The Sermon on The Mount: Introduction

This week’s passage: Matthew 5:1-2

Teaching the Disciples

After His crucifixion Jesus instructed the disciples to go and make other disciples, this instruction is known as the Great Commission and is expected of every follower of Christ until He returns for us.

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”" Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

As we open Matthew Chapter 5, we know that Jesus had been traveling and preaching, proclaiming the gospel to all who would listen, and that many were responding. I believe the Sermon on the Mount provides an example to churches on how they cannot consider it a job well done once a person has responded to an alter call, raised their hand, or said a prayer to accept Christ. Matthew says that Jesus sat with the disciples. The word “disciple”, which is “mathetes” in Greek, literally means “pupil”. Here in verses 1 and 2 we see Jesus, not hiding out with the disciples so that they would not be disturbed, but sitting on the top of a mountain (picture hill country, not the peaks of the Rockies) so that the people who were gathering would be able to sit where they could see and hear Him as well.

“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: “ (Matthew 5: 1-2 NKJV)

As our children get to be 3 or 4 years old, we start talking to them about school. We do everything we can to convince them that school is going to be THE GREATEST thing ever and they should be very excited about going there. We encourage them to be brave and seek new adventures, convincing them that they can do it and it will be grand! Then on that first day, they are so excited and convinced that they run into the building with great expectation. Mission accomplished? When we pick them up after that first day are we picking up an 18-year-old who is ready to go out and contribute to society simply because he or she believed school would be great and entered the building? Of course not! They have years of growing, triumphs and struggles remaining as they grow into the mature adults we envision them becoming.

New believers are like that 5-year-old going into kindergarten, they are excited, but they don’t yet understand who they are and need to be surrounded by other believers who have grown beyond that stage, they need to learn how to follow Christ and understand His expectations and His promises so as the Holy Spirit works in their hearts, they become a true member of God’s church, helping to bring up more disciples behind them.

Blessed are They

The first lesson in this days-long teaching is known as the Beatitudes. Christ is explaining that those with the traits or attitudes described in verses 3-12 are blessed. According to the Oxford Dictionary the word “blessed” means “to have something good such as ability, great happiness, etc.”. There is a certain cheapness to this secular definition that falls short of what Christ meant. In the interest of keeping this post relatively short (yes, I know that I tend to ramble!), I will share a quote from an article on GotQuestions.org titled “What does it mean to be blessed?”. I encourage you check out the article, it is an excellent bible study all on its own!

“Jesus used the term blessed in the framework of the Beatitudes to describe the inner quality of a faithful servant of God. This blessedness is a spiritual state of well-being and prosperity—a deep, joy-filled contentment that cannot be shaken by poverty, grief, famine, persecution, war, or any other trial or tragedy we face in life.” (https://www.gotquestions.org/mean-to-be-blessed.html)

Side Note: When you see the word “prosperity” in discussion or context of believing in Christ you should never consider it a reference to what is considered prosperity in the world view. The “Prosperity Gospel” (a teaching that says believing in Christ will cause you to have all you desire in this world) is FALSE. Christ said we would have tribulation in this world, not money and power.

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV)

There are many tools used by today’s churches to get the gospel message out (the A B Cs of Salvation, alter calls, brochures, etc.), these tools can be very effective in getting people’s attention, often responding out of pure emotion. Maybe there has been a traumatic event or unexplained healing in their family, they are being pressured by family or friends, or they have been searching for a purpose because of a low point in their lives. Churches must provide support and fellowship to ensure that people are understanding that Christ is truly the only way to God and the blessings of salvation are given only to those who allow the Holy Spirit to work in their lives. To be the “light of the world” that Jesus calls us to be, we must be part of this important work of the church. Please continue to grow your knowledge and find a way to become involved in helping others to grow theirs.