Matthew 5:1 - 12

The Beatitudes

1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught 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 meek, For they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This verse begins what is commonly called the “Sermon on the mount” and it is called that because he went up on the mount before he began teaching.

He had the great multitude following him around to see the miracles or to be healed by him. So he went up on the mount to find an area to teach those who were interested in the gospel.

We see a distinction between multitudes and disciples in this verse, the multitudes could consist of every person in the crowd following Jesus, but the disciples did not consist of the every person in the crowd. There were many who were only interested in the curiosity of seeing the miracles or having them performed on someone who needed their healing. While the Greek word which disciples comes from means, “a learner, pupil, or disciple...the twelve apostles.” Thayer. We also know from the scriptures that disciples also included the women who followed Jesus, and the others who were eligible to replace Judas, (Acts 1)

Jesus taught people using words, it is significant in that God has never influenced man's moral and spiritual conduct in any other manner than using His word to explain what is expected of man in his behavior. He has used dreams, visions, direct contact, and the written word to explain God's expectations and commandments.

Blessed is from a Greek word meaning blessed or happy, Websters defines the word as complete bliss, or blessedness.

To be “poor in spirit” means to recognize one's need for spiritual help. People who recognize their need for spiritual help are those who will accept the “kingdom of heaven” (church)

Mourning does not have happiness within the framework of sadness caused by the loss of those who are dear, but there can be happiness when comfort is applied to those who are sad. The genuine relief from the sorrows of the world which is set up by Jesus new system will provide happiness.

The Greek word is defined as “gentle, mild, or meek. It is in contrast to what we call the type “a” leaders of our worldly organizations. We tend to want leaders of our kingdoms, organizations, and companies to be those who will bulldoze their way and command respect and order from those arround. “Inherit the earth” is defined as enjoying the eternal salvation which is available through the “kingdom of heaven.” To be gentle, mild, and meek gives one the opportunity for salvation through Christ's church.

“Hunger and thirst after righteousness” means to be eager to learn what it means to have a righteous life. But one who is hungry does not stop when he finds food but is ready to consume it as well. One who is eager to learn what a righteous life is, does not stop but is one who is eager to commit his life to righteous living.

Mercy means to spare a person even punishment which is due a guilty individual. But it does not mean to endorse or overlook actions which are wrong, but to be considerate of others. Christ tells us the mercy God will have on us is to based on the mercy we instill on others.

To be “pure in heart” means we desire our lives to be following the word and will of God to the best of our abilities. It means we do not mix evil in our lives, but we are meant to live our lives with good and not evil. We will then be rewarded with being with God eternally.

God is one who attempts to bring spiritual peace into the world. When we attempt to live peaceable we are like the father. (James 3:17[ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.]) (Romans 12:18[If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. ]) As disciples of Christ we are to make every spiritual effort to be at peace with each other and attempt to help others make peace with each other. We then will be called children of God because this is how he deals with mankind.

When we are harassed, troubled, or molested because we have belief in Christ and we live a life of righteousness, this persecution can be physical or mental, but it must be because of our desire to live as Christ expects us to live. Then we will be rewarded.

Verse 11 is similar in thought to verse 10 but this verse is about verbal abuse and not considering the physical abuse of verse 10 these words and accusation must be false in order for the blessing to be in effect.

Verse 12 continues the thought of being persecuted because of one's belief in Christ and the way one lives his life to please Christ. We must be happy when we are being persecuted because it means we will receive eternal life because of our actions. When we are persecuted we must remember we are not alone in being persecuted. Many others over the centuries have suffered because of their belief in God.