Sermon on the Mount

Week 03 – Overview of the Beatitudes

Review
In week 1 of our study we immersed ourselves into first century Jewish culture and learned about what
it takes to become a rabbi. We then showed that Jesus was a rabbi with s’mikah. We explored the idea
that a “yoke” was a set of teachings and explanations about how to interpret the law to which a
particular rabbi would ascribe. When Jesus says to his followers, “Take my yoke upon you” he is
referring to this set of teachings. The natural question that arises, then, is what is Jesus yoke? We
looked at the idea that the 5 discourses in Matthew are the yoke of Jesus with the Sermon on the Mount
being the core of that teaching. If we want to be Jesus Followers, then we must live out those
principles.

Last week we studied the Sermon on the Mount by “shaking the entire tree” of to see what kind of fruit
would easily fall out. We wanted to get a “20,000 foot overview” of the lay of the land so that as we
explore each verse, we have a deep understanding of where that verse fits into the whole of the
sermon. We saw that the sermon starts with an introduction in the Beatitudes, which are the
“Principles of the Yoke.” Once Jesus sets the principles behind the yoke, he begins to ascend to the
“Peak of Piety” by contrasting His interpretation of the Law to the accepted explanations. He then
concludes his hike by discussing the distinctively new practical applications of his interpretation.

Introduction
This week we are going to “shake the branch” of the Introduction and look at the Beatitudes as a whole.
Then, we will spend the next 8 weeks looking at each verse in detail.

The Principles of the Yoke

Our Constitution starts with a preamble which sets forth the scope and purpose of the rest of the
Constitution.

The first paragraph of Declaration of Independence clearly defines the principles and background of
what the rest of the document is going to be about.

Many research papers include an abstract that state the fundamental purposes and goals of the
research.

These introductions are usually succinct, but powerful and overarching, explanations of a broad concept
that will be explained in detail later on. These introductions set the expectation for the audience and
give them a preview of the content. The Sermon on the Mount is no different. Jesus starts this sermon
with a poem we call the Beatitudes that sets the stage for a transformational way of looking at life.

Discussion Question: Why do you think Jesus use a poem?

- Easy to remember (although each beatitude are somewhat uneven length, they
each contain exactly 36 words)
- Communicate to a wider audience (Women study Psalms/Proverbs for their
religious education)
- Accentuates his point
- Allude to OT beatitudes (there are 45 distinct beatitudes in the OT, mostly in Psalms
and Proverbs)
 Psalms 1:1
 Psalm 32:1-2
 Psalm 34:8
 Psalm 40:4
 Jeremiah 17:7
 Job 5:17
 Psalm 94:12
 Proverbs 28:14

The Structure of a Beatitude

It is very clear to even the most novice of Bible students that there is a pattern to the beatitudes. Each
beatitude starts with the phrase “Blessed are those who” possess some attribute or trait. It then ends
with a “reward” for those people.

The technical term for this pattern is macarism, from the Greek for ‘blessed’ or ‘happy.’ The Hebrew
parallel is ashre. So, we need to have a deep understand of what the nuances of the definitions of the
word we translate as “blessed.”

Blessed - the word "blessed" is first applied to God, and means more than "happy," as it has sometimes
been translated. Happiness comes from earthly things; blessedness comes from God. From a Hebrew
perspective the general meaning of this term is “in a relationship of righteousness with God” and is not a
state that is bestowed arbitrarily; a reason follows each beatitude.

The term Blessed, then does not concern just emotions (the misleading ‘happy are’ translations), nor
does it just concern personal qualities. Rather, it is primarily focused on God’s favor for certain human
actions and situations. When Lannom is in trouble, his biggest concern is “Are you happy with me?” He
seeks that parental favor.

Last week Jason reminded us that the Jewish culture has a “honor-based” mindset. Within an ‘honor-
shame’ setting, perhaps the best translation for “blessed is/are” would be “How honorable…”, “How full
of honor…”, “How honor bringing…”, and the like. The counter to 'beatitudes' are the 'woes' or
reproaches in Matt. 23:13-35; there the formula: 'Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ...' ought
be translated: 'How shameless you are....'"

Macarisms were not unique to Jewish literature and can be found in other ancient writings.

Discussion Questions:

1. Are the beatitudes characteristics to which one should aspire or are they circumstances in
which people find themselves?
2. Are the rewards mentioned a reward that are possessed now or are they promises of a
reversal of circumstances?

The Structure of the Beatitudes

The Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount can be divided into two set of four. The first set of four are
about man’s relationship to God while the second set of four concerns man’s relationship with others.

Man’s Relationship to God Man’s Relationship to Others

Attribute Reward Attribute Reward
Poor in Spirit Kingdom of Heaven Merciful Shown Mercy
Mourn Comforted Pure in Heart See God
Meek Inherit the Earth Peacemakers Called Sons of God
Hunger and Thirst for Be Filled Persecuted for Kingdom of Heaven
Righteousness Righteousness Sake
1.
The Kingdom of Heaven phrase in the first and last beatitudes form “book ends” of the poem.
2.
The last beatitude in the first set and the last beatitude in the second set both center on righteousness.

The First Four

Man’s relationship to God is all about righteousness. We are in a “relationship of righteousness”
(blessed) with God when we are in each of these states.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do the first four beatitudes relate to a “relationship of righteousness” with God?
2. What is the Kingdom of God/Heaven?
3. How does that compare to this world?
4. What was God’s intention for the world?
5. How do these push toward the “peak of piety”?

Poor in Spirit - those who know their lives are not in their own control and that they are dependent on
God. Fasting and praying help center our thoughts on this fact.

Mourn - one of the characteristics of the true people of God is that they lament the present condition of
God's people and God's program in the world. This is the community that does not resign itself to the
present condition of the world as final, but weeps for the fact that God's kingdom has not yet come and
that God's will is not yet done. When we give alms because we see those who are poor due to no fault
of their own, we display a mournful heart.
Meek – We often put a positive spin on this beatitude and talk about it being humble or gentle. We
liken it to a horse that has been broken, extreme power under control. I have to wonder, though, if this
might actually be an injustice to the passage. It would make more sense, and fit in more clearly if we
took the negative understanding of the word and say the “humiliated” or “the walked upon,” “the
doormats,” “the powerless.” Fasting and giving alms help us to stay humiliated.

Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness – a person who seeks to live according to God’s plan. Not
necessarily a person who achieves it, but longs to ensure that he is in favor with God and longs to bring
about God’s kingdom by living in a way that conforms to God’s plan, even though that plan is not fully
recognized.

This beatitude functions as the concluding line of a stanza and sums up the thought of the entire unit
thus far. Those who hunger and thirst God’s righteous include people who realize they are dependent
only on God, who lament the fallen worlds, who are the powerless because they seek a relationship with
God, rather than a relationship with this world.

The Second Four

The second four beatitudes continue this thought of righteousness. While the first four center on the
characteristics of a person in relationship with God, the second four centers on those who help to bring
the reality of the blessings promised to others.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do the first four beatitudes relate to a “relationship of righteousness” with God?
2. How are these four different than the first four?
3. How are these the same?
4. How do these push toward the “peak of piety”?

Merciful - Mercy can have a broad range of meanings, but they all involve concrete acts rather than just
an attitude. It can mean "to forgive sins." A related word refers to the giving of money to the poor (6:2,
3, 4). "Showing mercy" can mean "to heal those who are sick" (9:27; 20:30, 31) or "those possessed by
demons" (15:22; 17:17). Twice in Matthew, Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." In the
first of these (9:13), he metaphorically illustrates mercy as being a physician to those who are sick (9:12).
It is spoken in the context of eating with sinners and tax collectors (9:10-13). In the second instance
(12:7), the context is feeding those who are hungry.

In a basic sense, then, "the merciful" are healers, people who seek to put right that which has gone
wrong. They favor the removal of everything that prevents life from being as God intends: poverty,
ostracism, hunger, disease, demons, and debts.

Pure in Heart - implies to represent "the true self," what one really is, apart from pretense. This is a
stark contrast to the Pharisees who were outwardly righteous, but inwardly corrupt. The fact is that
people sense this. If you are showing mercy, but not out of purity of heart, then people think you pity
them not that you love them.
Peacemakers - peacemakers whom Jesus pronounces blessed are best regarded as agents of God who
are actively establishing shalom. Or, more specifically, "peacemaking" is not a passive attitude, but
exerting positive actions for reconciliation. In general, "peace" in the NT refers to the relationship
between people. It is willing to “be bigger the person” in order to maintain relationship rather the being
right.

Persecuted – Of course, when you are an agent of change, when you seek to reverse the norm of the
world, you will face opposition by the powerful and the corrupt. The powerful will seek to keep you
subdued and the corrupt will seek to take advantage of you.

Relationship between the two sets

The people described in the first set of beatitudes are those who lack justice here on present day earth.
The people described in the second set are those who dedicated to bringing God’s Kingdom to present
day earth. Thus, the people in the second set provide what the people in the first part are lacking.

Ironically, by seeking to bring equality, the righteous will be treated unjustly, fulfilling the conditions of
the first set. Take Jesus for an example: he proclaimed justice to those deprived of justice, and he
became one who was unjustly executed.

Whether the coming of God's kingdom is perceived as bringing reversal or reward depends only on the
position that one occupies prior to its advent. God's rule sets things right. Those for whom things have
not been right are blessed by the changes it brings and those who have been seeking to set things right
are blessed by the accomplishment of what they have sought.

The Final Blessing

The final blessing is really an expansion of the last beatitude. However, there is a drastic change. The
sudden shift to "you" could be shocking to the disciples and other followers. Up until now in the gospel,
the disciples have neither been the unfortunate in need of the reversal nor the virtuous waiting for the
reward.

They just followed Jesus, but sort of standing on the sidelines, watching the activities. Listening to Jesus.

They have been hearing about those other poor and virtuous souls and the blessings pronounced on
them.

Suddenly the word you involves the hearers. Suddenly Jesus' words aren't about those other people any
more but me.

Why would you be reviled and persecuted and lied about? Because you are committed to righteousness
and because of this commitment, you will end up in the position of those lacking justice -- being unjustly
persecuted. However, you have already heard the blessings God has in store for such people. Will we
believe those promises for ourselves or not? Will we believe that God will make all things right for us --
whether reversal or rewards? If so, we can rejoice and be glad, knowing we have a great reward in
heaven.