THE BEATITUDES (PART 1) - MATTHEW 5:1-5

 

Jesus Discipling

5:1

Seeing the big crowd, Jesus went up on the side of a mountain to separate from the crowd and teach his disciples, those who were committed to following him. 

Jesus sat down. This was the posture of teaching for a rabbi. He would sit and his disciples would sit around him. Sitting was a sign he was about to teach. The crowd would know this and sit to hear him. 

This teaching became known as the Sermon on the Mount, as named by Augustine. It comprises chapters five through seven. 

The Beatitudes

5:1-2

This chapter begins the Sermon On The Mount, and the sermon begins with what we call the Beatitudes. The name comes from the Latin word “beatus”, which is translated as “blessed”.

There is debate about who the Beatitudes apply to. But, we know that Jesus has been preaching the gospel of the kingdom. (4:23) And he begins the Beatitudes with a statement about the kingdom of God. So, we can ascertain that he is talking about the characteristics of those who belong to the kingdom, i.e., believers. He was saying “this is what believers should look like”. 

The words “he opens his mouth and taught them” carry weight because it indicates a teacher speaking with authority. He was teaching them that his kingdom brought a new way of thinking and living. Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament and now teaches what attitudes and behaviors the New Covenant requires and results in. 

“Blessed” means uniquely favored by God. This person has the approval of God. It means much more than “happy”, as some have tried to teach. For example, Robert Schuller wrote a book called the “Be Happy Attitudes” teaching that these eight attitudes lead to a happy life. It is not about our feelings, it is about God’s attitude toward us and our relationship with him.

The Poor In Spirit

5:3

The first people Jesus says are blessed are the “poor in spirit”. You are poor in spirit if you have confidence only in God’s grace for your good standing with him. This is similar to the Old Testament phrase “contrite in spirit”. God said he would dwell with the person who is of a contrite and lowly spirit. (Isaiah 57:15)

This is the picture conveyed in the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector. (Luke 18:9-14) The Pharisee trusted in himself that he was righteous and help others in contempt.Even his prayers were bragging on himself. 

In contrast, the tax collector prays for mercy and acknowledged that the was a sinner. He left in good standing with God,  but the Pharisee did not. 

Some commentators refer to it as an acknowledgement of “spiritual bankruptcy”, meaning one who realizes he is unworthy of God’s favor on his own and who is dependent on God. 

The poor in spirit have the kingdom of heaven. They have eternal life in fellowship with God. They enjoy the reign of Christ and living in the kingdom. This is not just a promise of the future, but of the present life in Christ. 

Certainly the full state of blessedness with only come when the kingdom is consummated. But, with the inauguration of the kingdom and our entry into it, we already share in the present blessedness of the kingdom.   

Those Who Mourn

5:4

Also blessed are those who mourn. This means mourning for sin, both personal and corporate. We mourn and weep over our own sin. This is repentance. 

This is the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said: And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment”. (John 16:3)

We also mourn for the sins of the church, of the nation, and of a world living in opposition to God. 

The apostle Paul confronted the Corinthian church over its tolerance of sin. He wrote: “Ought you not rather to mourn?” (1 Corinthians 5:2)

The Old Testament prophets are an example. They wept over the sins of Israel. For example, the Psalmist said “My eyes shed streams of tears because people do not keep your law”. (Psalm 119:136) 

We once held a service next door to an abortion clinic that was opening. We confessed and mourned the sin of our nation in sponsoring abortions.

When we mourn and repent of our sin, we are comforted. That comfort comes in the form of forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9) 

Matthew also alludes to Isaiah 61:1-4, which speaks of the time of the Lord’s favor, when the Messiah\Christ will bring good news to the poor, bind up the broken hearted, and give those who mourn beauty for ashes. He will bring the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit, or spirit of despair. 

So, the first two beatitudes tell us that citizens of the kingdom should be aware of their sins and grieved by them, becoming aware of the greatness of God’s grace in bringing us into the kingdom through the death of Christ. 

The blessings come now in part, but are fully realized at the consummation of the kingdom as pictured in Revelation 7:17, when Jesus guides us to springs of living water and wipes away every tear from our eyes. 

Charles Wesley captured these thoughts in his hymn “O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing”:

"He speaks, and, listening to His voice,

New life the dead receive;

The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,

The humble poor believe.”

The Meek

5:5

The next blessed group is those who are meek. Meekness is a gentle spirit that is free from malice and vengeance. It is a humble spirit toward others. 

Jesus modeled it for us. He said “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls”. (Matthew 11:29 KJV) He seems to be referring to Psalm 37, which says not to fret about evil people because “the meek shall inherit the earth”. (Psalm 37:11) That tells us that meekness, or a gentle spirit, was desired by God even under the Old Covenant. 

Even Moses, the leader of Israel who stood up to Pharaoh, was meek. “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth”. (Numbers 12:3) Meek does not equal week. 

The godless may exert power at present. Even so, believers, as “the meek” may still enjoy the earth now and rejoice in knowing it belongs to Christ. They also know they ultimately inherit the new heavens and earth. 

Revelation 21:1-7 gives us a picture of this new heaven and earth. God says it is the inheritance of those who believe in him. No one else will have a part in it. And it will be beautiful and perfect and in the presence of God.  

Meditate on these things this week.

Are you poor in spirit? Do you mourn sin? Are you meek? 

Confess your shortcomings, receive forgiveness, and live according to Jesus’ instructions. 

JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY IN GALILEE - MATTHEW 4:12-5:1

Jesus Begins His Ministry In Galilee

4:12-17

Sometime after the arrest of John, Jesus moved from Judea up north to Galilee. He heard about the arrest and withdrew from Judea, where Herod ruled. He went to Nazareth, his hometown. Jesus’s family still lived there.  (John 2:12)

He then went to Capernaum, which is on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. It became the base for his ministry in Galilee. 

This is in the original allotment of the tribe of Naphtali.

   

Matthew shows this to be a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-2, which he cites:

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

    have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
    on them a light has dawned.”

Isaiah’s prophecy is in the context of the Assyrian invasion of Israel. (Isaiah 8) Israelites that survived the invasion were mostly taken into exile in different parts of the Assyrian kingdom. Gentiles from other nations were exiled into the area. 

Although Jews migrated back into the area, especially under the Maccabees, it continued to be a mix of Jews and Gentiles. The Judeans looked down on the Galileans because of this.

The people in Galilee lived in spiritual darkness, in the presence of many false gods of other nations. Jesus then appeared, a great light for those living in the area. (John 1:4) 

Matthew is saying the Messiah was promised to Galilee of the Gentiles. This foreshadows his commission in 28:19 for the disciples to make disciples in all nations. 

Jesus began to preach to the Galileans. “From that time” means this is a turning point; something new is happening. He said: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. 

John the Baptist preached the same message, but he was saying people should repent to prepare the way for the Messiah to come. It was to be ready for the one who would come and bring justice and restoration to Israel.

But when Jesus preaches this, is saying the kingdom has come, beginning with his appearance preaching and performing miracles, especially casting out demons. Repentance is necessary for entrance into the kingdom. So, John announced the kingdom and Jesus leads his people into the kingdom. 

Calling The First Disciples

4:18-22

Having settled in Capernaum, Jesus went walking by the Sea of Galilee. There, Jesus found men he called to be his disciples. Matthew gives us a short account of these callings. The other gospels have other details, but I am not doing a “harmony of the gospels” here, just dealing with the text of Matthew.

Jesus first saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew. They were fishing by casting a net into the sea.

Matthew notes that Simon was also called Peter.  He does not yet explain why that is so. But we will see why in chapter 16.

Jesus tells the brothers to follow him and he will make them fishers of men. (19) The appeal of that phrase to them indicates some prior contact with Jesus as is indicated in John 1:25-51. They immediately dropped their nets and followed Jesus. 

Jesus then encountered two other brothers, James and John. They were sitting in their boat with their father, Zebedee, but mending their nets rather than fishing. Nonetheless, they left their father and immediately followed Jesus. (22) 

We see, then, that these four were businessmen. They had property, homes, boats, and families. They left their families and their businesses to follow Jesus.  

The Ministry In Galilee

4:23-25

Jesus became an itinerant rabbi or teacher. Unlike today, that did not require formal religious training. He had disciples, notably the four mentioned so far. And he traveled from town to town in Galilee. 

On the Sabbath, he would attend the synagogue and he would teach. It would be common to recognize a visiting rabbi. He might be called on to read a scripture and comment on it. We have an example of this i the synagogue in Nazareth, as recorded in chapter 13. He also proclaimed the gospel, or good news, of the kingdom, as we will see in chapter 5. 

In addition to meeting spiritual needs, Jesus met physical needs. He healed people. Matthew says he healed every disease and affliction brought to him. By healing, he showed the kingdom was indeed present. 

Jesus became famous in the area. Certainly his authoritative teaching, especially applying scripture to himself, would result in discussions and gossip.

But his healing ministry would certainly bring fame. In an age before the sophisticated practice of medicine we have today, there were no cures for many diseases. But Jesus healed them all. Everyone healed, and those who cared about the, would tell others of the miracle. And then others would come for healing.

He even became known in Syria. 

So, more and more people were brought to him for healing. He even cast out demons. That would also certainly cause his fame to spread. And it was more evidence that the kingdom was at hand.

Soon crowds began to follow Jesus. Some came to be healed. Others stayed to listen to what Jesus had to say after healing them. Some heard him in the synagogue and wanted to know more. Some just came for the show. And, of course, some came who wanted to know if this teacher and healer could be the Messiah.

The crowds got bigger. People came from the towns he visited in Galilee, but some also came from Judea and even Jerusalem. And some came from the Gentile countries beyond the Jordan River, including Syria and the 10 cities of the Decapolis. 

Jesus Discipling

5:1

Seeing the big crowd, Jesus went up on the side of a mountain to separate from the crowd and teach his disciples, those who were committed to following him. 

Jesus sat down. This was the posture of teaching for a rabbi. He would sit and his disciples would sit around him. Sitting was a sign he was about to teach. The crowd would know this and sit to hear him. 

This teaching became known as the Sermon on the Mount, as named by Augustine. It comprises chapters five through seven. We will study the sermon itself beginning next week. 

Trust In the Lord

 Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) says:  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” 

 

These two verses give us advice on how to live our lives in God’s will. It tells us to do something and then tells us the result of doing it.

 

What is the thing we are to do? We are to place ourselves completely in God’s hands, submitted to his direction. Solomon says it three ways. First, trust in the Lord with all your heart. We place our trust in God. In other words, we place our faith in him to take care us. We have no reservations. We hold nothing back. Our whole heart is given over to him. We submit ourselves to him and his will, committed to go where he sends, do what he commands and even suffer what he ordains.

 

We can do this because we believe that God will do what is best for us. We believe what Romans 8:28 says, that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. We trust him. We trust him to give us eternal life, so surely we can trust him to do the best for us in this life. Romans 8:32 says “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” In other words, if he was willing to sacrifice his son for us, he will surely give us all the things we need.

 

Second, we do not lean on our own understanding. Sometimes, God tells us to do something we think is counter intuitive, or against human logic. We read a command in the Bible, for example, and think “I cannot do that. If I do that, I will go broke, or lose all my friends, or make people think I am a fanatic.” But this verse tells us to do what God says, trusting him to make it right.

 

I am not saying here that we are never to think. God gave us minds to think and gives us wisdom to discern the right thing to do. But, too often our thinking is selfish and not Biblical. It is worldly rather than spiritual. That is why Romans 12:2 tells us not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Your mind is renewed by the Holy Spirit, especially through the study of God’s word. 

 

A few years ago, I began trying to read the Scripture without filters. It is hard to do. But it is necessary. I tried not to read the Bible as an American, a Republican, a Texan, an affluent Westerner or any of those things. I wanted to know what the Scripture said and what God meant. It was disturbing to see that many times I had thought and even been taught a spin on the Word, usually explaining why we did not need to do it as God said to do it. Don’t spin. Give in.

 

Third, “in all your ways acknowledge him”. In this context, it particularly means to acknowledge that God keeps us and directs us in his will. We do not steal his glory or presume upon his grace. Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar tried to steal God’s glory. He took credit for his accomplishments, claiming power, glory and majesty for himself. (Daniel 4:28-30). The Lord struck him with madness until he acknowledged God. He said “Then I praised the Most High; I honored him who lives forever.” (Daniel 4:34) Only then did God restore him. 

 

James warns us not to presume upon God’s grace. He wrote “Now listen, you who say ‘today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow…instead, you out to say ‘if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.” (James 4:13-16) We prosper only as he allows in his grace. Acknowledge that. You really can say “God graciously allowed us to succeed and we are grateful” instead of “look at what I have done, I’m so great”. 

 

If we do what God says to do, trust him with our lives, what will he do? He will make our paths straight. When you had to walk everywhere, having a straight path was a big deal. If I can walk to the next town “as the crow flies” and it is 5 miles, I am grateful I did not have to walk the long way around and walk 10 miles.

 

When we visited our daughter in West Virginia once, I found myself frustrated that we could not go directly where we wanted to go because the roads all went around the hills. I could see the place I wanted to go, but had to go a long way around to get there. 

 

So, when God says he will make our paths straight, he means he will watch over us, direct us in the way we should go and make sure we get there. This is all conditioned on our placing our trust completely in him and not in ourselves. 

 

Are you worried about where you are going to go, how you will get there or if you will get there “in one piece”? Place your trust in God, ask him to direct your paths. Then relax and walk with him in peace.

 

Godspeed.

JESUS TEMPTED - MATTHEW 4:1-12

 Jesus In The Wilderness

4:1-2

Having been baptized and anointed by the Holy Spirit, Jesus is now led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. Since Jesus was led by the Spirit, we can assume it was the Father’s will for Jesus to be tempted and tested, and to suffer.

There are a couple of things going on here that are not on the surface.

First, there is a connection Jesus’ baptism and temptation. The baptism account ends with the Father acknowledging Jesus as his Son. The temptations involve Satan attempting to divert Jesus from his mission as God’s Son. 

Second, there is the theme that Jesus is the true Israel. Each temptation alludes to an Old Testament event involving Israel. Each defense raised by Jesus is from Deuteronomy 6 through 8, which is Moses’ teaching God’s commands to Israel in the wilderness before they entered the promised land. (Deuteronomy 1:1)

Jesus fasted for 40 days. That is about the limit for a human being to go without food and live. At the end of 40 days he would have been hungry, exhausted, and physically weak. He was at his most vulnerable. That is when Satan came to him. 

The 1st Temptation

4:3-4

Satan went straight to Jesus’ physical weakness for the first temptation. He is called “the tempter” in these verses. He challenged Jesus, saying “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread”. Loaves of bread would be wonderful for a starving man. 

And Jesus had the ability, as God, to do this. He turned water to wine. He multiplied a sack lunch into food for thousands of people. He could use his  status and abilities as God’s Son to benefit himself. 

However, it was to his mission to use his divine abilities and prerogatives to accomplish God’s will. Paul explained this. He said Jesus did not grasp his equality with God. Rather, he acted as a servant and was obedient to the suffering prescribed for him, even to death. (Philippians 2:5-8)

That is why he responds as he does, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by God’s word. (4) His devotion to God’s will (obedience) was greater than his desire for physical comfort and having his physical needs met.

This same taunt is thrown at Jesus while he was on the cross. The people said “if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross”. (Matthew 27:40) Jesus had the power to do that. He could have called twelve legions of angels to help him. But that was not God’s mission for him. He chose obedience to God’s word over relief from suffering. He fulfilled the scripture’s prediction of his suffering. (Matthew 26:53) 

The 40 days and nights alludes to the 40 years Israel wandered in the desert. Israel was led by God in the wilderness to be humbled and tested to see if the people would keep God’s commandments. (Deuteronomy 8:2) Specifically, he wanted Israel to know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD”. (Deuteronomy 8:3) 

Israel failed the test. They complained about food & water on more than one occasion. They did not believe and trust God’s provision for them. They did not believe God would keep his promise to them and give them the land of Canaan. And so, all of that generation had to die before God would let Israel into the promised land. (Deuteronomy 1) 

In contrast, Jesus did not fail. He did not complain, he did not succumb to Satan’s temptation, and he did not use his power to satisfy his physical need. He trusted God to provide for him. In other words, he lived by the word of the Lord.

Both of God’s sons, Israel and Jesus, were tested. One son, Jesus, did not fail and, thus, shows himself to be God’s true son. 

The Second Temptation

3:5-7

The second temptation took place in Jerusalem (the holy city). The devil set Jesus on the pinnacle (the highest point) of the temple and said if you are the Son of God, throw yourself down and force God to send angels to catch you.

The devil quoted Psalm 91:11-12 (from the LXX) to justify the challenge. He left out the words “to guard you in all your ways”. This passage was saying that one who trusts God will be protected from stumbling as one would hold up a small child learning to walk.

Satan misapplied it to make it a test of sonship. That is, if God protects those who trust him, how much more will he protect his Son. So, prove that by jumping so God will send his angels to catch you. Test God to prove he will do what he says.

Jesus countered Satan by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16, which forbids putting God to the test. The full verse includes “as you tested him at Massah”. This refers to the Israelites rising up against Moses when water was running out. God told Moses to tell the rock to bring water out, but Moses struck the rock and was punished for it. (Numbers 20:1-13) 

It is wrong for God’s people to demand miracles as a proof that God cares for us. Instead, we are to trust him and obey his word. As the old hymn says: “trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey”. 

The Third Temptation

4:8-10

In his third, and final, temptation, the devil offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in return for Jesus worshipping him. In Isaiah 14:12-15, the devil is portrayed as wanting to be like God, exalted above all. 

Satan offered Jesus a shortcut, obtaining a kingdom without going to the cross. But Jesus rebuked him with Deuteronomy 6:13 which says we may only worship the LORD our God. This is also the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me”. (Exodus 20:3) 

Later, Peter would offer the same thing to Jesus, that he could avoid suffering and death. And Jesus reacted the same way, rebuking Satan working in Peter. (Matthew 16:21-23)

The Israelites failed in this temptation also. Even while Moses was receiving the law from God, they built an idol to worship. They continually adopted the false gods of surrounding nations, worshipping their idols. Jesus, however, stayed true to the worship of the only God and showed he  is the true son, the true Israel. 

Jesus banished Satan from his presence at that point. He had defeated the tempter. He had authority over him, as he would repeatedly demonstrate by casting out demons. 

And Jesus’ trust in God was validated, as angels came and ministered to him. (11)

The primary point here is Jesus, but we do see how temptation may be defeated by God’s word. When we are tempted, we should think “what does the Bible say about that?”. And whatever the Bible forbids, we avoid. We do not rationalize and give ourselves permission to disobey God. Like Jesus, we are to be obedient, even to death.