Introduction of the sermon and the mount

As Jesus’ popularity and fame spreads, it is important for Him to identify exactly what He’s about.

Jesus recognized it was important for Him to define Himself to His disciples rather than let events and
circumstances develop their own identity of Jesus.

Jesus has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17-19)

Jesus will not violate the teachings of the Law and the Prophets

The Law and the Prophets will continue until they are fulfilled/accomplished.

This passage then informs us that we need to, therefore, interpret the Sermon on the Mount in light of O.T.
teachings, not separate from them, or as “new” revelation.

Don’t Misunderstand

The Sermon is focused like a laser-beam on the idea of what it means to live as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.
(Note that Jesus doesn’t address the subject of salvation in the Sermon. He only speaks of living in the kingdom.)

Identifying the kingdom of heaven

a. First, in both the Old and New Testaments, the idea of “kingdom” is primarily dynamic rather than spatial.

The emphasis is on king-dominion,” or God’s reign.

These texts, and texts from the other gospels, view those who submit to God’s reign as a subject of God’s universal
kingdom.

Jesus is speaking about “kingdom people”

The point is that there is no difference between the Old and New Testaments as to life in the kingdom: both
testaments (and God!) require the same kind of heart for citizenship.

Beatitudes

To be blessed means, fundamentally, to be approved to find approval.

Poor in Spirit/Poverty in Spirit- is the personal acknowledgement of spiritual bankruptcy. Poverty of spirit is a full,
honest, factual, conscious and conscientious recognition before God of our personal ethical and moral
unworthiness.

Emptied of any self-righteousness or ethical standing, ad wanting God to be in our lives, we are now ready for Him
to lead us: we are ready to be citizens of His kingdom; we are ready to let Him reign in us.

Mourn – Though the word ‘mourn’ is usually used of the sorrow of bereavement, Jesus has in mind the sorrow of
loss- loss of innocence and righteousness. Our spiritual poverty leads us to mourn.

This mourning is a response to the realization of the loss we’ve suffered because of sin, and that we, on our own,
don’t have the ability to make up that loss. We have become not just spiritually impoverished; we are also
spiritually powerless to change it alone.

In the face of our spiritual poverty and loss, God acted in grace. God has acted to restore us! God has done in
Christ what we cannot do ourselves.
 Meek- Meekness is essentially a true view of oneself, expressing itself in attitude and conduct with respect to
others… The man who is truly amazed that God and man can think of him as well as they do and treat him as well
as they do.

For kingdom citizens today, “inheriting the earth” means that God will be faithful to His promises and covenants
with us (seek our best) because we seek the best for others.

Hunger and Thirst- It is a desire to respond to God, to pursue His will instead of our own. Jesus will say, “But seek
first the kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.

Rather, for those who crave righteousness God always has service and obedience they can render to Him. The
more we want God’s will, the more attractive it becomes, and the more we want it.

Mercy- Mercy says, even though you’re guilty and deserve punishment, I will withhold punishment and give you
what you don’t deserve. But, biblically, “mercy” is also pity and compassion for people in need.

In the N.T we see the merciful as those who help others in need. The Idea is that the same standard of judgement
we apply to others will be applied to us.

The person who recognized his own helplessness is grateful for the mercy shown to him, and then learns to be
merciful to others.

Pure in Heart- Man’s heart is important in many ways in our spiritual lives. In the bible, the heart is the center of
the entire personality. On the negative side, it is from that heart that all sin issues into life.

Additionally, emphasizing the heart makes us realize that living in the kingdom is not about outward conformity to
rules.

Obedience must come from the heart- genuine, sincere and authentic motivation. The purity of heart in this
context emphasizes integrity: a singleness of purpose and focus.

His heart is unmixed with anything devious, ulterior or base. He has no guile or hypocrisy. God blesses the pure in
heart and rewards them with righteousness.

Peacemakers- First, the peacemakers (by extending mercy and by having a heart focused on service to God) must
actively attempt to reconcile man and God. That involves two things as well:

First is sharing the gospel of Christ with them in order to save them and bring them back into fellowship with God.
The second way peacemakers work to reconcile man and God is by “doing good” in the world, which gives them
credibility. For they are seeking to do what their Father has done, loving people with His love.

Persecuted- This confirms that persecution comes because our practice of life is acting like Jesus Himself.

The Christian lives in a sinful world; therefore, if he exhibits genuine, transparent righteousness (lives like a citizen
of the kingdom of heaven!), he will be rejected by many.

Our joy and being glad then comes in the deepening of our relationship with God, of which the persecution is
proof.

Salt and Light of the world

By implication, then Jesus is saying then that apart form His disciples the world turns ever more rotten with moral
and spiritual putrefaction.

Salt can become contaminated by mixture with impurities, and then become useless, even dangerous.
 The light that Jesus points to is our good works. We have to shine in a certain way.

Fulfill the Law

These verses (17-20) bridge Jesus’ kingdom living to an interpretation and application of law built from the inside
out, in contrast to what the scribes and Pharisees taught (based on their oral traditions), which seemed to be
mainly concerned with outward behaviors.

Jesus didn’t come to destroy the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill accomplish them.

Jesus pointed to His crucifixion and resurrection as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. The Law and the
Prophets stay in effect until they are accomplished.

Jesus’ teachings, not only here in the Sermon on the Mount but throughout His ministry, do not contradict or
overthrow the Law and the Prophets.

If we are to understand Jesus teachings’ we have to interpret them with the Law and Prophets in mind and in
force.

Murder/Anger- Then where does sin originate if not in an attitude that devalues the other person? That places our
needs, wants and desires above the other person’s value?

Regret says, “Yes, I messed up. Can we move on? Remorse says, “Yes, I messed up and I realize the pain I caused
you, and I’m truly sorry for my behavior and its consequences.

Adultery- Jesus is saying to look for the purpose of lusting. This is intentional and deliberate.

Adultery is fundamentally a breaking of a covenant. Marriage is a covenant, and adultery is breaking that covenant.

In both the Old and the New Covenants, sexual relations were to occur within marriage.

If you claim to be a follower of God, then lusting is ‘adultery’: you have broken your covenant with God by desiring
sexual relations outside of marriage.

Jesus point is the seriousness of sin, Jesus in not advocating self-maiming, but moral self-denial.

Life in the kingdom means we make the effort to rid sin and sinful behavior from our lives.

But the point here is whatever causes you stumble, no matter the premium our culture or others place upon it (or
maybe even the value you place upon it), avoid it; cast it out of your life because it’s not worth losing your soul
over.

The two leading rabbis in this dispute were Hillel and Shammai.

Rabbi Shammai took the rigorist view and declared that some indecency in her was a grave matrimonial offense,
something evidently “unseemly” or indecent.”

Rabbi Hillel took a lax view and said “some indecency” included even a trivial offense.

According to Josephus, the Jewish historian, Rabbi Hillel’s view was the most common attitude, and we can see it
in Matthew 19:3 regarding divorcing a wife “for any reason at all.”

Unchastity- Fornication, unfaithfulness – is a deliberate break of the marriage covenant. It is adultery- covenant
breaking.

Unlawful sexual activity is a deliberate violation of the marriage covenant.

 The resultant divorce is therefore a recognition of what’s already happened: the marriage covenant has been
broken.

First, note the grammar: everyone who divorces his wife makes her commit adultery.

The Greek grammar makes it even clearer –this divorced wife here is made to commit adultery by the actions of
her husband.

In other words, by his actions (divorcing her), he makes her commit adultery. She hasn’t done anything. Its been
done to her.

There’s only one answer left: by divorcing her, her husband is not allowing her to be faithful to the marriage
covenant. His actions make her “break covenant”

But what about the last part of the verse (32)? And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Again,
that interpretation takes this phrase out of context and ignores what was just said about the woman’s adultery.

In other words, the moment she becomes another man’s wife, she cannot return to her first husband.

By the second man marrying her, he commits “adultery” in that his marrying her completely breaks the marriage
covenant of the first marriage. Now there is no legal way for her to return and be faithful to the first marriage
covenant.

Jesus isn’t really arguing about what makes a legitimate divorce. Jesus is arguing against taking a light view of the
marriage covenant.

Oath

Even a superficial reading of these passages makes their meaning obvious: to prevent false swearing or perjury, or
the taking of a vow and not fulfilling it.

In other words, it wasn’t really about being truthful or fulfilling a promise. It was about making sure we don’t
misuse God’s name.

Instead Jesus says, but let your statement be, Yes, yes or No, no.

In other words, tell the truth! God wants- and has always wanted- His people to be honest and trustworthy.

Retaliation

What should be noted from the wider context of each of those passages is that his referred to the judiciary and
to the courts, and how justice was to be administered.

These rules were given to Israel as a nation, meaning these matters were not to be handled by individuals (as in a
blood feud), but by the courts and judges

This also limited the punishment in two ways: It had to be equal to the crime and secondly, there was to be no
familial or inter-tribal warfare in punishing each other.

Retaliation and revenge are not the same as taking a stand for what is right.

We don’t respond to evil by returning evil (revenge) – we don’t strike back. We respond to evil by doing more
good- continuing to act as Christians and to stand up for what is good and right.

Love your enemies means seek what is even best for them, even at personal cost.