Reflection

Jesus has called his first disciples to follow him (Matt. 4:19, 21), and now, in his famous “Sermon on the Mount” (chs. 5–7), he teaches them what the kingdom of God will look like.

It is important to avoid two errors in interpreting the “Sermon on the Mount.” First, Jesus was not teaching the disciples about the requirements for entering the kingdom of God. This message is for those who have already begun following him (4:18–22; 5:1). Second, this is not a description of life in heaven. In heaven, there will be no need to turn the other cheek (5:39). Rather, these teachings are a description of what life looks like for Christians as they try to follow Jesus in a broken world. Jesus is showing us what life should look like for a heart that has been humbled and transformed by the gospel of grace. Living this kind of life is possible only because of the One who has done it perfectly in our place. Only by the grace we receive in Jesus can we find favor with God and begin to walk in his ways.

The sermon begins by describing what Christians look like, as those who understand their weakness and need for God’s mercy. Christians are “poor in spirit” (v. 3) because they know that they are sinners who do not have the spiritual strength to perform God’s demands perfectly. They are “those who mourn” and who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (vv. 4, 6) because they have experienced the disaster that sin has brought to the world. Because they understand their true weakness before God, the “meek” (v. 5) have humility, and that enables them to treat others with kindness. Christians are “merciful” because they understand their own need for God’s mercy (v. 7).

Those who exhibit such qualities are like salt and light in the world around them. Jesus calls them to demonstrate the character of God and his kingdom through the character of their lives so that others will glorify God as a result of their influence (vv. 13–16).

Reflection

Humanity faces a dilemma. “The whole world” (Rom. 3:19), every single person, fails to live up to the moral standard God requires. We are all “under sin” (v. 9). This is the conclusion of everything Paul has been saying since he began his critique in 1:18. Now he uses quotations from the Psalms to help him summarize his point (vv. 10–16). The evidence leaves us speechless; all mouths are stopped (v. 19). Deep down, people know that they are sinful and guilty, but we have no ability to cleanse ourselves and avoid God’s judgment. As long as we are relying on our own performance, we will never be declared righteous (“justified”) in God’s courtroom (v. 20).