Matthew 5:1–16

Bible Studies for Life 
Academic Dean at Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

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Matthew 5:1–16
There have been many famous speeches. Some of them are short, such as Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Some of them are longer, such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. But these and other speeches like them, no matter what their subject or who delivered them, have one trait in common: they are the words of mere men. They may inspire or impress, but they do not impart life. This is what sets Jesus’ great sermon apart. The Sermon on the Mount is a living word from a living God to people in need of eternal life.

Blessed and Happy
As we cast an eye over this great sermon, what strikes us immediately is the repeated use of the word “blessed.” As a general rule, whenever a word is repeated it is probably a good idea to find out why. Often a speaker or writer will use a word numerous times to capture our attention. So what does blessed mean?

It has become commonplace to say that when Jesus used the word blessed, He meant more than happy. While I agree with this, I would also want to emphasize that while blessed does indicate more than happiness, it does not indicate less than happiness. In other words, Jesus is not telling us that the blessed person exemplifies these characteristics with a kind of joyless stoicism; rather, Jesus is beginning to teach us that the blessed person finds his or her joy and happiness from something beyond themselves — from God. The evidence of this comes at the end of this section in verse 16, where Jesus says that when the world sees our good works they will glorify not us, but our Father who is in heaven. We can only live what Jesus commands by the power and presence of God.

Your Inner Attitude (1–6)
But how do we start? Notice the first beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” We begin by recognizing our spiritual poverty. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven because the self-sufficient person fails to see his or her spiritual poverty. The confirmation of this recognition comes in the second beatitude, mourning. Those who realize their spiritual poverty through repentance and faith in Christ are left with nothing but tears before the cross, but they leave comforted with the knowledge that they have now entered the kingdom of heaven.

Your Outward Relationships (7–12)
While the gospel certainly demands “my soul, my life, my all,” it is not thereby centered around me. If being poor in spirit is a way of talking about ourselves in relation to God, being merciful and a peacemaker is a way of reminding us about ourselves in relation to others. It can be very difficult to be meek (humble or gentle) or merciful to someone — let alone a peacemaker — when we have suffered unjustly. The gospel, however, does not call us to defend our rights or our causes but to place our trust in the God who judges justly. You may recall that in Numbers 12 Moses was attacked by his own siblings, but God defended him even while Moses was at his most humble. Meekness and mercy leave room for God to exercise justice.

Your Worldwide Influence (13–16)
In the bustle of our lives there rarely seems room for rest, let alone acts of mercy toward others. Nevertheless, even as the world would seek to sweep us away in its wave of ungodliness we are to remain steadfast in our commitment to Christ. Why does Jesus introduce salt and a lamp in these verses? He does so because they each have a singular purpose: in the one case to add flavor and in the other to provide light. Jesus’ point is that when these things lose their singular purpose they become useless, and so too with us. When we conform to the world we lose our singular purpose to live lives that glorify our Father in heaven. It is vital that we never stop hungering and thirsting after righteousness.