Post by M.R. Hagerty on Apr 12, 2023 13:38:06 GMT -7
Matthew 5:1-8
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:1-8)
_____________________________________________________________
Commentary
Matthew 5:1
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,”
Matthew is the only writer who provides the complete details of the Sermon on the Mount. Mark 3 and John 6 mention that He went up with His disciples, but they include none of what was spoken. Luke presents a redacted version of some things taught here.
The location of this sermon is not as some suppose on the Mount of Olives, but farther N near Capernaum on what has come to be called the Mount of the Beatitudes. It was called Mt. Eremos in ancient times (though its name is not mentioned in the Gospels) and is situated within the four mile gap between Capernaum and Tabgha, on the NW side of the Sea of Galilee. That it could hold the numbers implied by the Gospels is evidenced by its continued use in modern times. Recently in 2000, a Catholic conference of 100,000 visitors was planned for the Pope’s visit.
Most people assume the sermon was intended and addressed to the crowd. But the sermon was actually addressed directly to the disciples in the hearing of the crowd. The text states that He withdrew with His disciples, having seen the crowds, and then began to teach them. Having said that, we cannot push this distinction so far as to rule out any consideration or engagement of the crowds at all. The withdrawal of Jesus and the Twelve would not have stopped those who were following Him. Those fit enough for the easy grade to the top would certainly have gathered to hear and see more. So it is very likely that Jesus did not ignore them and may have raised His voice sufficiently to permit the audience to hear. But we should be clear that the content was meant at least initially for the disciples.
The Beatitudes
The NT does not specifically call this sermon the Beatitudes. It has come to mean this because of the repetitive use of “Blessed are . .” Beatify is our English word for the connotation of ‘blessed’ in the Gk word makarioi, hence the English name of this section of teaching
The Beatitudes are a list of blessed states. This is one of Jesus’ early, formal sermons and it is designed to answer one of the most important questions man may ask. Given a God of righteousness and justice, “How then can I please God?” For Someone to come from God and speaking to mankind, this would be a question of the first order. And so it is an answer of the first order.
If one wished to do so – to be rightly related to the Creator of the Universe – here is provided those states of blessedness that please Him. Contrary to “go and do,” the exhortation is to go and be.
Matthew 5:3
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Makarioi means to call blessed, to esteem fortunate, to count happy. From this word the sermon is called the Beatitudes. Makarios, or beatify, has nothing to do with our word ‘beauty,’ since it is an inward state of being, not a quality of outward appearance.
“the poor in spirit”
This does not mean the poor, per se (the financially destitute), but it can mean them if they have the quality intended by this phrase. The poor in spirit are those who are downtrodden in their hearts, having their human spirit weakened by the circumstances of life and the abuses of their fellow man. God is quick to send promise that He cares for these sincerely and compassionately. But how is this a recommendation of how to be?
In life there seem always to be two great classes: there are those who rule and those who are ruled; those who lead and take charge, and those who follow There are those who bully and those who cower; the oppressor class, the victim class (Marx), and those who are strong, those who are weak.
Observe a team-meeting at work. You will see those who dominate the meeting and those who may also contribute but are largely passive. Even in simple conversations, there is usually one person dominating or controlling the conversation and someone else more passive.
In ancient times, these distinctions were much more acute. There were always those individuals who constantly looked for any opportunity to dominate or demonstrate their importance over others and very often if they could not achieve it in formal ways, they resorted to dominating the unfortunate and the meek in the midst of crude and pitiful conditions that made up neighborhood life.
Jesus does not here state that the physical conditions which made them downtrodden will surely be taken away. He does not promise wealth to those who are financially poor. He promises the Kingdom of Heaven to be their compensation.
This helps us to focus on the full condition being described. It is not those who are destitute and bitter, those who are in poverty and angry, those who think they deserve something but have been denied. It is rather those who are humble in their circumstances, who acknowledge they are unworthy to “claim” or expect wealth and position in life. They are similar to the meek in that they are satisfied to take the lesser places in life, to know who they are in comparison to an Almighty God, yet who trust that He will care for them and compensate them in the currency of His Kingdom.
Matthew 5:4-5
4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
This is not a broad promise to all persons everywhere who mourn, whether with faith or without. We see the truth of this today in that many mourn and are often not comforted. People eventually get over the loss of a loved one but this is not what is meant.
Mourning for a loved one, as believers or not, indicates we have bonded and cared for another person in ways that are generally commendable to God. But this can be completely secular without regard for God, drawing purely from those things in which all men still bear a resemblance to God in their natures. It can be felt and experienced without reference to faith. Such people can remain uncomforted because the comfort here promised is only found in God. So it is a promise of a comfort otherwise lacking in a godless life, but also a call to be people of faith, that the comfort truly adequate for our need can be given.
Now this should not be taken as a rule that God will rigidly refuse such comfort unless they be of faith. It may be that God’s provision in this way will be the key to bringing them to salvation and restoration in Him. But the idea is the same – He is the key to the comfort we need, for outside Him no such comfort is assured.
As to the nature of the comfort itself, it is not an unconditional assurance that their loved one will be in Heaven. God does not suspend the requirements He established for salvation in the presence of desperate and tragic mourning. It is rather a comfort that conveys Divine understanding of the feelings and pain being felt and that making oneself right with God is the key to all happiness in life. It is the focus on the larger picture of what is taking place in life, that there is life and death. That there must be an expectant hope that all the Why’s can somehow be answered in the arms of Someone who understands more deeply than any human friend can.
5 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”
This is the better rendering of the more familiar Blessed are the meek . .” The reason for the change in modern versions is the negative connotation that ‘meek’ conveys as to timid or fearful, or in more extreme senses - quislings. This was, of course, never the intended meaning. The word here means those who prefer the gentler way, the kinder approach, who are not brash or arrogant, haughty or bullish.
That they shall inherit the earth is in some ways prophetic and rather well aligned with apocalyptic literature like the Revelation. For we see the future of our world being given over to those who are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, now come to earth. Those who have been last in life will be first in the Kingdom. It is not so much meant as a reward but as an outcome of the path they have chosen. They have become part of that company who were chosen all along to inherit the earth when the time of His restitution of all things comes to pass.
Matthew 5:6-8
6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
This is the attitude and orientation of the one who desires God and wishes to be made right with Him. He seeks to live his life according to the user guide of the Creator. He recognizes the eternal value of God’s ways and standards and he thirsts after them to hear more and more and to become ever closer to them in all he does. The idea is that there can be a love for the righteousness of God, that sees it as so totally right and applicable to life – the way life was intended to be lived - and so one thirsts for more understanding of it.
Such a person is promised the satisfaction they seek because they are seeking the very thing constituting the reason they were in fact made – to know Him and to be like Him in fellowship and love. The exhortation here is to seek this hunger and thirst for one’s life, as opposed to accepting the counterfeits and substitutes of tarnished righteousness which the world offers more expediently.
7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
It is almost an axiom in life that those who complain about the lack of compassion, consideration and mercy they receive at the hands of others have the same behavior in these things. Those clamouring the loudest in their demands for mercy are usually those who have given little of it themselves. It is almost as though they recognize their plight as a proper judgment and they fear it because it is so true and (if they were honest) just.
If we seek the mercy of God we must demonstrate it in our actions and attitudes, for it is an offense to withhold it in arrogance or pride and then plead for it in our own case. It is the sign of supreme self-centeredness (we give nothing and expect everything), and this God will not reward.
Now we may complain that God’s mercy is fine, but the mercy from others (even if a means) is a precarious thing. So are we not still in jeopardy of mercilessness? Here is where faith proves itself as the answer to all things. If God is sovereign, the acts of men in relation to His people are clearly in His hands and mercy even from unbelievers can be included in His promise above.
8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
To be pure in heart is to return one’s heart to the way God made it in the beginning. We learn to deviate from this state by learning the ways of men, beginning even with our own parents. Far too soon, even infants learn the opportunities that satisfy wrong motives and the heart soon becomes something different, on its way to needing the salvation all men will need if they are to return to the purity of heart that is in God alone. The promise of seeing God is again not so much a reward as a state of blessedness that comes with the condition. To be pure in heart is to see the things of God and His mind and heart as they are.
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:1-8)
_____________________________________________________________
Commentary
Matthew 5:1
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,”
Matthew is the only writer who provides the complete details of the Sermon on the Mount. Mark 3 and John 6 mention that He went up with His disciples, but they include none of what was spoken. Luke presents a redacted version of some things taught here.
The location of this sermon is not as some suppose on the Mount of Olives, but farther N near Capernaum on what has come to be called the Mount of the Beatitudes. It was called Mt. Eremos in ancient times (though its name is not mentioned in the Gospels) and is situated within the four mile gap between Capernaum and Tabgha, on the NW side of the Sea of Galilee. That it could hold the numbers implied by the Gospels is evidenced by its continued use in modern times. Recently in 2000, a Catholic conference of 100,000 visitors was planned for the Pope’s visit.
Most people assume the sermon was intended and addressed to the crowd. But the sermon was actually addressed directly to the disciples in the hearing of the crowd. The text states that He withdrew with His disciples, having seen the crowds, and then began to teach them. Having said that, we cannot push this distinction so far as to rule out any consideration or engagement of the crowds at all. The withdrawal of Jesus and the Twelve would not have stopped those who were following Him. Those fit enough for the easy grade to the top would certainly have gathered to hear and see more. So it is very likely that Jesus did not ignore them and may have raised His voice sufficiently to permit the audience to hear. But we should be clear that the content was meant at least initially for the disciples.
The Beatitudes
The NT does not specifically call this sermon the Beatitudes. It has come to mean this because of the repetitive use of “Blessed are . .” Beatify is our English word for the connotation of ‘blessed’ in the Gk word makarioi, hence the English name of this section of teaching
The Beatitudes are a list of blessed states. This is one of Jesus’ early, formal sermons and it is designed to answer one of the most important questions man may ask. Given a God of righteousness and justice, “How then can I please God?” For Someone to come from God and speaking to mankind, this would be a question of the first order. And so it is an answer of the first order.
If one wished to do so – to be rightly related to the Creator of the Universe – here is provided those states of blessedness that please Him. Contrary to “go and do,” the exhortation is to go and be.
Matthew 5:3
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Makarioi means to call blessed, to esteem fortunate, to count happy. From this word the sermon is called the Beatitudes. Makarios, or beatify, has nothing to do with our word ‘beauty,’ since it is an inward state of being, not a quality of outward appearance.
“the poor in spirit”
This does not mean the poor, per se (the financially destitute), but it can mean them if they have the quality intended by this phrase. The poor in spirit are those who are downtrodden in their hearts, having their human spirit weakened by the circumstances of life and the abuses of their fellow man. God is quick to send promise that He cares for these sincerely and compassionately. But how is this a recommendation of how to be?
In life there seem always to be two great classes: there are those who rule and those who are ruled; those who lead and take charge, and those who follow There are those who bully and those who cower; the oppressor class, the victim class (Marx), and those who are strong, those who are weak.
Observe a team-meeting at work. You will see those who dominate the meeting and those who may also contribute but are largely passive. Even in simple conversations, there is usually one person dominating or controlling the conversation and someone else more passive.
In ancient times, these distinctions were much more acute. There were always those individuals who constantly looked for any opportunity to dominate or demonstrate their importance over others and very often if they could not achieve it in formal ways, they resorted to dominating the unfortunate and the meek in the midst of crude and pitiful conditions that made up neighborhood life.
Jesus does not here state that the physical conditions which made them downtrodden will surely be taken away. He does not promise wealth to those who are financially poor. He promises the Kingdom of Heaven to be their compensation.
This helps us to focus on the full condition being described. It is not those who are destitute and bitter, those who are in poverty and angry, those who think they deserve something but have been denied. It is rather those who are humble in their circumstances, who acknowledge they are unworthy to “claim” or expect wealth and position in life. They are similar to the meek in that they are satisfied to take the lesser places in life, to know who they are in comparison to an Almighty God, yet who trust that He will care for them and compensate them in the currency of His Kingdom.
Matthew 5:4-5
4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
This is not a broad promise to all persons everywhere who mourn, whether with faith or without. We see the truth of this today in that many mourn and are often not comforted. People eventually get over the loss of a loved one but this is not what is meant.
Mourning for a loved one, as believers or not, indicates we have bonded and cared for another person in ways that are generally commendable to God. But this can be completely secular without regard for God, drawing purely from those things in which all men still bear a resemblance to God in their natures. It can be felt and experienced without reference to faith. Such people can remain uncomforted because the comfort here promised is only found in God. So it is a promise of a comfort otherwise lacking in a godless life, but also a call to be people of faith, that the comfort truly adequate for our need can be given.
Now this should not be taken as a rule that God will rigidly refuse such comfort unless they be of faith. It may be that God’s provision in this way will be the key to bringing them to salvation and restoration in Him. But the idea is the same – He is the key to the comfort we need, for outside Him no such comfort is assured.
As to the nature of the comfort itself, it is not an unconditional assurance that their loved one will be in Heaven. God does not suspend the requirements He established for salvation in the presence of desperate and tragic mourning. It is rather a comfort that conveys Divine understanding of the feelings and pain being felt and that making oneself right with God is the key to all happiness in life. It is the focus on the larger picture of what is taking place in life, that there is life and death. That there must be an expectant hope that all the Why’s can somehow be answered in the arms of Someone who understands more deeply than any human friend can.
5 "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”
This is the better rendering of the more familiar Blessed are the meek . .” The reason for the change in modern versions is the negative connotation that ‘meek’ conveys as to timid or fearful, or in more extreme senses - quislings. This was, of course, never the intended meaning. The word here means those who prefer the gentler way, the kinder approach, who are not brash or arrogant, haughty or bullish.
That they shall inherit the earth is in some ways prophetic and rather well aligned with apocalyptic literature like the Revelation. For we see the future of our world being given over to those who are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, now come to earth. Those who have been last in life will be first in the Kingdom. It is not so much meant as a reward but as an outcome of the path they have chosen. They have become part of that company who were chosen all along to inherit the earth when the time of His restitution of all things comes to pass.
Matthew 5:6-8
6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
This is the attitude and orientation of the one who desires God and wishes to be made right with Him. He seeks to live his life according to the user guide of the Creator. He recognizes the eternal value of God’s ways and standards and he thirsts after them to hear more and more and to become ever closer to them in all he does. The idea is that there can be a love for the righteousness of God, that sees it as so totally right and applicable to life – the way life was intended to be lived - and so one thirsts for more understanding of it.
Such a person is promised the satisfaction they seek because they are seeking the very thing constituting the reason they were in fact made – to know Him and to be like Him in fellowship and love. The exhortation here is to seek this hunger and thirst for one’s life, as opposed to accepting the counterfeits and substitutes of tarnished righteousness which the world offers more expediently.
7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
It is almost an axiom in life that those who complain about the lack of compassion, consideration and mercy they receive at the hands of others have the same behavior in these things. Those clamouring the loudest in their demands for mercy are usually those who have given little of it themselves. It is almost as though they recognize their plight as a proper judgment and they fear it because it is so true and (if they were honest) just.
If we seek the mercy of God we must demonstrate it in our actions and attitudes, for it is an offense to withhold it in arrogance or pride and then plead for it in our own case. It is the sign of supreme self-centeredness (we give nothing and expect everything), and this God will not reward.
Now we may complain that God’s mercy is fine, but the mercy from others (even if a means) is a precarious thing. So are we not still in jeopardy of mercilessness? Here is where faith proves itself as the answer to all things. If God is sovereign, the acts of men in relation to His people are clearly in His hands and mercy even from unbelievers can be included in His promise above.
8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
To be pure in heart is to return one’s heart to the way God made it in the beginning. We learn to deviate from this state by learning the ways of men, beginning even with our own parents. Far too soon, even infants learn the opportunities that satisfy wrong motives and the heart soon becomes something different, on its way to needing the salvation all men will need if they are to return to the purity of heart that is in God alone. The promise of seeing God is again not so much a reward as a state of blessedness that comes with the condition. To be pure in heart is to see the things of God and His mind and heart as they are.