The Greatest Sermon Ever Told

Jesus walks slowly up the hillside, his dirt streaked robe flows behind him as the gentle breeze from the Sea of Galilee blows across his body. The columns of Capernaum can be seen several miles away near the distant shore, dotted with fishing boats and crowds bathing in the warm waters.  Ahead of him at the top of the hill is a copse of olive trees, swaying back and forth in the wind as if waving to him excitedly in anticipation for what is about to come. Sitting among the trees are his disciples, nervously looking around at the crowd that has gathered to see the man they have been hearing about. A mother whispers to her daughter, “Look child. Here he is! The man who performs miracles and claims to be the son of the almighty God!”. Hearing this, Jesus smiles at her, caressing the face of the child as he moves past them, finally stopping halfway up the hill. The crowd encircles him as he begins to speak, “Blessed are…………..”. 

And thus begins The Sermon on the Mount, arguably the most complete and definitive guide on how to live as members of His kingdom. Jesus starts off the Sermon in Matthew 5: 1-12  by describing what are called the Beatitudes and their associated blessings. Each attribute and blessing paints a beautiful picture of what the kingdom of God is like and how different it is from the kingdom of the world.  

In his book, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, the great 20th century English pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes the Beatitudes this way:  “Read the Beatitudes, and there you have a description of what every Christian is meant to be. It is not merely the description of some exceptional Christians. Our Lord does not say here that He is going to paint a picture of what certain outstanding characters are going to be and can be in this world. It is His description of every single Christian”.  

According to Lloyd-Jones, there are two very important distinctions regarding the Beatitudes which are critical to truly understanding them and their implications for the Christian way of life. 

First, he points out the consecutive nature of the verses in scripture and the contextual importance this plays in understanding their meaning. For instance, as we shall see, the blessings in the Beatitudes are arranged as a series of conditions which must exist in order for the next one to be experienced and so forth.  

Second, he points out that the Sermon is often taken to reference the conditions of man in general as it relates to his worldly experiences.  However, he tells us that the Sermon has nothing to do with our worldly experience or condition but only with our spiritual growth as followers of Christ.  Let’s take a look at each and consider them from this vantage point of consecutive context through a spiritual lens. 

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

This verse is often interpreted as Jesus describing a man who is downtrodden because he has experienced some physical or mental hardship in his life like poverty or depression. However, Jesus is not talking about a state of poverty, nor is he talking about the general state of a man who is humbled, beaten, and depressed by the struggles of his life in this world. 

The depression of which he speaks is that of a man whose spirit is beaten down and full of humility because he recognizes his inadequacy before the greatness of God. It is the condition of a man who looks up in awe into the eyes of his Lord, then falls face first to the ground in humility, shame, and sadness over the realization that he will never be able to live up to the expectations of his Creator on his own, much less have a relationship with Him.

As Lloyd-Jones points out, others have interpreted this Beatitude in the material sense by saying that poverty is a noble state which guarantees the blessings of God. Just as works alone will not get one to heaven, so too will poverty not guarantee one a place in the Lord’s kingdom. While it is true that wealth may provide more opportunity for temptation which can contribute to and magnify sin, the lack of it does not guarantee that one will not sin. 

We can see this interpretation applied throughout the history of the church and even today in the form of the monastic traditions whereby poverty is achieved willingly in order to reach a state of blessedness in the eyes of God. However, as scripture tells us, God does not bless the poor because they are poor. He blesses both the rich and the poor because of this poverty of spirit as it relates to one’s relationship with Him. 

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted 

Again, at first glance we may think that Jesus is talking about mourning for a worldly loss like the mourning for a lost loved one for instance. However, what Jesus is really describing is the feeling of inadequacy one experiences in the face of a perfect and sinless Creator which causes great sadness and mourning. He mourns for his soul because of his inability to obey God on his own. Again, this is a mourning over his lost status before God, not something related to a worldly loss.

Feelings of mourning are experienced by unbelievers and believers alike, but we must remember that Jesus was not talking about the world. He was talking solely to his disciples and all future believers about the nature of their relationship with Him.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth

This sense of mourning for his spirit then creates in this man a situation where his whole attitude turns from one of selfishness  to self-”lessness” which is what Jesus describes as meekness. As Lloyd-Jones puts it, “you see how inevitably it follows being poor in spirit and mourning. A man can never be meek unless he is poor in spirit and mourning. A man can never be meek unless he has seen himself as a vile sinner.” 

He goes on to describe the meek as one who does not demand anything for himself even if he has a right to do it. He uses Christ as the extreme example of this by pointing out that Christ certainly had every right, as the most innocent man who ever lived, to pull himself off the cross and claim those rights by condemning his persecutors and demanding immediate justice. 

The meek man is also described as one who is not always on the defensive because he has nothing to defend. He has become so selfless that any “offense” to himself means nothing for what is there to offend if the self does not exist? Jesus further describes this attitude in Matthew 5: 38-39 when he says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth’. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”

 He also points out that the meek never pities or feels sorry for himself or makes excuses for his failures by blaming others. However, the man who is not meek is so preoccupied with “being right”, that he even lies to himself to make it so in his own mind! As Lloyd-Jones says, “What hours and years we waste in this!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled 

The man in his meekness, in his state of selflessness, now turns toward Jesus with a heart of obedience because he understands that less of him means more of Christ. It is in this state that he hungers and thirsts to be like Jesus. 

The word righteousness is often used in reference to something that the world considers to be just, or to a person or cause that is “morally right” according to society’s standards.  However, Jesus’ use of the word here in scripture gives it a much different and deeper meaning. He does not mean that someone is blessed because they hunger and thirst for the world’s definition of righteousness. Instead, we are called to hunger and thirst for righteousness before God.  

Expanding further,  Lloyd-Jones points out that the term righteousness has two components as it relates to scripture. The first component is justification. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior, we are immediately justified and righteous in the eyes of God by the forgiveness of our sins through our faith in His son and what He did for us on the cross. Indeed, scripture says that “ to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). 

The second component or meaning of righteousness and the one which according to Lloyd-Jones Jesus is speaking to here, is sanctification which is the process whereby the Christian seeks to become less like the world and become more like Jesus. We are justified by our faith in Christ, and we are sanctified by our desire and our actions to become more like Christ. Put another way, justification is something that God has given to us and sanctification is something that God does with us. It is a lifelong daily walk with Christ which is echoed by our Lord when he says in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  It is a calling of Jesus to walk with him in discipleship.  We can see through the progression of the Beatitudes that only a man who is meek can enter into the walk of sanctification with Jesus to become more like Him.

In short, sanctification is faith in action. It is the action of someone who takes the Gospel in their heart and responds wholeheartedly to Jesus’ call to follow Him. The very fruit of his actions shows the sincerity of his faith. The apostle James puts it this way: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?” (James 2:14). He goes on to make his point more emphatically when he says, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:14). The great German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, further emphasized the importance of an active faith when he said, “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ”.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy

The man who is now seeking righteousness as described here, and who is thus becoming more like Jesus as he walks with Him in obedience, begins to see his fellow man through the eyes of Jesus. It is a vision of man that is full of grace and mercy rather than condemnation and unforgiveness. Grace and mercy are often used interchangeably but there are definite distinctions between the two. Let’s pause for a moment to consider the definition of mercy and it’s relation to grace. 

It has been said that grace and mercy are two sides of the same coin. On one side, there is grace which is defined as something that is given but not deserved or earned. It is a free gift, and in the case of Christ, it is the grace of salvation given to believers solely because of our faith in Him. On the other side of the coin,  there is mercy which is the withholding of punishment when punishment is deserved. Jesus’ gift to believers is eternal life in heaven, a gift which we do not deserve or can earn on our own. His mercy was shown by his actions on the cross, and because of this the punishment of hell is withheld from us. This is mercy.

There are of course numerous individual examples of mercy in the bible but the two greatest examples were given to us by our Lord Himself on the cross. This is beautifully demonstrated by Jesus’ forgiveness of the thief on the cross next to Him. As Luke recounts in chapter 23:23-32,  “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”  But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 

The truth is that we are all thieves on a cross next to Jesus. We do not deserve God’s grace and mercy any more than that thief, for all sin is equal in the eyes of God and no one is righteous on his own because of this sin. However, we know that the promise spoken to that thief by Jesus on the cross applies to us as well, for we know that when we die, truly we know that we will be with Him in paradise. This is mercy. 

The second example of mercy shown to us from the cross is when Jesus forgives those who are crucifying him:  “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Can you imagine it? These men beat him, spit on him, insulted him, drove nails through his body, and placed a crown of thorns on his head. How pale in comparison are the trivial “offenses” of life for which we are called by Jesus as His followers to grant mercy!

It is important to note that we are not forgiven (shown mercy) because we forgive (show mercy) to others. We show mercy and forgiveness to others because we ourselves are given mercy and forgiveness by our Lord. As Lloyd-Jones puts it, “If I am not merciful there is only one explanation; I have never understood the grace and the mercy of God; I am yet in my sins, and I am unforgiven.” In short, we forgive because we are forgiven, not to be forgiven. This is mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God

As Lloyd-Jones defines  it, “To be pure in heart, in other words, means to keep the first and great commandment, which is that ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy  soul , and with all thy mind.’  Reducing it still further, it means that we should live to the glory of God in every respect, and that should be the supreme desire of our life.”

This purity of heart can only be achieved by one who strives in earnest to be like Jesus in every way by giving glory to God first in all things. Jesus spoke to this as well when he differentiates and emphasizes the spirit of the law over the letter of the law. He tells us that to just follow the law is not good enough. In other words, how and why one follows the law matters.  One must have a deep desire to follow the law because it is written in one’s heart, not to follow it begrudgingly out of fear of punishment or for self glorification. As Lloyd-Jones puts it, “ We should not be like the Pharisees who were always ready to reduce the way of life and righteousness to a mere matter of conduct, ethics, and behavior”. 

For instance, about the sin of murder Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment”  (Matthew 5: 21-22). 

Here Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their self righteousness because they followed the letter of the law, and bragged about it (self glorification),  but all the while they harbored hatred and murder in their hearts. Again, we see here that Jesus was all about the heart. 

Jesus expresses this further in Matthew 5:20 when he says, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”. Again, here we see the word righteousness in relation to the law. As discussed earlier, righteousness according to Jesus is not just reading and following the law, it is a deep desire to live the law from the heart because of our faith in Him. 

In the negative, Jesus speaks to those without a pure heart when he says,  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7: 21-22).

I believe Jesus is speaking of those who believe in Him and even keep his commandments  but do so grudgingly and in a way which gives them glory instead of God.  They have followed the letter but with the wrong spirit by seeking a reward for something they should have already been compelled to do by their faith. 

Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they will be called children of God

“World Peace” is one of the most common answers given to the question, “If you could have one wish for the world granted, what would it be?” Certainly peace is something we should all strive for but the means of bringing this peace to fruition in our world is much different in the kingdom of God than in the kingdom of the world.  

Think about all of the ways man has tried and failed to bring peace between individuals and nations by using the techniques of this world. The problem is that the world seeks external solutions to the problem. They say, “if we only elect the right leader” or if “only pass right and just laws” then the world will be a better place. How has this worked for the world? You don’t have to go too far back in history, starting with yesterday, to see how the world’s solutions to “peace” have been abysmal failures. There are laws against all sorts of evil but evil is still committed. The bottom line is that laws will only work if they are supported by a society with a solid moral foundation. 

Furthermore, if the problem could be solved from the outside then Jesus would have been born the son of Caesar or a prominent Roman Senator. Instead, He was born the son of a peasant girl and a poor carpenter in the backwaters of the Roman Empire. This by itself shows that God has no interest in bringing the lost to Him through the worldly levers of power. 

According to Lloyd-Jones, the Christian has the only true path of lasting peace and it has nothing to do with worldly leaders, laws, or “putting God back” into our institutions.  The answer is not  to force God back into society from the outside through the flawed institutions built by man.  Instead, we are to seek ways to put God back into man’s heart by sharing the Gospel and growing disciples as Jesus instructed us to do. Once this happens, then the love of Christ will flow upward into and be reflected by society in all areas, including its laws and government. Just as God changes us individually from the inside, so too can the world be changed one heart at a time.  It is this grassroots sharing of the Gospel that will change the world.

As Lloyd-Jones puts it, “I suggest to you there is only one adequate answer to that question ( the question of why man has failed to live in peace); it is not political, it is not economic; it is not social. The answer is once more and primarily theological.  And it is because the world in its folly and blindness will not recognize this, that it wastes so much time. The trouble according to the Scripture is in the heart of man, and until the heart of man is changed, you will never solve his problem by trying to make manipulations on the surface.”

The ultimate objective here is not to bring peace about by any means necessary. The goal is to bring lasting peace to the world by putting people back in touch with the heart of God. This is the peacemaking role that Jesus is talking about, not the diplomatic efforts of man through his faulty and non-lasting covenants, agreements, contracts, and laws which will always be broken in the end. 

The Final Condition

So we return to the man here we have been discussing as he moves through the conditions of the Beatitudes. 

First, he sees himself in his completely wretched and sinful form before God which causes a poorness or depression of his spirit. This realization then causes him to mourn for the lost state of his soul.

In his humility and state of mourning, he develops an attitude of meekness where his focus changes from self-centeredness to self-“lessness”. 

It is in this state of total surrender of self when he hears Jesus say to Him those first words also spoken to Simon and Andrew 2,000 years ago on the shores of the Sea of Galilee:“Come, Follow Me” . It is an invitation by Jesus to walk with Him and seek God’s righteousness through a transformational process whereby he becomes more like Christ.

As he begins to emulate Jesus, he begins to see his fellow man through the eyes of Christ which leads him to be merciful to others by following his Lord’s example on the cross. He is now at the point where his heart has begun to soften resulting in a pure and genuine desire to follow the law that has been written on his heart by the Holy Spirit. 

Finally, he is now in a position of such faith and fullness of God, that he can act as a conduit for peace and participate in the growth of the kingdom by bringing the love of God into all situations of strife and disagreement. It is in this final condition as a peacemaker where he can do God’s will on earth. 

Ramifications for Following Christ

As we have seen, the first nine Beatitudes described the process of growing in our relationship with Christ. The last two have to deal with the challenges that will be faced by the disciples and all future followers of Christ as they embark on their walk with Jesus.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

Jesus is warning His followers that they will face the same persecution that He faced during His ministry here on earth. The more active we are in our faith, especially in discipleship making and evangelism, the more we will be oppressed, mocked, ridiculed, and even killed in some parts of the world. However, it is the most important thing we can do for in doing so we can “Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5: 12).

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28: 19-20