Sermon on the MountMatthew 5-7

Setting: Mt. 4:25-5:2

• First of five major discourses in Matthew’s gospel…certainly the most famous

• Who is this teaching for? (but see 7:28)

• What does the call of Jesus mean and do in the life of the disciple?

The Beatitudes: Doorway to the Sermon, Matthew 5:3-12• “Blessed”

• In a good situation• “Happy” probably too

psychological• “Fortunate” has

disadvantage of luck• “saved” (Mt. 11:6, 13:16,

16:17, 24:46)

• Are these typical descriptors of the “good life”?

• Notice the authority! (7:28-29)

Mt. 5:3 – First things First

• Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven• “poor in spirit”

• Not always materially or economically poor• Ps. 40:17 (David): As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord

takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! (Ps. 70:5, 86:1, 109:22)

• The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound (Is. 61:1)

• What is it, then, to be “poor in spirit”?• To be destitute, without resource in the spiritual realm!

Mt. 5:3 – First things First

• So, why are the spiritually destitute blessed?• Theirs is the kingdom (reign) of heaven• What does that mean?

• All the blessings of God that Jesus is bringing to earth are theirs – even now! (see slide 41-42)

• What blessings of the kingdom are ours now?• Forgiveness won by Christ• Baptism into Christ (children of God), and the power of the

Holy Spirit for faith and obedience• Nourishment of the Lord’s Supper• The body of Christ (fellowship of the church)

• Is this command or word of grace?

Mt. 5:4-6: Jesus’ Promise to Fill our Emptiness• Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted

• What does it mean to “mourn”?• See Is. 61:2-3

• Is Jesus commanding you to “mourn”?• No!• “Therefore simply begin to be a Christian, and you will soon find

out what it means to mourn and be sorrowful….You will be hindered and hemmed in on every side, so that you will suffer enough and see enough to make your heart sad” (Luther, AE 21:20)

• What has obviously changed here compared to the first beatitude?• Future tense• The reign of God…already (5:3) but not yet• How does such a future change our present existence?

• Rom. 8:18-25

Mt. 5:4-6: Jesus’ Promise to Fill our Emptiness• Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the

earth• What is it to be “meek”?• Ps. 37:8-11:

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

• Is meek equivalent with “doormat” or “weak”? NO!• What do they inherit? - THE EARTH! (Mt. 19:28, Rom.

4:13, Rom. 8)

Mt. 5:4-6: Jesus’ Promise to Fill our Emptiness• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

righteousness, for they will be filled• Righteousness here is most likely God’s

righteousness, his saving deeds (3:15, Ps. 107:9

• Ps. 107:9 - For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.

Mt. 5:7-12

• Again, are these commands or words of grace?

• V. 7-9: These describe the disciples of Jesus Christ. “Mercy emerges after mercy enters in”• Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy• Blessed are the pure in heart (Ps. 24), for they will see God• Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God

• V. 10-12: Blessing in persecution• What does this say about the peace Jesus brings?• Will this apply to all disciples at all times?

• No…but whenever it happens, you are blessed

• What do we learn about the “advance of the reign of God” from these verses?• Is it possible to be truly joyful when persecuted, insulted, and lied about?

• Blessed by God, we are now ready to hear the rest of the Sermon on the Mount…and as we read the rest of the Sermon (and live our lives), we always need to return to them…

Summary of Beatitudes

• Jesus speaks divine blessing with authority

• He blessesHis disciples, those who through Jesus’ preaching of repentance and the “good news of the kingdom” have been brought to faith• To those who have nothing and need everything, he promises

that which answers every need (v. 3-6, 10-12)• To those called by Jesus, their lives begin to manifest the

reign of God (v. 7-9)

• These blessings have the power to create and sustain faith as we live out our calling (the rest of the Sermon)• As we hear God’s will for our lives, experience hardship, etc.,

we need to return to them again and again!!

Mt. 5:13-16 – Summary of the disciples’ calling

• To receive the blessing of a disciple is to take on this identity

• Notice again the authority

• Can salt lose saltiness? Can a city on a hill be hidden?

• How will disciples be salt and light?

Mt. 5:17-20 – Jesus and the Torah

• Why this section?• Jesus has spoken with

unbounded authority…

• …But He hasn’t even mentioned the OT – God’s authoritative speaking of His will for and to His people Israel…

• Problem!• How do they relate?

• How do Jesus’ disciples understand God’s revealed Law today?

Mt. 5:17-18 – Jesus’ relation to the OT• “Law and Prophets” is

shorthand for the entire OT

• What has Jesus come to do? – not abolish, but fulfill the OT• He gives His “stamp of

approval” to the OT Scriptures as God’s Word

• His Messianic mission is determined by those Scriptures. He commits Himself totally to it.

• All that the OT speaks finds its goal in Him

Mt. 5:18

• “No rabbi before Jesus and no moralist or legalist after Jesus ever took the Law with such absolute seriousness as Jesus did” (p. 43)

• “until all is accomplished”• In Christ’s fulfillment

• Certain things have already reached their complete purpose and fulfillment (Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension)

• Others are still in the process of fulfillment (the church)

• Others still await fulfillment (the consummation)

Mt. 5:19

• OK, so Jesus is the fulfiller of the Law. What does that mean for how we treat the commandments of God today?• Don’t minimize the Law• Don’t try to rank God’s commands• Seek to conform to and teach God’s will (as it is fulfilled

in Jesus)• Now we have a new relationship to the Law…through Jesus’

fulfillment of it (Rom. 8:3-4)• So, the OT remains normative and relevant for Jesus’ disciples

(2 Tim. 3:16), but none of it can be rightly understood apart from how it has been fulfilled in Jesus• We follow Jesus, not Moses

Mt. 5:20

• Who are the scribes and Pharisees?• These men were viewed as “greatest in the kingdom” by

their contemporaries, as those who conformed to God’s will perfectly

• They were not Jesus’ disciples, by and large

• Their righteousness is defective, as we shall see (they are “diseased trees” bearing “bad fruit” 7:17-19)

• How is your righteousness to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees?• Where does true righteousness come from?

• Connection with Christ, the fulfiller of the Law

Mt. 5:21-48

• Preliminary notes• Six comparisons of current, typical scribal interpretations of

the OT vs. Jesus’ authoritative teaching• Jesus is giving the true meaning of the commandments• He shatters surface-level, external piety and cuts to the heart• This is His will for us

• It is not case law, but sweeping, general truth – it does not provide applications covering every possible circumstance of a disciples’ life• Treat with wisdom and knowledge of all the Scriptures before

applying!• Sometimes, need to be aware of first-century context

• At times God’s Spirit will strengthen you to keep His will. Often, you will fail. When you do…see Mt. 5:3-12

True Righteousness

“You have heard that it was said” “But I tell you”

v. 21 v. 22-26

v. 27 v. 28-29

v. 31 v. 32

v. 33 v. 34-37

v. 38 v. 39-42

v. 43 v. 44-48

• For each of these consider:• The radical call to discipleship• Reminder that Jesus is not laying out literalistic “case law”• How did Jesus Himself fulfill the intention of the Law

Mt. 5:48…being perfect

• “You shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”

• Perfect in the sense of “complete” or “mature”

• Every disciple surely knows that he falls short of this calling and needs Christ’s forgiveness (return to Mt. 5:3-12)

• But there is good news here as well…• The disciples have been declared sons and daughters of their

“perfect” heavenly Father on account of Jesus’ completed and mature work for them

• In Jesus, we press on toward the completeness that will be ours on the Last Day

Life Under the Father’s Care: On Piety (6:1-18)• Transition

• 5:21-48 compared the good works of the scribes and Pharisees with the true good works which God desires of His sons and daughters

• 6:1-18 compares the false piety of the scribes and Pharisees with the piety commended by God• Looks at 3 important acts of Jewish piety: giving to the needy,

fasting and praying

• Question: why am I doing what I’m doing? (motivation)

Life Under the Father’s Care: On Piety (6:1-18)• Mt. 6:1 – general introduction

• V. 1, 2, 5, 16 – what piety does Jesus warn against?• being seen / glorified by others (motivated by the opinion of others)• What does Jesus call those who engage in such activity?

• Hypocrite = in Gk., a “play-actor” or “pretender” (not necessarily with self-awareness)

• What does such a person get?• The praise of men…and that’s it!

• Shocking words in a 1st century culture driven by status, honor and shame (i.e., the opinion of others). What about today?

• In contrast, what motivates a child of the heavenly Father?• The present and eternal blessings / rewards from the Father

• Why are we to do our good works? Remember 5:16!

Life Under the Father’s Care: On Piety (6:1-18)• Is there warning for us here?

• Yes, against motives of personal recognition and accomplishment

• Does this infect even the church?

• Is there freedom here?• Yes, since as children of the heavenly Father, we need

not obsess over the opinion of others

• Notice that nine times in 6:1-18 Jesus speaks of “your Father”• Our life as a disciple is lived under the Father’s care

Jesus’ Extended Teaching on Prayer• Moves beyond true motives for prayer to teach form

and content of prayer• Contrast the two forms of prayer in v. 5-13

• Public display v. private prayer to God• Long, full of meaningless words v. brief, trusts the Father,

formed by Jesus• Glorifies self v. glorifies God

• This is not a prohibition of audible public prayer• Jesus prayed aloud (11:25, 14:19, 26:39)• The Lord’s Prayer is worded in the plural, as a corporate

rather than private prayer

• Lord’s Prayer – see sermon series (available on church website) – June 2 – July 14, 2013

Life Under the Father’s Care: On Possessions (Mt. 6:19-34)• 6:19-24 – Jesus urges a right attitude toward possessions

with metaphors of treasure, eyes, and masters

• What must be rejected as your heart’s delight? (See Eccl. 5:8-6:12)

• Consider who he is talking to!• The majority of Jesus’ disciples (as well as the crowds) did not come

from wealthy circumstances• What does that mean?

• The lure of possessions is universal• “This is the most common idol on earth. Those who have money and

property feel secure, happy and fearless, as if they were sitting in the midst of paradise. On the other hand, those who have nothing doubt and despair as if they knew of no god at all. We will find very few who are cheerful, who do not fret and complain, if they do not have mammon. This desire for wealth clings and sticks to our nature all the way to the grave.” (Luther, Large Catechism, I.6-9)

Mt. 6:22-23: The Eye

• The eye is the lamp of the body• In ancient Judaism, read as “the body’s lamp is the eye”

(Dan. 10:6, Zech. 4:10, Rev. 1:14) – shining outward, not inward

• Sense: the body turns its lamp – the eye – here or there, to shine light on what is important and to make choices as to where the body should go

• So, paraphrase: “If your eye is healthy/generous, that is because your whole body is full of light and spiritually sound. But if your eye is diseased/greedy, that is because your whole body is full of darkness and is spiritually unsound.” (Gibbs, 356)

Life Under the Father’s Care: On Possessions (Mt. 6:19-34)• Mt. 6:25-34

• Contrasts what happens when our master is either (a) possessions or (b) our heavenly Father

• Reminder: Jesus talks about necessities of life

• How does Jesus address our worries?• Shows us life lived under the Father’s care through a series of whimsical

pictures• Rhetorical arguments

• V. 25 – If God gives life, you can trust Him to support life• V. 26 - God nourishes animals. You are even more valuable. God will nourish you.• V. 27 – Worry is useless. It doesn’t change anything.• V. 28-30 – You are the crown of creation. God will not forget you.• V. 31-32 – Consider your Father!

• Invites us to “seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness”• What does that mean?

• Remember – where is the Kingdom / Reign of God found?• “Go to the places where Jesus is reigning with his gracious presence, to receive his gifts of

forgiveness and righteousness, to learn his truth, and to respond to his call.” (Gibbs, 365)