Glory in the Lord – Matthew 5:1-20

“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: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’” Matthew 5:1-3

Jesus saw the multitudes, but He sat down with His disciples to teach them. The fact that the Scripture says that He opened His mouth to teach them likely indicates that He spoke loud enough for those surrounding them to hear as well. This scene is reminiscent of Exodus 24:9-11 when God met with Moses, Aaron, Nadab and seventy elders of Israel on Mount Sinai to give them His Word.

The ancient Greek had a word for the “working poor” and a word for the “truly poor.” Jesus used the word for the truly poor here. It indicates someone who must beg for whatever they have or get.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, the Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul responded, writing, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

It is better to rely on God’s grace than to rely on our own limited abilities.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

In Luke 19:41, Jesus, like Jeremiah, wept over Jerusalem. He had done so many miracles among them and yet they did not believe in Him. A day was coming when their city would be destroyed by the Romans. They had not listened to the previous prophets who prophesied such things to them, and they were not listening to Him. In 70 A.D., the Romans totally destroyed Jerusalem.

In John 11:32-36, Jesus wept when He saw Mary and others weeping due to the death of Lazarus. People remarked, “See how He loved him.”

Jesus mourned due to deep love for people. Deep love for people is a blessing. And the Lord does comfort us following times of mourning for others. Psalm 126:5-6 says, “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus invited the weary and burdened, not the energetic and carefree to be yokefellows with Him. He assures such people that He is gentle and humble, not harsh and arrogant. Jesus is the kind of yokefellow that is not hard and unrealistic on His partners. Prior to saying this, Jesus had said in Matthew 11:27, “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” Jesus is looking for yokefellows who want to know the Father as He knows the Father.

The meek will inherit the earth. The Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) primarily uses the Greek word 𝛾𝜂̃ (gē) to translate the Hebrew word אֶרֶץ (erets) to represent the land of Israel.

In Deuteronomy 30:16, God told Israel, “I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.”

Praise the Lord! Jesus is willing to walk with us in this humble submission to the will of the Father and ensure that we inherit the heavenly Promised Land.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6

In John 4:8, the disciples left Jesus to buy some food in the city. While they were gone, Jesus met a Samaritan woman. Jesus led her to believe that He was the Messiah. When the disciples returned from buying food, they were surprised to find Jesus speaking to the woman. In John 4:28, the woman left them to tell her village about Jesus. In John 4:31, the disciples urged Jesus to eat. In John 4:32, Jesus responded to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” In John 4:34, Jesus added, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”

The hunger Jesus had was for saved souls. Undoubtedly, He and all the angels of heaven were filled with joy when that woman believed in Messiah, but then, in John 4:39, “many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman.” What joy!

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7

Jesus exemplified mercy when He healed the blind eyes of two men who followed Him. They cried out to Him for mercy , and He healed them. Jesus had mercy on the Canaanite mother whose daughter was demon-possessed. She cried out to Him for mercy, and He set her daughter free. Jesus had mercy on a father of an epileptic son. The father asked the Lord for mercy. Jesus healed the father’s son instantaneously.

These were people that Jesus met while walking from one location to another. We don’t know their names. Jesus demonstrated spontaneous acts of merciful lovingkindness to strangers. He taught that we will be blessed (happy) and receive mercy from God when we are merciful.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8

From time to time, the people of Judah were blessed with kings who purged their land of idols. Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:6), Asa (1 Kings 15:11-13), Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4) and Josiah (2 Kings 23; 2 Chronicles 34) cleansed the land of Judah from idols during their reigns. After they purified the land, and their hearts, they saw God move in mighty ways in their nation.

Isaiah 59:2 says, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”

1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Only God can cleanse our hearts from impurities. He does so when we confess to Him that we are sinners in need of His forgiveness.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

Isaiah 9:6 names the coming Messiah as the “Prince of Peace.” Peace with God comes through His sacrifice. Jesus restores humanity's broken relationship with God, offering justification and peace. When a lost soul hears the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and believes in Him, his or her soul receives a peace that surpasses all understanding.

May the Lord Jesus grant each of us grace to lead people to faith in Jesus Christ. To be called sons and daughters of God, and to work with Him to bring more people into the family.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10

The Book of Acts contains stories of Peter, James, John and Paul being persecuted for preaching the Gospel to lost souls. When Jesus preached the Gospel in His hometown of Nazareth, people wanted to toss Him off the side of a cliff.

When have I been persecuted for righteousness’ sake? Almost exclusively when I have been witnessing for Jesus.

Why are the righteous persecuted? Shouldn’t rulers and peoples of the nations be grateful to God for such bright shining stars in the darkness?

The good news is that Jesus Christ blesses those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. He gives to us the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is better than kingdoms people are fighting for here on earth.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

In the Old Testament, people behaved in evil ways against the prophets. In Exodus 14:11-12, people falsely accused Moses of wanting to kill them. In 1 Samuel 21-24, King Saul sought to kill David, falsely framing him as a traitor. In 1 Kings 19:1, Queen Jezebel wanted the prophet Elijah dead. In 2 Chronicles 22:10, 23:15, 24:22-25, Jehoiada the priest had saved King Joash’s life when he was a boy. Later, Joash forsook the Lord, and when Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, confronted him about it, Joash had Zechariah stoned to death. In Jeremiah 37:13-14, Jeremiah was accused of treason, and imprisoned.

What did Jesus do after people reviled, persecuted and said all kinds of evil against Him. In Luke 23:34, He prayed for them, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” What did Stephen do when unjustly sentenced to death. In Acts 7:60, “He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not charge them with this sin.’” Jesus and Stephen are enjoying a wonderful eternity together in paradise.

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16

The prophetic ministry of God’s Word is the salt and light that Jesus desires from His disciples.

In Genesis 18:32, God told Abraham that He would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if 10 righteous people could be found there. The 10 were not found but God rescued Lot and his family from the city.

In Jeremiah 5:1, God told Jeremiah, “Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem. See now and know and seek in her open places if you can find a man, if there is anyone who executes judgment, who seeks the truth, and I will pardon her.” He did not find that man. The city was destroyed.

We should never underestimate the value of being salt and light in the earth.

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-20

Jesus told us not to think that He came to destroy the Law or Prophets. Sadly, many who claim to be followers of Christ, seldom read the Law and Prophets. Jesus said that the smallest letters of the Hebrew language will not be removed from these prophecies until they are fulfilled. He said that whoever does and teaches the Law will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

In Mark 7:9, Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.” In Matthew 15:6, Jesus said to them, “Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.”

Those who skillfully poison God’s Word with false teaching are more dangerous than those who outright oppose it. Pagans proclaim their opposition to faith in Christ, whereas false prophets claim to be of Christ while stealthily sabotaging and destroying their followers’ faith in Christ.

We need a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.

In Philippians 3:5, Paul wrote of being “a Hebrew of Hebrews, concerning the Law, a Pharisee.” But then, in Philippians 3:8-9, he wrote, “I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”

Paul forsook pride in his former life as a Pharisee. Pharisees were professional imposters. They were self-performance oriented. Paul gained his righteous standing with God through faith in the shed blood of Christ which had washed His sins away. Jesus transformed Paul into His likeness by the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul’s righteousness was by God’s grace, and not by works which he had done.

In whom did Paul boast? In Galatians 6:14, Paul wrote, “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” In 1 Corinthians 1:31, he wrote, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” Amen.

The “blessed” in the beatitudes are those who know Christ and walk with Him in His ways.


[1] Abridged: “Dictionaries – Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology – Meekness”