(Matthew 5:1-12. ESV)

 

Understanding the Sermon on the Mount: A Kingdom Manifesto

 

Some have praised the discourse known as The Sermon on the Mount as the greatest sermon ever spoken by the greatest teacher who has ever lived, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was Saint Augustine (354-430) who first named this sermon “The Sermon on the Mount.” Many picture Jesus speaking to a crowd from a mountain slope, but Jesus likely delivered this message from a hillside north of the Sea of Galilee, a place I have visited many times in Israel. Jesus was able to project His voice to many below Him on the hill.

 

In today's study, we will examine the first part of the sermon, known as the Beatitudes. Scripture commentators refer to this initial section of His sermon as the "beautiful attitudes" because it reveals the character of the true believer in Christ. This sermon spans three chapters of Matthew's Gospel, but what we read is likely a shortened version of the original address Jesus delivered. Remember that His disciples and followers traveled many miles to hear Him, so they probably stayed for much of the day.

 

Why the Beatitudes Matter Today: Finding Hope in Brokenness

 

One thing I love about the Sermon on the Mount is how it speaks to everyone. We all long to be blessed and happy; when we are hungry, we want to be filled. We all need forgiveness, and when we are persecuted or feel broken, we want to know that healing and blessing can be found amid our brokenness. Jesus was speaking to people who saw the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of that time and the injustice of the political system. They felt downtrodden, and many, no doubt, felt unworthy. Jesus shared this wonderful message that equalized everyone. All were on the same level, with the same needs. Jesus said this is the way of the Kingdom, and everyone who humbles themselves to accept these words can experience it. The Lord took the world’s way of thinking and turned it upside down. The weak, the poor in spirit, those who mourn—these, Jesus said, had reason to rejoice! His words struck directly at people’s hearts. He was concerned with what was happening inside a person. Jesus made spiritual kingdom principles accessible to everyone. The Beatitudes are like keys that unlock the principles of the Kingdom and reveal God's ways. When you read and understand these principles, you will experience the blessing and hope these words bring into this life and eternity.

 

Like many modern preachers who begin with a Scripture passage, Jesus starts with a vision statement or manifesto that outlines His intentions or actions on Earth. The rest of the sermon expands on this opening, directing our focus to the various “beautiful attitudes’ that guide us on how to live. The first four Beatitudes stress our relationship with God, while the last four emphasize our connection with others. Each attitude builds on the previous one, with the first and last describing the reward: "the kingdom of heaven" (vs. 3 and 10).

 

What Does "Blessed" Really Mean? (The Greek Meaning of Makarios)

 

All eight Beatitudes begin with the word “blessed,” which is the Greek term Makarios. It is often translated into English as "Happy," but the original Greek means to be spiritually approved by God. He who God blesses has received His favor! Yes, it makes him happy, but his happiness comes from God's approval. Blessed can also be translated as congratulations, but why are we congratulated? If you are in Christ Jesus, you have been chosen and called out by God because no one enters the Kingdom of God without an invitation from the King of Kings (Matthew 11:27). No one enters the kingdom of God through intellect or merit; instead, as believers in Christ, we are sovereignly called and invited by God's love and grace (Romans 8:29-30).

 

Some believe that only the twelve disciples were gathered to hear His teaching, but the word 'disciples' (v. 1) means one who follows. Also, the end of the sermon mentions that “the crowds were astonished at his teaching” (Matthew 7:28). The previous passage before the address also tells us, “great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan” (Matthew 4:25).

 

Following the rabbinic custom, Jesus sat down, perhaps on a rock on the hillside, and began to teach:

 

¹Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: ³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. ⁵“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. ⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. ⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. ⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. ⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. ¹⁰“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:1-12).

 

Which of these character qualities appears the most difficult to achieve, and why?

 

The First Four Beatitudes: Our Relationship with God

 

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

 

Jesus starts this message from the bottom of the ladder—being poor in spirit. The path to greatness requires humility. People are spiritually blessed by God when they are humble in spirit. Some might interpret this as requiring giving up all possessions and retiring to a monastery for life, surrendering everything worldly. While that may be God's plan for a few, as He guides, the focus here is on spiritual poverty, not financial lack. Around the world, some feel unworthy and exhausted by this world’s system. They can find hope! To them, the kingdom of heaven is given. Those who see their own need put themselves in a position to receive what God has prepared for them in His kingdom.

 

When people reach a point in life where they feel completely overwhelmed, they begin to look up and cry out to God. This brokenness is like the lowest rung of a spiritual ladder. Brokenness represents a state of poverty of spirit. In the original Greek, the word ptochus means "to cower and cringe like a beggar." Commentator R. Kent Hughes offers insight into why Jesus chose this word rather than a different Greek term commonly used to describe someone as poor.

 

The New Testament reflects this idea by describing poverty so extreme that a person has to beg for their livelihood. They are entirely reliant on others' generosity and cannot survive without it. Thus, an excellent translation is "beggarly poor."[1]

 

Why would Jesus specifically choose this word, which describes being “beggarly poor”?

 

We are saying that when people come to themselves and realize that they have nothing to commend before a Holy God, that is, no righteousness of their own making, and are beggarly poor in spiritual standing and bankrupt of spiritual resources, then that’s when they find favor with God. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5-6). In another passage of Scripture, the Lord Jesus shared a parable to explain the first Beatitude, which is the lowest rung of the spiritual ladder.

 

⁹He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14).

 

The truth is that people do not come to God the Father unless they approach Him with humility and a sense of spiritual poverty, begging for His forgiveness and openly acknowledging their brokenness and spiritual ruin before a holy God. The Greek text is emphatic on the concluding statement in the sentence, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, for theirs alone is the kingdom of heaven. This call for humility should lead us all to the cross and ensure we have genuinely repented, acknowledging our spiritual poverty (Matthew 18:25). In this way, we achieve right standing with God. When we recognize our need for forgiveness, the Father responds and clothes us with His righteousness through the redemptive power of the cross. This is not an upgrade; it is a complete exchange of our righteousness for His perfect righteousness.

 

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn (v. 4).

 

This poverty of spirit should lead us to mourn every attitude within us that is not of Jesus Christ, just as the sinful woman wept over Jesus' feet at Simon the Pharisee’s table (Luke 7:36-49). If we have truly reached the point of pleading spiritual bankruptcy, the next step is the emotional response that will cause us to mourn over everything within us that has displeased God. Let it all go. Unburden yourself of everything that weighs heavily upon you: “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22). We shouldn't justify why we did certain things, but we should despise doing anything we know was selfish and displeasing to God. Be open and vulnerable before the Lord; after all, He knows everything we've done and our motives. Nothing is hidden from Him (Hebrews 4:13).

 

The Greek word translated as “mourn” is pentheo; it means grieving and experiencing sorrow of heart, often leading to tears. God calls mourning a blessing when it leads us to change our hearts, often after we feel pain because of what sin has done to us or others. The Lord understands our suffering and sees our tears. When the children of Israel cried out to God during their slavery in Egypt, God intervened to help them by sending Moses, the deliverer, to set them free (Exodus 2:23-24).

 

When we are overwhelmed by pain and brought to tears, God steps in to comfort us through the presence of the Comforter. The word comfort in verse 4 is the verbal form of parakletos, the name Jesus gave to the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). Different English translations of the original Greek word include Comforter (KJV), Counselor (NIV), Advocate (NEB), and Helper (ESV).

 

Paracletos is a difficult word to translate because it means someone called alongside us. The Lord comes alongside us when we mourn. He feels what we feel, and He sympathizes with our weaknesses and experiences our pain (Hebrews 4:15). When Jesus confronted Saul, who became the apostle Paul, on the Damascus road, the Lord said to him, "Why are you persecuting me?" (Acts 9:4). Jesus Himself was not being persecuted but felt the pain of His people being persecuted by Saul. The pain we endure touches the heart of our God. Our tears are precious to God. Even when tears are not present, it is the attitude of the heart that God responds to. The Scripture states, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

 

What should we mourn—whether in ourselves or in what we observe happening around us?

 

Another thing to mourn is the state of the world in disobedience to God and the evil things that surround us in this life. One only has to watch or listen to the news today to see the great suffering that humanity and God's creation endure. A true believer longs for the restoration of God’s creation. When we mourn the state of this world, we share God's heart for humanity, and we look forward to the time when the Kingdom of God will be revealed. To mourn properly, we need to understand what sin does. It separates us from God, tramples on His laws and ways, and robs us of the joy of His presence.

 

Today, it is common for teachers and leaders in the church to focus only on the positive and downplay the need for mourning or genuine sorrow. However, if you are connected to God’s heart, you will desire His ways to be revealed and for others to be restored to a relationship with Him. If this is not the case, ask God to soften your heart. If sin in your life does not grieve you, pray for God to soften your heart and show you His heart anew. On this side of heaven, we will never reach a point where we are not sorrowful over sin. Even the apostle Paul mourned over his sins when he wrote to the believers in Rome; “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:14-15). In verse 24, he referred to himself this way: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25). That is a form of mourning.

 

In short, we can say that mourning is feeling sadness over a loss and longing for what we know has yet to be fulfilled.

 

Blessed Are the Meek (v. 5)

 

What did the Lord mean when He said that God spiritually approves of those who are meek? The word meek describes a stallion whose strength has been brought under control after the animal was broken of its self-will. The animal loses nothing of its strength by being tamed; instead, it becomes suitable for useful purposes. Meekness reflects the will being aligned with God's will and indicates self-control in the face of difficulties and trials. Our example is the Lord Jesus, who “when he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). Oxen were trained by being yoked to another more mature animal. Jesus, I think, alluded to this when He said, ²⁸Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 Emphasis mine). When we come to Christ, and His Spirit enters our lives, we are “yoked” or “joined” to the Lord: “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). When we enter into a covenant relationship with Christ, God's Spirit grants us the humility and meekness of Christ, which means strength under control.

 

Blessed Are the Hungry and Thirsty (v. 6)

 

The fourth Beatitude again emphasizes our attitude toward God. Truly born-again believers, with God's Spirit living in them, are always eager and hungry to be right with God. Inside God's children, a desire and longing for His righteousness grow. Before I met the Lord Jesus, hearing His name or learning about God meant nothing to me. However, after encountering Christ, I pursued and absorbed anything related to God's truth and the Lord Jesus. Just hearing the name of Jesus in a nearby conversation made me listen closely. God stirs a desire within us that motivates His children toward His things. The more you meditate on His Word, acknowledge Him, and experience His presence, the more you will feel sorrow over the things that oppose His character. Isn’t that how it is when we love someone? When someone we care about is spoken of negatively, it hurts us deeply. The Holy Spirit will give us an appetite for spiritual nourishment and a longing to know God's presence and experience Him more deeply.

 

While exploring Israel's desert climate, one learns that during Jesus' time, it was impossible to travel far without water. So, when David was hiding from King Saul, he had to move from one water spring to another. Even though he endured such hardship at the hands of King Saul, he likened his thirst for water to his desire for God, saying, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). There is a weariness that comes when we see so much evil going on all around us. Satan’s strategy is that “he shall wear out the saints of the Most High” (Daniel 7:25). God, who sees everything and understands the struggles His people face, considers those with a thirst and hunger for righteousness to be continually in right standing with Him; He calls them spiritually approved or blessed.

 

The Last Four Beatitudes: Our Relationship with Others

 

Blessed Are the Merciful (v. 7)

 

We now look at the four Beatitudes that focus on those around us. These Beatitudes teach us that once we enter into a covenant relationship with God, start walking with Him, and accept His mercy, His gracious attitude toward others will overflow within us. Believers in Christ naturally want to share God's mercy with those nearby. When we allow God's Spirit to lead us, we are motivated to help those who are hurting and in need of Him. We will feel compassion for people going through tough times.

 

This lesson was crucial for Simon the Pharisee when the sinful woman approached Jesus, weeping at His feet (Luke 7:36-49). Simon showed no compassion towards her, despite her heart being touched by Jesus. A merciful person, however, remembers their own past guilt and unhappiness and can show God's mercy to others. Since Simon had never felt the burden of guilt from his own sins, he lacked compassion for the woman. Jesus explained that love is the response to the forgiveness of sin, emphasizing the woman’s forgiven debt.

 

People who feel grateful to have their sins forgiven tend to let others off the hook when those others sin against them. To let someone off the hook means to pardon, release, or let them escape blame, responsibility, obligation, or hardship. When believers practice this attitude in the world, it often feels unnatural within the current system. This is how Jesus lived, and even as He was crucified, He extended mercy to those who nailed the spikes into His hands, praying, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).

 

God often tests His servants' faith by placing them in situations where they must respond to someone who has previously hurt them. Do we still want to see them punished for what they did to us? Can we show grace and mercy to those who don't deserve it? After experiencing God's mercy during the test, God judges us based on how we treat others. Elsewhere, the Lord shared a parable about this attitude of being merciful:

 

²¹Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” ²²Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times! ²³Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents. ²⁵Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned. ²⁶Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷His master had compassion on him, forgave his debt, and released him. ²⁸But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ ²⁹So his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’ ³⁰But he refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt. ³¹When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and recounted all of this to their master. ³²Then the master summoned him and declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me. ³³Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ ³⁴In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed. ³⁵That is how My heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:21-35).

 

Have you been emotionally hurt by your parents, friends, or spouse? Can you release them from the justice you believe they deserve for the wrongs committed against you? Again, the word "they" in the Greek text is emphatic: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy, meaning [they alone] shall obtain mercy. When we forgive another, we also free our souls from the burden of hurt and pain that unforgiveness keeps us chained to. This is a spiritual principle as fundamental as a physical one, like gravity.

 

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart (v. 8).

 

Jesus here refers to the internal cleansing and washing with water by the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26). The believer in Christ is sanctified, or set apart by God for Himself. After converting to Christ, the believer experiences tests prepared by the Lord—times when God challenges, transforms motives, and purifies the heart. The promise is beautiful: those whose hearts are purified by the Lord will see God. This will be the great reward of heaven: “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:4). God’s name reflects His character. The many names for God represent different aspects of His nature, so this could be a literal mark or a poetic way of saying that His ownership is on the believer.

 

Blessed Are the Peacemakers (v. 9).

 

A peacemaker is not a passive term; it means someone who actively works to foster peace. This Beatitude refers to someone who initiates peace by breaking down walls between people and aligning others with God. A peacemaker is someone willing to risk pain to confront and expose the causes of division and disunity. They help people reconcile with God and often possess the gift of evangelism. Can I pause and ask you now: How is your relationship with God right now? Do you feel a wall between you and Him? God is a peacemaker, and we, as His followers, must also be peacemakers. We must first be at peace with God and then extend His peace to others.

 

I want you to imagine that, suddenly, everyone on Earth begins to live and act according to the spiritual principles in the Sermon on the Mount. What immediate changes would we see in our world?

 

Blessed Are the Persecuted (v. 10).

 

When these character qualities are within us, the light reveals the darkness in those around us, and often there is retaliation, especially when we confront others with the Gospel. Jesus said, “A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). We must always stay alert and watchful because we live in enemy territory, and a war is ongoing against the Lord and His followers. Often, the enemy will use influential people around us to deliver discouraging words. Those whose opinions we value might say harsh things to us or about the One we serve. We should not be surprised by these attacks, but we should rejoice that we are considered worthy to suffer for His Name.

 

¹¹Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12).

 

The Lord Jesus set an example in this sermon of how we should live. He has given us His "recipe for Life." It can be confusing because it conflicts with the ways of this world, but that is the point. In these Beatitudes, we discover His attitudes for living. He also offers us His help at all times to do His will through the power of His Spirit. He will be quick to come to our aid when we ask for His help to demonstrate these character qualities. He is working within us to shape us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).

 

Practice "Beggarly" Prayer: Start your day by telling God, "I have nothing to offer You today except my need for You." This is being poor in spirit. It stops us from trying to be "self-made" and starts us being "God-sustained."

 

Be an Active Peacemaker: Is there a relationship in your life where there is "cold war" silence? Don't wait for them to reach out. Being a peacemaker means taking the risk to initiate the conversation, even if you weren't the one who started the fire.

 

Discussion Guide: Walking the Hillside with Jesus

 

1. The "Inside-Out" Perspective

 

Jesus focused on the "inner man" rather than outward religious performance. Looking at the list of Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12), which one describes a heart quality that the world usually sees as a "weakness"? Why does God see it as a "strength"?

 

2. The Meaning of "Spiritual Bankruptcy"

 

We discussed the Greek word ptochos (beggarly poor). In a culture that tells us to be "self-made," "strong," and "independent," why is it so difficult for us to admit we are spiritually bankrupt before God?

 

3. The Power of Mourning

 

In your own life, have you ever experienced a "blessed" comfort after a period of deep sorrow or repentance? How did that season change your relationship with the Holy Spirit (the Paracletos)?

 

4. Controlled Strength

 

Meekness is often misunderstood as "being a doormat." If meekness is actually "power under control" (like a tamed stallion), how can you practice being "meek" at your workplace or within your family this week?

 

5. The Mercy Cycle

 

Read the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35) again. Is there a "hundred denarii" debt (a small hurt) you are holding over someone else while God has forgiven your "ten thousand talent" debt? What is one practical step you can take to "let them off the hook"?

 

6. The Cost of the Kingdom

 

Jesus warns that living out these "Beautiful Attitudes" might lead to being reviled or persecuted (v. 11). Why does a life of mercy, purity, and peacemaking sometimes provoke a negative reaction from the world?

 

Prayer: Lord, soften my heart so that I recognize my need for You. Make my heart tender so I can hear Your voice. Thank you for walking this road ahead of me and setting the example. Thank You also for promising never to leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5). Your ways are higher than ours. Guide us and increase our hunger for You. Amen.

 

Keith Thomas
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