Sermon on the Mount, Part 1–Blessings

Luke 4:14-21Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

• Anointed - 'mashach' - "to anoint, to rub with oil, especially in order to consecrate someone or something as holy (ie. Priests, kings, tabernacle, altar, etc.); 'mashiyach' - Messiah, 'anointed one'
• "time of the Lord's favor" - day of God's salvation, also refers to Year of Jubilee when debts were cancelled, slaves were freed, and land was returned to its rightful owners

The Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7 - Introduction & Blessings
1 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.

• Like Moses delivering God's law from the mountain, so Jesus delivers his most famous teaching from a mountain of his own, a hill in Galilee, beginning with a blessing. This is a literal fulfillment of bringing "Good News to the poor."
• 'blesses'/'blessed' - makários (from mak-, "become long, large") – "pertains to a state or condition of joy and happiness. It implies that the blessed person is in favorable, pleasant, and fulfilling circumstances. It can range from emotional joy to a more sedate, virtuous attitude. There is also often an implication that the person is in a right covenant relationship with God." Also - "supremely blessed; by extension fortunate, well off, blessed, happy."
• This definition would normally be reserved for the prosperous, the famous, the educated, the elite, the religious, the powerful; Jesus instead turns the whole idea upside down by expounding upon who is truly blessed of God. To the world, this would seem to be foolishness, but, as it is written:

"The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.  Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.  It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.  So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.  But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.  This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.  Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.  Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.   God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.  As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”" (1 Corinthians 20:18-31)

The Beatitudes
3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

• Not only poor in material things, but especially those who understand that they are spiritually impoverished. Just as the poor man cannot rise above his own situation on his own merits, so the spiritually poor person cannot depend upon himself for deliverance.
• Luke 7:36-50 - Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”

4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

• "For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death." (2 Corinthians 7:10)

5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.

• "“God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor." (1 Peter 5:5b-6)

6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice (righteousness), for they will be satisfied.

• "But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are." (Romans 3:21-22)

7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

• "So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you." (James 2:12-13)

8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

• "Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant." (Hebrews 9:13-15)
• "In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts." (2 Timothy 2:20-22)

9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

• "But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness." (James 3:17-18)

10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

• "Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:13)

• "Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them." (Romans 12:14)

So begins the message of Jesus Christ to the world, to all who would follow Him and become His disciples, to the listeners within earshot on the mount, to the listeners throughout the vast corridors of history, to those seated here today, to a community waiting to hear and to see this message not only proclaimed but lived out, and to a generation yet to come.
Yes, persecution will come, but "blessed are you" when it does:
"Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39)