This morning we are going to begin a look at what is considered by many the essence of the Christian Faith. It has been called by some the summary of life, the Magna Carta of the Kingdom, the Manifesto of the King, and many other things. The Sermon on the Mount (called SOTM below), as it is called in Matthew, contains for us a challenge for living right with God and right with each other. It forms a nucleus, a central teaching, for us on how to live out the greatest command of God found in Matthew 22:37-40. This relatively short series of teachings by Jesus directs his followers into an authentic life of discipleship. Spoken in a time of surface religion t challenge the follower to a deeper, real faith.
Over the years I have heard many sermons on parts of the SOTM and have referred to it many times. It contains many famous (at least in Christian circles) statements that we have memorized or been chastised to live –be salt and light, love your enemies, an eye for an eye, and it even contains one of the most famous set of verses in the Bible that I am pretty well sure everyone here as memorized –you may not know it, but when I remind you, you will –the Lord’s prayer found in chapter 6!
The teachings found in the SOTM can seem quite simple, but they are very profound and sometime quite pointed and even difficult. I once read that if you could just seek to live out the teaching of the SOTM, you would be quite pressed to fulfill it. And some of the things Jesus teaches and expects here are not only difficult, but quite harsh. If your right eye causes you to sin –gouge it out! (5:29), or if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (6:15 right after the Lord’s Prayer). But even more, it deals with issues that we still deal with today –adultery, sex, money, worry, helping the poor and many other issues that transcend a culture or specific time period. Jesus spoke to the hearts and needs of the people then and his words echo loudly into our world today –and are just as relevant!
When we were in Israel this last month, we stood on the hillside that has been traditionally scene as the site for the SOTM. It is a wonderful natural amphitheatre on the north-west corner of the Sea of Galilee (called SOG below). It is in the hillside a few kilometers from Capernaum and you can see the whole SOG from its slopes. We read that crowds came to see, hear and be healed by Jesus. At the time of Jesus there were many small villages in the area and also just a few miles south the major city of Tiberius. It would have been a rather remote place at the time and would have taken several hours to walk to, regardless of where you came from.
As news spread about Jesus (4:24) it would be easy to see how Jesus would move out of the small town of Capernaum into a place where he could meet them. We read that people came from the area around Galilee, the cities from the eastern shore (Decapolis), from Jerusalem and Judea (south of Jerusalem) and even up into Syria. It would have taken these people several days to some to see Jesus. We are not told how many were present, but we can imagine several hundred, if not some thousands like a later time in a place just down the hill where Jesus fed 5000 men plus women and children.
Jesus was a pop star of the time. People wanted to see and hear him, and yes to be healed or freed from whatever burdened their life.
This morning we begin with the first and fairly well known section of the sermon –the beatitudes. Read Matthew 5:3-12.
Matthew has organized the teachings of Jesus into several groups, the first of which is here in Matthew 5-7. Mark and Luke also give us most of these teachings but they are scattered in different parts of the their letters. Why? Doesn't this mean that someone got it wrong, therefore we should not trust the Bible?
We need to remember that Jesus was an itinerant preacher. He traveled around and taught as he went. (4:23) Because he wrote nothing down, didn't use a text book, he relied on oral teaching. Therefore, he would often repeat his teachings at different times and in different places. Much the same as we teach our children. We don't tell them something once and then expect them to know it, We need to teach them many times and in different situations. Jodi and I found this to be very true in Cameroon when we were there. All the children basically were learning by rote –repetition over and over. Although the people could read there, they learned by repetition.
In the same way, Jesus would repeat his teachings, or actions, to build up in the disciples and followers an understanding of his teaching. Matthew records that Jesus sat down with his disciples and began to teach them. What we read in a few minutes probably occurred over a much longer period and what we have is the nutshell version. It would be hard to remember such a wealth of teaching in one short sitting.
The first things that the Great Teacher speaks on is called the beatitudes. This name comes from the Latin word "beatus" which means blessed. It is also the same root that we use for our word beauty/beautiful. These are perhaps, next to the Lord’s prayer, the best known part of the SOTM, but also perhaps the most misunderstood. As we look at some of the words in these verses you can begin to form an opinion about what they appear to teach.
-poor in spirit
-mourn
-meek
-merciful
-peacemakers
-persecuted
One person who, looked at these said a Christian might as well put a sign on his back saying "Kick Me I'm a Christian". In fact, emperor Julius in the fourth century used the Beatitudes as a excuse to persecute Christians so that they would be "closer to their God and follow His teachings."
How can something like mourning or persecution be beautiful? Maybe merciful or peacemakers are something beautiful, but persecution? Being poor? The harsh realities of these last few years for many people do not put being poor –even poor in spirit, high on the beautiful index!
What we need to understand as we begin looking at these verses is not that Jesus was telling the disciples, or telling you and I to be sad faced door mats for society, but to be rejoicing blissful followers of Christ.
The pattern we see here is similar to that of Psalm 1:1 read as our call to worship. When we read Psalm 1 we see strength, commitment, growth, delight, prosperity, and life. Just as The Psalms starts off in this positive and encouraging way, I think Jesus looked back at this Psalm and began to teach His followers in a positive and encouraging way. I am sure that those listening would have remembered Psalm 1 as Jesus spoke these words.
Second, we also need to remember that Jesus didn't speak in English, nor even in Greek, the language in which this was written. Jesus spoke in Hebrew or Aramaic. In Hebrew, as we look at Psalm 1, we see that there is no verb in the phrase "Blessed ARE the..." So it would more likely read, "O the Blessedness of..."
The word Blessedness, or blessed, is an interesting word. It conveys the idea of happiness, but actually means much more. In literature it is used for a description of god-like joy. It is always used in classical Greek literature in reference to the gods. It is a joy that is serene, untouchable, and self contained. Compare this to the English word "Happiness" which often people associate with blessed (eg. The Everyday Bible and the Living Bible).
Blessed comes from within and is not changed by outside events or chances. Jesus said in John 16:22, that the Christian joy, or blessedness, cannot be taken from us.
A third key in understanding this idea of blessedness, or happiness, or joy also is rooted in Jewishness. Jesus is speaking to Jewish people and in order to understand the idea of happiness, or blessedness that Jesus speaks of here, we must understand the Jewish mindset.
The Jews considered trials as tests. These were opportunities to trust God more –to grow deeper in ones fait or relationship with God. These times when you may feel poor in spirit, when you are mourning, when you are longing for justice, when you are persecuted –these trials, are times when you can trust God more, be comforted by Him, supported by Him, filled by Him, or you can choose to move away from God. To move closer to God is to experience comfort, filled with righteousness, mercy, and even inheriting the kingdom of God.
Years later, James, the half brother of Jesus, would write, again to a Jewish audience, “consider it pure joy my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds for this testing of your faith develops perseverance, and perseverance maturity that you may not lack anything.”
Jesus is not telling the Jew, or us today, to be a doormat, to sit down and take it, but to look to the comfort and strength of God –to trust him more, to grow in him more, to mature. Blessed are you when you face this situations, because God is giving the opportunity to get closer to Him.
When I shared this with one man he got rather upset. “If I have to go through this stuff so I can get closer to God, God can keep it!” And that is the point –we can either draw closer to Him and experience His working in our lives, or we can turn away.
Jesus says, Oh the blessedness, oh, the joy, of being able to draw closer to God when you are poor in spirit, for you will experience His kingdom! It may not sound like a good thing to our western, 21 century, Canadian ear, but Jesus is giving words of encouragement, strength and hope to those who are there.
Why? They are a conquered people. The Romans had taken control of the area many years before. They were persecuted, they did mourn as people lost their lives, they were not shown mercy, they wanted longed for righteousness to be done. Jesus was speaking to their world, their reality. And He speaks to ours today.
Stuff happens in life. There is loss of jobs, there is sickness, there is relational strain. This is the stuff of life –often with no rhyme or reason. We live in a fallen world in which bad things happen to good people –to God’s people. Jesus speaks into our lives and offers us encouragement –even challenge, to trust God. These things happen so that we can experience a God thing. That we can know His strength, his power, His comfort, and see his hand at work.
I would like to add the words of a song that perhaps encapsulate the idea of blessed. Read them or sing them if you can, and lift them as a prayer to God.
Draw me close to you
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear you say that I'm your friend
You are my desire
No one else will do
Cause nothing else could take your place
To feel the warmth of your embrace
Help me find the way, bring me back to you
You're all I want
You're all I've ever needed
You're all I want
Help me know you are near
©1994, Mercy / Vineyard Publishing
Words and Music by Kelly Carpenter
You can find a great video of this by Michael W. Smith on Youtube.
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