Introduction:
It is important to
understanding The Sermon on the Mount that it be set in the
context of the Theology of Matthew, and as a discourse that grows
out of Narrative #1.
The Theology of
Matthew is that Jesus is the Messiah, the King of God's Kingdom,
that he does the works of the Messiah, and that he calls
disciples to follow him and make disciples of all nations.
At the conclusion
of Narrative #1, Jesus has called disciples to follow him.
In Matt 4:17 we have one of the key transitional passages
(Kingsbury) in which the story of Jesus passes from the Period
of Preparation for Ministry into the Public Ministry of Jesus.
Remember the formula at Matt 4:17, "from that time
Jesus began to preach..."
The Sermon on the
Mount picks up from the calling of the disciples and the teaches
the called disciples what kind of person a disciple must be.
The Sermon develops the character of a disciple. A key thought is
that disciples are different in righteousness, piety, and
ambition from the Scribes and Pharisees,
and from the Gentiles.
The Sermon can be
broken down into seven (7) sections:
Matt 5:1-12 The
Disciple's Character (The Beatitudes)
Matt 5:13-16 The Disciple's
Influence
Matt 5:17-48 The Disciple's
Righteousness: To exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees
Matt 6:1-18 The
Disciple's Piety: Deeds of Righteousness
Matt 6:19-34 The Disciple's
Ambition
Matt 7:1-27 The
Disciple's Pitfalls
Matt 7:28-29 The Formulae
An interesting
factor in the study of the Sermon on the Mount is a comparison
of Matthew's account of the sermon and that of Luke.
Scholars are somewhat divided as to whether the sermons are the
same sermon, whether both Matthew and Luke created their sermon
from sayings by Jesus delivered on different occasions, or
whether there is some historical background to the sermon.
Following the
suggestion by Hagner, we agree that there was an historical
occasion on which Jesus delivered the sermon (Matthew, on the
mountain, or Luke on a level place). If this is
the case, it is also obvious that both Matthew and Luke
interpreted or reported the sermon in a different manner.
For instance, Matthew records 9 Beatitudes whereas Luke only
4. Matthew uses the 3rd person plural in the second clause
of each Beatitude, Luke uses the 2nd person plural.
In some cases Luke shortens the first part of the Beatitude such
as Blessed are you poor, whereas Matthew adds in
spirit. Each evangelist (Matthew and Luke) has
reported Jesus' sermon in a manner that suits his context or
purpose. The sermons, however, have the same historical
roots. Furthermore, Luke records only the 1st, 4th,
2nd, and 9th Beatitudes of Matthew and not in the same order as
Matthew.
This raises the
interesting question as to whether we have the ipsissima
verbi (the exact words) of Jesus, or the ipsissima
vox (the exact voice) of Jesus! Consider this, the
Sermon is recorded in our Gospels in Greek. Was Jesus
speaking Greek or Aramaic on the mount? Seeing he was in
Galilee, possibly a mixture of both! If he were in
Jerusalem or Judea he most likely spoke Aramaic. It is
obvious that our evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
translated many of Jesus discourses and teachings into the Greek
of their Gospels.
We should
remember that our evangelists were theologians, not simply
recorders. Each structured his Gospel to develop a
particular theology about Jesus, or to explain Jesus to his
particular audience. Each, nevertheless, recorded true and
reliable accounts of Jesus and his ministry.
It
is imperative that when interpreting this Sermon that we
keep the interpretation within the context of Israel's
Messianic expectation.
Jesus was addressing Jews who were longing for God to restore
his kingdom to Israel.
Matthew was writing for Jewish Christians who were struggling
to understand their new Messianic role in light of the
recent destruction of Jerusalem.
The Sermon and Jesus' teaching must be set in the
context of Jewish expectation and Old Testament
prophecy.
It is
only after we have interpreted the Sermon within it's
Jewish context that we can seek a relevant application
for contemporary situations. |
The
Disciple's Character: The Beatitudes (5:1-12) |
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The Beatitudes
teach what kind
of person Jesus expects his disciples to be. The
address the desired character of the disciple,
but are given in the form of a blessing to those who
manifest this character.
The word Beatitudes derives from the Latin beatitudo,
meaning supreme blessed, or happy.
The popular use of the term Beatitude and the
meaning of happiness deriving from its Latin
background is unfortunate in that this leads to the
concept that these verses have to do with some form of happiness.
The Greek term makarioi
(makarioi) that Matthew uses in Mat 5 is drawn
from the Old Testament concept of blessed that is
found in the Wisdom Literature, especially the Psalms, (Ps 1:1; 2:12; 32:1; 85:1-3; et al), and in other
OT passages such as Isa 38:18; Isa 56:2; Jer 17:7; Dan
12:12.
The term has been
carried over into the New Testament from the Septuagint
(Greek OT) which translates the Hebrew word ashre
in the Psalms and other OT passages as makarioi.
The Hebrew ashre was used as an interjection corresponding
to "O, the blessedness of...," or "May
it will go well with you..."
When interpreting the word blessed in Mat 5
one should be careful not to import into the term the
mundane sense of happiness, but should keep the meaning
in the context of the OT ashre, especially as it
is found in the Wisdom Literature and in particular, the
Psalms.
Blessed
carries with it the sense of deep
spiritual richness.
5:1-2 On the Mountain (5:1,2) |
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The
region north of the Sea of Galilee is a
mountainous region. We will notice,
however, that several important events take
place on mountains (4:8, the mountain of
temptation; 14:23, Jesus praying; 15:29,
healing; 17:1, the mountain of transfiguration)
.
Jesus "sat
down" (the customary position for teaching
rabbis in Palestine) and "opened his
mouth" (a Semitic idiom for public
address) "and taught them
saying..." Taught is a specific form
of the verb, and inceptive imperfect, meaning
"began to teach..."
By adopting this
teaching style and pose Jesus assumed the
authority of a rabbi, and Matthew's structure of
this sermon reinforces Jesus "rabbinic
authority".
Some have
suggested (Hagner) that Jesus going up into the
mountain to preach this sermon was either a deliberate
attempt on Matthew's part to identify Jesus'
sermon with Moses going up into Mount Sinai to
receive the law. This is a possibility,
but we think a remote one since mountains were
prominent in that region, and it was Jesus
custom to go up into mountains at certain times
of significant concern. |
5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven." |
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We
are reminded that it is imperative that we keep
the interpretation of these Beatitudes within
the context of Jewish expectation and Old
Testament prophecy.
Blessed
(makarios) means spiritually rich.
It refers to an inner spiritual richness, an inner quality much like peace and tranquility.
It carries the sense that God will spiritually
bless the poor in spirit, or that in being poor
in spirit one finds richness.
Poor in spirit means spiritually
destitute without God. There are two Greek words for poor,
this one (ptocos
- ptochos) means abject poverty,
not simply poor. It is only when the
disciple understands the he/she is destitute
without God that one can truly be blessed and
filled by God and come to understand and
appreciate the kingdom of heaven.
Kingdom of heaven
is the same as kingdom of God. (See the
discussion of this in Mat
3:2)
Kingdom from the Greek basileia
(basileia) means the reign of
God from heaven, or the reign of Christ. Whenever
you encounter the word kingdom of God in the
bible, translate it as the reign of God.
The kingdom or reign of God
demands complete surrender to God, hence
John the Baptist's call to "Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand...)
Only those who recognize that without God they
are spiritually destitute can surrender
completely to the reign of God. |
5:4 "Blessed
are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted." |
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It is
only those who truly are sensitive who are open
to comfort.
Those who mourn understand the need for comfort,
for they are sensitive.
The background to this Beatitude is obviously
Isa 61:2,3, but perhaps we should look more
carefully at the context of Isa 61:2,3!
The passage in Isaiah is in the context of God's
promise of restoration for those who
repent. This is also the text that Jesus
used to introduce his ministry at Nazareth (Lk
4:18).
| 1
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon
me, because the Lord has anointed me to
bring good tidings to the afflicted; he
has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to
the captives, and the opening of the
prison to those who are bound; 2 to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God; to
comfort all who mourn; 3 to
grant to those who mourn in Zion— to
give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint
spirit; that they may be called
oaks of righteousness, the planting of
the Lord, that he may be glorified. 4
They shall build up the ancient
ruins, they shall raise up the former
devastations; they shall repair the
ruined cities, the devastations of many
generations. |
Although this
Beatitude carries the concept of mourning in
general, one should see it in the context of
Jesus ministry, the cal to repent for the
kingdom, and those who are poor in spirit.
Perhaps we should see this
in the context of mourning for personal sin and
estrangement from God. |
5:5 "Blessed are the meek, for they
shall inherit the earth." |
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The
word "meek" (praus
- praus)
means gentle, humble, considerate,
unassuming. The background behind
this Beatitude is possibly found in Ps
37:11where the Greek of the Septuagint is almost
identical to Mat 5:5(Psalm 37:11 - the
Septuagint numbering of the Psalms differs from
our English bibles). Notice that in the
Psalms the word "earth" is
translated "land". In the
Hebrew tradition the earth referred to
the promised land, or Israel, and
was seen as a fulfillment of the Abrahamic
promise and covenant.
At about the same time as Jesus was teaching
this sermon and Beatitude, the Qumran Covenanters
at Qumran saw themselves as those oppressed
for their faith who were to inherit the covenant
of Abraham (4QpPs37, the reference in the
Qumran Scrolls).
The similarity to Isa 61:1 where the RSV
translates "afflicted" for the Hebrew
equivalent to praus
(praus meek) and the Septuagint
translates the Hebrew as ptochos
(ptochos poor). Jesus used
Isa 61:1 (Lk 4:18) to refer to his Messianic
ministry. For the sake of easy reference
note Isa 61:1-3:
| The
Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me to
bring good tidings to the afflicted;
he has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to
the captives, and the opening of the
prison to those who are bound; 2 to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God; to
comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn
in Zion— to give them a garland
instead of ashes, the oil of gladness
instead of mourning, the mantle of
praise instead of a faint spirit; that
they may be called oaks of
righteousness, the planting of the Lord,
that he may be glorified... |
Jesus
does not simply have in mind those who are
gentle and kind, but rather those who are humble
and downtrodden and oppressed. These will
be the true heirs of God's promise and covenant
with Abraham. This Beatitude is
similar to the first, Blessed are the poor
(those in abject poverty) for they shall
inherit the kingdom (or the Abrahamic
Covenant). |
5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
satisfied." |
|
Once
again, we are reminded to keep the
interpretation of this Beatitude within the context
of Jewish expectation and Old Testament
prophecy.
Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness
are the poor, downtrodden, and oppressed, who
were longing for the relief promised by God to
his people.
The term righteousness, dikaiosunh
(dikaiosune) is a popular religious
concept in both the Old and New
Testaments. In the context of the
Beatitudes (poor, downtrodden, grieving ) it is
best understood as justice. We will
comment in greater detail on the role
righteousness plays in Matthew's Gospel below at
Mat 5:20 where Jesus discusses the righteousness
to be found in disciples. In this
instance, it is best to understand righteousness
not so much as moral righteousness, or religious
righteousness, but as justice.
There are numerous similarities between this
Beatitude and the OT, especially the
Psalms. In Ps 107 the oppressed long for
relief. They are assured of God's
steadfast love (Hebrew hesed, and
interesting term which speaks of God's steadfast
mercy and love). Verses 4 the Psalmist
speaks poetically of those in distress and
writes:
|
1O
give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast
love endures for ever! 2
Let the redeemed of the Lord say
so,
whom he has redeemed
from trouble 3
3and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and
from the west,
from the north and
from the south.
4Some
wandered in desert wastes,
Finding no way to a
city to dwell in;
5hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted
within them.
6Then they cried to the Lord
in their trouble,
and he delivered them
from their distress;
7he led them by a straight
way,
till they reached a
city to dwell in.
8Let them thank the Lord for
his steadfast love,
for his wonderful
works to the sons of men!
9For he satisfies him who is
thirsty,
and the hungry he
fills with good things. |
For
similar references in Psalms see Ps 42:1-3;
63:1. |
5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for
they shall obtain mercy." |
|
In the
context of justice, we are reminded that justice
and mercy were significant themes of the
Old Testament prophets.
On several occasions Jesus challenged the
Pharisees and religious leaders of his day with
the words "Go and learn what this means,
"I desire mercy and not
sacrifice." Jesus have in mind here
passages such as Hos 6:6, "for I desire steadfast
love and not sacrifice" (steadfast
love - hesed - mercy); and Mic
6:6-8.
Prov 14:21b in the Septuagint reads
"blessed is the one who has mercy (eleos
- eleos - mercy, compassion,
pity) on the poor..." The RSV
here translates this as "kind", but mercy
would be better.
Mercy is obviously a fundamental
characteristic of a disciple of Jesus, for one
thing characteristic of Jesus and God is their
mercy or steadfast love.
The concept of mercy and steadfast
love is a dominant theme of the Psalms,
appearing over 150 times in 150 Psalms, and
possibly is the best manner in understanding the
theology of the Old Testament.
With this realization, Dr. Tom Olbricht titles
his theology of the Old Testament, He Loves
Forever (Sweet Publishing, 1980).
It is a fundamental principle in the New Testament
that those who seek forgiveness from God, must
be willing to forgive others. Note the
following:
| Eph
4:31-5:2 |
Let
all bitterness and wrath and anger and
clamor and slander be put away from you,
with all malice, 32 and be
kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, as God in Christ forgave
you.1 Therefore be imitators
of God, as beloved children. 2
And walk in love, as Christ loved
us and gave himself up for us, a
fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. |
| Mat
6:14, 15 |
For
if you forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father also will forgive
you; 15 but if you do not
forgive men their trespasses, neither
will your Father forgive your
trespasses. |
|
5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God." |
|
This
Beatitude recalls the thrust of several Psalms
such as 24:3, 4; 51:19; 73:1.
| Ps
24:3-5 |
3Who
shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who
shall stand in his
holy place?
4 He who has
clean hands and a pure heart,
who does
not lift up his soul to what is false,
and does
not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from
the Lord,
and vindication
from the God of his salvation. |
It is only those
with a pure heart that are able to stand
before God.
Some have suggested (David Hill and Matthew
Black) that in agreement with Ps 51:1-12, a pure
heart could be a broken and contrite heart.
To see God is an Hebraism for standing before
God (Ps 11:7), or to have fellowship with God
in his kingdom. |
5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called sons of God." |
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The
term peacemakers (eirhnopoioi
- eirenopoioi) in the noun form is found
only here in the New Testament. The verb
form is found in Col 1:20.
The reason for this Beatitude lies most likely
in the turbulent days of Israel under Roman rule
that extend back into the 2nd cent. BC, and came
to a head for Judea and Jerusalem in the late
60's AD and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70
AD.
It is possible that Jesus was warning against
the militarism of the Zealots revolutionaries
who thought to usher the kingdom in my revolt
and force.
The stress on peace and following after things
that make for peace become a significant motif
for disciples in the New Testament (Rom
12:16-18; 14:19; Heb 12:14; Jas 3:18; 1 Pet
3:11).
Jesus had encouraged the apostles in John 13:35
to understand that the world would know that
they were his disciples because they loved one
another. Here he adds that it is those who
are peacemakers who will be called
sons of God. |
5:10 "Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven." |
|
Righteousness
(dikaiosunh
- dikaiosune) in this place has reference
to the character of the disciple or recipients
of the kingdom. Righteousness in the
Jewish sense had reference to their relationship
with God, or his will. The righteous were
in a right relationship with God.
Paul argues in Romans that righteousness, that
is being in a right relationship with god was
based on faith and not works of the law.
Because of their faithfulness and loyalty to
God, because of their relationship with God,
disciples would be persecuted. Persecution
was synonymous with discipleship in the first
three centuries of the Christian faith.
(We shall pay more attention to righteousness
at Mat 5:20).
Jesus will later
warn the disciples that their discipleship would
lead them into opposition with their families,
the authorities, and the world. Many would
die for their faith. Following Jesus would
be taking up one's cross daily and dying for
Jesus. A real death! It was for this
reason that John wrote Revelation to the Seven
Churches of Asia toward the close of the first
century, encouraging them to be willing to die
for their faith. Note especially Mat
10:10-39. Peter encouraged his community
to be willing to suffer for their faith and to
do so nobly, 1 Pet 4:12-16. In 1 Thess 3:3
Paul warns the Thessalonians that suffering
affliction (persecution) would be the lot
of Christians.
We should note
that Jesus ties the blessedness of persecution
to suffering for righteousness sake, not merely
for any reason. the reward of suffering persecution
faithfully is a share in the kingdom (reign) of
God. This is the very massage of Revelation.
If you die as a martyr for your faith in Jesus,
you reign with Jesus in his kingdom. |
5:11, 12 "Blessed are you when men
revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds
of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in
heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who
were before you." |
|
This
Beatitude is obviously and expansion on the
previous one regarding persecution. Jesus
warns that being a disciple somehow
causes some people to react harshly. In
the context of Judaism in the time of Jesus and
the early disciples, this may be understood, for
Christianity certainly was a threat to the
Pharisees, Sadducees, and other Jewish Messianic
communities who were perhaps more aggressive in
their opposition to Roman interference and who
did not see in Jesus the kind of political
Messiah they hoped for.
In the early
years of Christianity the Jews did their best to
denigrate Christianity. Church history
records many instance of this (the case of
Bishop Polycarp in the 2nd century at Smyrna is
a case in point). Several passages in the
seven letters of Revelation refer to the
Synagogue of Satan and the Jews as opponents of
the church. At one point the Pagans
accused Christians of being cannibals (because
they ate the body of Christ in the Lord's Supper
or Eucharist) and atheists
(because they refused to worship the pagan
gods).
|
SCHOLARLY
TEXT CRITICAL COMMENT |
| Textual
critics debate
whether the word falsely (vvyeudomenoi
- pseudomenoi) should be in the
text as there are some textual critical
concerns over the word. It is
included in the Kurt Aland United
Bible Society text as a "D"
possibility (questionable) and is
inserted in parentheses in the text.
The word has been included in the
translation since it does fit with the
flow of thought. |
The comment to rejoice
is in keeping with the Christian theology of
suffering and persecution.
The Jewish Wisdom
Literature was replete with references to the
Suffering Servant of God. The Lament Psalm
22 would be a case in point. Furthermore,
Christians are most familiar with Isaiah 53.
| 1
Who has believed what we have heard? And
to whom has the arm of the Lord been
revealed? 2 For he grew up before him
like a young plant, and like a root out
of dry ground; he had no form or
comeliness that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised
and rejected by men; a man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief; and as one
from whom men hide their faces he was
despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and
carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him
stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that made us whole, and
with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we
like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the
Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us
all. 7 He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he
opened not his mouth; like a lamb that
is led to the slaughter, and like a
sheep that before its shearers is dumb,
so he opened not his mouth. 8 By
oppression and judgment he was taken
away; and as for his generation,
who considered that he was cut off out
of the land of the living, stricken for
the transgression of my people? 9 And
they made his grave with the wicked and
with a rich man in his death, although
he had done no violence, and there was
no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was
the will of the Lord to bruise him; he
has put him to grief; when he makes
himself an offering for sin, he shall
see his offspring, he shall prolong his
days; the will of
the Lord shall prosper in his hand; 11
he shall see the fruit of the travail of
his soul and be satisfied; by his
knowledge shall the righteous one, my
servant, make many to be accounted
righteous; and he shall bear their
iniquities. 12 Therefore I will
divide him a portion with the great, and
he shall divide the spoil with the
strong; because he poured out his soul
to death, and was numbered with the
transgressors; yet he bore the sin of
many, and made intercession for the
transgressors. |
Notice also the
following passages that speak to the theology of
suffering and persecution:
| Rom
5:3-5 |
More
than that, we rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces
endurance, 4 and endurance
produces character, and character
produces hope, 5 and hope
does not disappoint us, because God’s
love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit which has been
given to us. |
| 2
Cor 12:7-10 |
And
to keep me from being too elated by the
abundance of revelations, a thorn was
given me in the flesh, a messenger of
Satan, to harass me, to keep me from
being too elated. 8 Three
times I besought the Lord about this,
that it should leave me; 9 but
he said to me, "My
grace is sufficient for you, for my
power is made perfect in weakness."
I will all the more gladly boast
of my weaknesses, that the power of
Christ may rest upon me. 10 For
the sake of Christ, then, I am content
with weaknesses, insults, hardships,
persecutions, and calamities; for when I
am weak, then I am strong. |
| James
1:2,3 |
Count
it all joy, my brethren, when you meet
various trials, 3 for you
know that the testing of your faith
produces steadfastness. 4 And
let steadfastness have its full effect,
that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing. |
| 1
Pet 4:12-16 |
Beloved,
do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal
which comes upon you to prove you, as
though something strange were happening
to you. 13 But rejoice in so
far as you share Christ’s sufferings,
that you may also rejoice and be glad
when his glory is revealed. 14 If
you are reproached for the name of
Christ, you are blessed, because the
spirit of glory and of God rests upon
you. 15 But let none of you
suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a
wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker; 16 yet
if one suffers as a Christian, let him
not be ashamed, but under that name let
him glorify God. |
Christians are
assured that throughout their trials,
persecutions, and sufferings, that God's
steadfast love abides forever, that his mercy
extends to them, that their ultimate victory in
Christ is firm.
Disciples are
comforted that persecution assures them of a
place alongside God's faithful prophets of old
such as Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Jesus, and a host of other faithful
servants. Their reward is in
heaven with Christ and their Heavenly Father. |
SUMMARY OF THE BEATITUDES:
The Beatitudes addresses the Disciples
Character.
They are set in the context
of Old Testament theology and Jewish expectation.
The blessedness they promise to those who manifest this
character is a deep
inner spiritual richness,
not a superficial mundane happiness.
They stress the radical
nature
of Christian discipleship.
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