Shall we pray…
Discourse:
In the Gospels- a speech given by Jesus in order to teach a specific lesson or lessons; a sermon
We’ve all heard a stirring speech before, or a motivating speaker- the Gettysburg Address, Martin Luther King’s I have a Dream speech, etc.- and they all served their purpose to teach a specific point. Jesus teaches us some important lessons in such a discourse in Matthew Chapter 5.
We’ve all heard a stirring speech before, or a motivating speaker- the Gettysburg Address, Martin Luther King’s I have a Dream speech, etc.- and they all served their purpose to teach a specific point. Jesus teaches us some important lessons in such a discourse in Matthew Chapter 5.
Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus begins this sermon it is on the side of a hill- although the location is unknown- and there is a large crowd gathered around. The sermon begins with nine statements about certain types of people that will be blessed and what reward they will receive in return.
Beatitudes
People that are blessed: Their Reward:
The poor in spirit Kingdom of Heaven
The mourners Comfort
The meek Inherit the earth
The hungry and thirsty for righteousness Satisfied
The merciful Receive mercy
The pure in heart See the Lord God
The peacemakers Called the sons of God
Those persecuted for righteousness Kingdom of Heaven
The poor in spirit Kingdom of Heaven
The mourners Comfort
The meek Inherit the earth
The hungry and thirsty for righteousness Satisfied
The merciful Receive mercy
The pure in heart See the Lord God
The peacemakers Called the sons of God
Those persecuted for righteousness Kingdom of Heaven
Number 9
Finally the last statement: anybody who is hated because of their love for Christ should rejoice because their reward will be great in Heaven. The Beatitudes, as we call these nine statements, basically sum up the fact that although things may look bleak for those who are being persecuted, their reward actually awaits them in the next life.
Sovereign Plan
Many people try to make much out of any list that they see in the Bible and go to great lengths to memorize and “spew” out each blessing and reward. This is not what’s important when it comes to these verses- they are not for those with good memories to be able to spew in the face of those who do not so they sound like they know more about the Bible; instead it is a lesson to be learned about how things work in the Sovereign Plan of God Almighty.
Matthew 5:13-48
In the Old Testament Yahweh gave his people Israel a set of standards in order to set them apart from other peoples in the ancient world. These standards should not be thought of as “Law” the way we think of law- you violate a law and you get punished; instead, these standards were put in place in order to guide the Israelis in the way they lived.
As an answer to his people either outwardly disobeying the major tenets of the law (committing adultery, murdering, worshiping other gods) and also having people take the law so seriously and meticulously that they became too legalistic The Father God sent his Son Jesus as a fulfillment of the law so that we would have a living example of how we are supposed to live.
Just because Christ came and brought with him grace does not mean that the entire law of the Old Testament is no longer valid. No longer would a legalistic lifestyle be the valid reaction to following the law.
As an answer to his people either outwardly disobeying the major tenets of the law (committing adultery, murdering, worshiping other gods) and also having people take the law so seriously and meticulously that they became too legalistic The Father God sent his Son Jesus as a fulfillment of the law so that we would have a living example of how we are supposed to live.
Just because Christ came and brought with him grace does not mean that the entire law of the Old Testament is no longer valid. No longer would a legalistic lifestyle be the valid reaction to following the law.
Divorce
In verse 31 we get a statement on divorce that one must remember is said in the perfect circumstance. In the original design man and woman were intended to be married in perfection (the Garden of Eden) and live in paradise for their lives. Once sin entered the world things were no longer perfect and marriage is no exception.
Jesus is not teaching that all divorce is wrong; instead look at the criticism of Jesus when he says that divorce is about making sure you hand your spouse a divorce certificate. Au contraire- there has to be more significant grounds to divorce than just giving the spouse a certificate of divorce. According to Jesus the idea that “irreconcilable differences constitute the grounds for divorce” is false
Jesus is not teaching that all divorce is wrong; instead look at the criticism of Jesus when he says that divorce is about making sure you hand your spouse a divorce certificate. Au contraire- there has to be more significant grounds to divorce than just giving the spouse a certificate of divorce. According to Jesus the idea that “irreconcilable differences constitute the grounds for divorce” is false