happiness, this is a state of well-being in relationship to God that belongs to those who respond to Jesus’ ministry.
Take a minute and read through the beatitudes on your own. What stands out to you?
Here’s what stands out to me:
These are qualities that reflect a life that is completely and sufficiently satisfied in God, and not focused on self. This means a recognition of your true status before God (poor in spirit, mourning over sin, meekness) while also having a strong hunger for God (hungering and thirsting for righteousness, reflecting the mercy God’s shown you to others, having a pure heart before God, being a peacemaker, being willing to risk persecution).
Far too often, if I’m honest, my heart and actions don’t reflect these traits. But more than a list of things you and I need to perform, these qualities are things we must beg God to help us have, while simultaneously being diligent to put them to death in our own lives.
Written By: Graham Withers
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