Matthew part 6
The Sermon on the Mount part 1
We begin today by reading the Sermon on the Mount. Before we read it, it will help if establish what the overarching message of the sermon is. Too many times we break it down to its individual parts and examine the parts without understanding the whole. This practice inevitably leads to bad interpretations and problems in the Christian life and the church as a whole. So what is the Sermon on the Mount all about?
A quick skim of all three chapters reveals one particular word to be key: character.
Sometimes Christians read the sermon, especially the first part, the Beatitudes, as a new law. In fact, theologians in the past have attempted to draw a parallel between Moses bringing down the 10 Commandments with Jesus’ “blessed statements.” While there is certainly some thematic overlap here, we shouldn’t draw too close a parallel. After all, there are only 9 ‘Blessed’s’.
No, rather than looking at this sermon as a new set of laws to uphold, it is better to see it as a call towards a higher ethic or character development. Of course, once we get to the key verse in this sermon (5:20), we suddenly realize there is no way we could ever uphold such a character. And that truth is what draws us to God’s grace. 5:20 gives us the essential reason why we need Jesus to transform us—we can never be the type of human God desires without His help.
The Sermon on the Mount describes the essential character of living in the Kingdom of God and our essential need for Christ to transform us.
As we read the next few chapters, don’t get discouraged believing you could never live up to such a standard. Christ did not come to give us an unreachable goal. He came so that we can know Him and be transformed by His Holy Spirit into the kind of person that exemplifies these characteristics.
Secondly, as we read, you may notice, especially in the Beatitudes, that some of these characteristics may already exist in your life. Dallas Willard offers a bit of nuanced interpretation of the Beatitudes that helps shed light. He notes how the characteristics Jesus calls blessed are those to whom wider society had cast aside—the poor, the meek, the mourners, the peacemakers, etc. These are traits that run counter to the popular views of the ancient world (and our own in many ways). The sense is that Jesus is letting the crowds know that even though the world may ignore them, they are seen by God. In fact, God is calling those such as these to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We could even compare this to the Parable of the Wedding Feast Jesus tells in Matthew 22.
In other words, those whom the world has cast off and find themselves in the worst of situations in this life should count themselves lucky! God has come to even them!
The Beatitudes establish the cosmic reversal that occurs when the Kingdom of Heaven invades the Earth—the least become the greatest.
Let’s begin reading Matthew 5.
Who may enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others 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 they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:1-12
As stated above, the Beatitudes offer a reversal of fortune for the world. It is not the prideful that receive the kingdom of heaven. It is the poor in spirit.
It is not the conquerors who find comfort, but rather the mourners.
It is not the powerful or the oppressive, but the meek that inherit the earth.
Only those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied.
The unmerciful will not receive mercy.
In fact, Luke records these Beatitudes with a series of ‘Woes’ in Luke 6 which helps reinforce the point. Jesus is preaching against the prevailing understanding of the world that says, “Might makes right.” The Roman world, and Israel by extension, existed in a pagan worldview that prioritized power and honor above everything else. In fact, the religious systems of the day reinforced this thinking by stating when the gods blessed a particular person, that blessing would manifest as financial gain, societal power, a ruling title, or some combination of the three.
It shouldn’t be too difficult for us to understand this mindset if we compare it to our own age. How often do we see or hear of someone’s ‘blessing’ as some material thing? For awhile, social media was inundated with the tag #blessed for anyone who went on some great vacation, got a new car, or some other shiny new toy. Or we might call a person blessed for their new job or promotion and the fat check that comes with it.
While we can certainly call these things blessings from God, is it really only those who have material gain or wealth and privilege that we can call blessed?
Jesus reverses this kind of thinking by saying, “The truly blessed are those for whom heaven has opened.”
The Beatitudes remind us that true blessings come to those who seek after the Kingdom of Heaven.
So, yes, the persecuted, the lame, the sick, the losers, the mourners, the washed out, the has-beens, the homeless, the worthless, the Kingdom of Heaven is open to you, too! Jesus’ statement in these Beatitudes would have unnerved the religious authorities. The only reason it does not unnerve more Christians is because of its familiarity. To feel the same uneasiness, we have to consider the magnitude of what Jesus is saying. To help, I was reminded of a song this week.
There’s a song that was originally released in 1992 by a group that never quite made it to mainstream called “Breathe Deep”. The Lost Dogs was a 90s Christian band that might have been much more popular until their lead singer passed away in ’99. This particular song, though, was a bit controversial for Christian radio. Christian radio has always struggled with the more raw bits of Christian faith, but that is only a reflection of many churches who have the same struggle. The idea that the Kingdom of Heaven is available to even the least of these has always been a struggle for churches. Allow me to read a bit of the lyrics.
(Verse 1)
Politicians, morticians, Philistines, homophobes
Skinheads, Dead heads, tax evaders, street kids
Alcoholics, workaholics, wise guys, dim wits
Blue collars, white collars, war mongers, peace nicks
(Chorus)
Breathe deep
Breathe deep the Breath of God
Breathe deep
Breathe deep the Breath of God
(Verse 2)
Suicidals, rock idols, shut-ins, drop outs
Friendless, homeless, penniless and depressed
Presidents, residents, foreigners and aliens
Dissidents, feminists, xenophobes and chauvinists
That’s just the first couple of verses. The list doesn’t get any easier from here. Many of a Sunday Christian will exclaim, “But those people have to repent before God saves them!” Yes, of course, but so does everyone else in this world! The difference between the cast aways of this world and the well-to-do’s is that the cast aways know they are hopeless. The worldly believe they are safe.
The Kingdom of Heaven is open to anyone who will seek after it because Jesus has come.
What happens when we forget this truth? Let’s continue reading.
Helping the Kingdom of Heaven Shine
“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.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16
When we forget the Kingdom of Heaven is truly open to any who will seek it, we are like salt that has lost its saltiness or a light that has been hidden. This situation is exactly what happened to the Jews because of the priests, scribes, and Pharisees. They were meant to be a “city on a hill”—a place for protection and provision. They were meant to be a light—a place of understanding and discovering the truth. Instead, they wed themselves to the powers of this world and became a conquered people—not just conquered by Rome but by sin as well.
As we live in this world, one of two things will happen, and only one of these two:
We will be salt and light that brings transformation to the world around us because we are allowing God to work through us.
We will be transformed by this world allowing it to corrupt the truth in us until we look like any other pagan.
There is no “static Christian”. There is only growth or decay.
Jesus tells the crowd to seek life and shine like the light of heaven they are called to be.
When we embrace the call to live as Kingdom People, we will be salt and light to the world around us.
The ethical standard for the Kingdom of Heaven
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-20
Whenever someone begins preaching about acceptance and tolerance for the castaways of society, they tend to relax on the demands of good character and godliness. The religious zealots are unnerved by such talk because they believe the person is attempting to subvert or abolish the time-honored standards of ethics.
Jesus interrupts this line of thinking by saying he isn’t trying to abolish the Law, he is fulfilling it! He is explaining what truly following the Law looks like, and he will be the One who actually fulfills its demands. In fact, Jesus tells us that if anyone tries to relax on the demands of the Law and teach others to do the same, they will be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is only those who follow the Law and teaches others to follow it that are called great.
And then, Jesus gives the most provocative statement in this entire sermon, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
If the scribes and Pharisees cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, then what chance does anyone else?
The ones who have a chance to enter the kingdom of heaven are those Jesus mentioned before—the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the ones who hunger after righteousness, who show mercy, and who are ultimately persecuted for doing what God has called them to do.
Ultimately, we would call this type of person ‘the penitent.’ It is the person who recognizes their utterly hopeless situation. They understand their wealth will perish with them. They understand gaining the whole world but losing their soul is worthless. They understand they have failed to live as our Holy God has designed them to live.
The key to entering the Kingdom of Heaven is to lose all hope in earning a place in the kingdom and place all hope in the grace of Jesus to allow you in.
There is no earning a place in Heaven. The price is too high. The merit needed is too much. The clout required is unachievable.
The only Good News is the best news. Once we embrace the utterly hopelessness of our situation will we find Jesus waiting for us with mercy, grace, and the power to transform us from absolute death into life-filled creatures.
Today, if you still believe that somehow you will earn your place in heaven, get rid of this false hope and embrace the grace of Jesus Christ.