Matthew 5. “Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them…” (5:1-2) Matthew 5-7 is one of Jesus’ most famous teaching moments, the Sermon on the Mount. He begins the lesson with eight blessings. These are promises of blessings in the current time and in the future – typically thought of as happiness, richness, and a fulfilled life.

Yet the blessedness Jesus proclaims is kind of strange. The blessings are for the spiritually poor, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted (5:3-12). When I hear that list, I don’t think – Oh these people are really happy. I tend to think – gosh, these people are suffering and maybe even weak. How in the world will meek people inherit the earth?! Why would you rejoice during persecution?

Jesus is the new king and in the kingdom of God (or heaven as Matthew calls it) many things are upside-down from the standard practices of the world. In fact, the very first blessing is the key to the whole Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are the spiritually poor. Spiritual poverty is the beginning! We must recognize in humility that we have nothing to bring to God and there is no reason for Him to love us. We cannot participate in the kingdom of God if we do not recognize our desperate need for God!

Next Jesus offers a reflection on various parts of the Ten Commandments and other laws of the Old Testament (5:17-48). As you read his comments, consider what you learn about God’s standards for holiness. You will find that Jesus sets the standard for righteousness much, much higher than expected. Jesus explains that God is not just concerned about our actions (like adultery or murder), God cares deeply about what is happening in our hearts (like lust or anger).

God has always cared about the status of our hearts; this is not something new in the New Testament with Jesus. In fact, in Amos 5:21-24 God told his people that He hated their good deeds because they were done out of an impure heart that denied justice and ignored righteousness!

The call for those who follow Jesus is, “You must therefore be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (5:48). We are blessed when we recognize our spiritual poverty (5:3), because we cannot be perfect, and we desperately need the work of Jesus in our lives and His righteousness to be perfect before God. On our best day or our worst day, our only hope is in the cross of Christ.