The Sermon on the Mount (Part 3 of 0)

The Beatitudes: An Outline – Part three

The beatitudes provide an outline for the Sermon on the Mount. In this article, we discuss the contents of the Sermon only as it relates to the outline. Future articles will give fuller expositions of and draw further exhortations from our Lord’s remarkable address.

The order of address

It is common for speakers today to say something like, “Today’s topics are (1), (2), and (3). First, let’s discuss topic (1)…Second, topic (2)…Third, topic (3)…” We list the topics in the same order we will talk about them. In contrast, it was common for Jewish teachers to list the topics in reverse order. They might say, “Today’s topics are (1), (2), and (3). Let’s discuss topic (3)…Second, topic (2)…Third, topic (1)…”

For example, Matthew writes, “(1) The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, (2) the son of David, (3) the son of Abraham. (3) Abraham begat Isaac…(2) and David the king begat Solomon…(1) And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (Mt. 1:1,2,6,16; cp. Gen. 10:1,2,6,22 and 1 Chron. 1:4,5,8,17).

In like manner, the Chronicler wrote, “So when David was old and full of days, (1) he made Solomon his son king over Israel. And he gathered together (2) all the princes of Israel, (3) with the priests (4) and the Levites” (1 Chron. 23:1-2). Then he lists (4) the Levites and their duties (1 Chron. 23); (3) the priests and their duties (1 Chron. 24-26); (2) the princes of Israel (1 Chron. 27); and finally, (1) David makes Solomon king (1 Chron. 28).

In the beatitudes Jesus outlines, in reverse order, the topics that he discusses in the rest of the Sermon. Recognizing this structure helps us to remember our Lord’s blueprint for the character of true disciples who “area building fitly framed together growing unto an holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:21).

Besides this outline-in-reverse structure, Jesus expands each of the beatitudes with three points, another common technique of Jewish teachers. After he has expounded each of the topics, Jesus summarizes the law, then he concludes the Sermon with three parables that make plain the choice that faces each of us who hears his words.

Outline of the Sermon on the Mount

(8) “persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (5:10,11-20).

  • “When men shall revile you” (5:11-12).
  • “Ye are the salt of the earth” (5:13).
  • “Ye are the light of the world” (5:14-16).

(7) “Peacemakers” (5:9,21-26).

  1. “Whosoever is angry with his brother” (5:21-22).
  2. “First be reconciled to thy brother” (5:23-24).
  3. “Agree with thine adversary quickly” (5:25-26).

(6) “Pure in heart” (5:8,27-37).

  1. “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (5:27-30).
  2. “Whosoever shall put away his wife” (5:31-32).
  3. “Thou shalt not forswear thyself” (5:33-37).

(5) “Merciful” (5:7, 5:38-6:4).

  1. “Resist not evil” (5:38-42).
  2. “Love your enemies” (5:43-48).
  3. “When thou doest alms” (6:2-4).

(4) “Hunger and thirst after righteousness” (5:6; 6:1-18).

  1. “When thou doest alms” (6:2-4).
  2. “When thou prayest” (6:5-15).
  3. “When thou fastest” (6:16-18).

(3) “Meek” (5:5; 6:19-34).

  1. “Lay up treasures in heaven” (6:19-21).
  2. “The light of the body is the eye” (6:22-23).
  3. “Ye cannot serve God and mam­mon” (6:24-34).

(2) “Mourners” (5:4; 7:1-6).

  • “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (7:1-2).
  • “First cast out the beam out of thine own eye” (7:3-5).
  • “Give not that which is holy to the dogs” (7:6).

(1) “Poor in spirit” (5:3; 7:7-11).

  1. “Ask.”
  2. “Seek.”
  3. “Knock.” (7:7-11).

A choice must be made.

  1. “Enter ye in at the strait gate” (7:13-14).
  2. “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (7:15-20).
  3. “He that doeth the will of my Father” (7:24-27).

Persecuted

The eighth, and last, beatitude is “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:10). Immediately, Jesus expands, saying, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Mt. 5:11-12).

Note the parallels: “persecuted” becomes “revile, persecute, say all manner of evil against falsely;” “for righteousness’ sake” becomes “for my sake;” and “kingdom of heaven” becomes “reward in heaven.” And the vague third person, “Blessed are they…for theirs is,” becomes the second person, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake…great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world” (Mt. 5:11-12-14).

The privileged position of the persecuted is amplified in the phrases, “your reward in heaven,” “the salt of the earth,” and “the light of the world” (vs. 12-14).

The wording of verse 10, “…for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” is also echoed in “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20).

Peacemakers

The seventh beatitude is “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Mt. 5:9 RV). The relevance of Mt. 5:21-26 to this beatitude is obvious. A “peacemaker” is someone who is not “angry with his brother,” is “first reconciled with his brother,” and “agrees with his adversary quickly” (Mt. 5:22,24,25).

Pure in heart

The sixth beatitude is “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt. 5:8). First, unlike the pure in heart who shall see God, “whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Mt. 5:28). In such cases, drastic action is required to avoid utter destruction of’ thy whole body.” Whether it is “thy right eye” or “thy right hand” that “causes thee to stumble” it must be got rid of if you are to have a “pure heart.”

Second, the pure in heart do not divorce their wives (Mt. 5:31-32). Later in his ministry, when the Pharisee asked Jesus, “Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?” Jesus answered them, “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives” (Mt. 19:7-8). They were not pure but hard of heart.

Third, the pure in heart do not forswear themselves (Mt. 5:33-37). “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? (Who shall see God?) He that hath clean hands (no adultery?), and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, And hath not sworn deceitfully (broken marriage vows?). He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek after him, That seek thy face, 0 God of Jacob” (Psa. 24:3-6 RV).

Merciful

The fifth beatitude is “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt. 5:7). Who are the merciful? First, instead of retaliating “eye for eye, and tooth for tooth,” the merciful resist not evil: they turn the other cheek; they give up their cloaks as well as their coats; they go the extra mile; they lend to those who ask (Mt. 5:38-42).

Second, the merciful love not only their neighbors, but their enemies also: they follow the example of their heavenly Father, who does not show partiality; they are perfect even as their heavenly Father is perfect (Mt. 5:43-48). “And the Lord passed before (Moses), and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffer­ing, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Ex. 34:6-7).

Third, when the merciful (Gk. elee­mon) doeth alms (Gk. eleemosune), they do not parade it to be seen of men; they do not even let their left hand know what their right hand does (Mt. 6:2-4).

Hunger and thirst for righteousness

The fourth beatitude is “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Mt. 5:6).

For us, “to hunger and thirst” means “to desire earnestly.” For the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day, “to hunger and thirst” meant “to do without physical sustenance.” To them, almsgiving, prayer and fasting were the primary acts of “righteousness.” So Jesus warns, “Take heed that ye do not your right­eousness before men to be seen of them: else ye have no reward with your Father which is in heaven” (Mt. 6:1 RV), then he instructs his disciples on almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (Mt. 6:2-18). He distinguishes true acts of righteousness done in secret by true disciples from hypocritical acts of “righteousness” done by the scribes and Pharisees (Mt. 6:2,5,16). They desired “the glory of men” and they received their reward in full. In similar words, Jesus later issues a caustic attack against such false right­eousness, saying, “But all their works they do for to be seen of men…ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Mt. 23:5,27-28 RV). No wonder he said, “Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20).

Meek

The third beatitude is “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:5). Jesus takes ideas for the next section of the Sermon (Mt. 6:19-34) from Psalms 37 and 147, both of which celebrate the meek, who, because they seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, have all necessities added unto them.

Mourners

The second beatitude is “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Mt. 5:4). For us, “to mourn” means “to be filled with sadness perhaps over the loss of a loved one.” It meant the same thing in Jesus’ day (see Mk. 16:10; Rev. 18:11,15). But it also sometimes meant “to sorrow for sin.”

In the next section of the Sermon, Jesus commands, “Judge not, that ye be not judged,” after which he instructs us to examine ourselves before we examine others (Mt. 7:1-5). James emphasized the connection between “mourning” and “not judging others.” “Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep…Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?” (James 4:9-12).

Next Jesus says, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Mt. 7:6). This saying has been used as an excuse to discontinue preaching to those deemed “dogs and swine.” But, at the very least, such a lesson seems out of place here. In fact, Jesus had promised persecution to those who preached in his name (Mt. 5:10-12), and that is what happened all through the Acts. If “that which is holy” and “pearls” have reference to a brother who has been purchased by the sacrifice of Christ, then Jesus is exhorting us to avoid backbiting, for you can guarantee that the “dogs” and “swine” to whom you are throwing your brother’s good name will later “turn and rend you” (cp. 2 Cor. 12:20-21; Ex. 22:31-23:3).

Poor in spirit

The first beatitude is “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3). The “poor” are “beggars” who rely on their heavenly Father. Jesus exhorts, “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Mt. 7:7-8). If we, as parents, are good to our children, how much more will our heavenly Father be good to us (Mt. 7:9­-11).

The appeal

In the rest of the Sermon, Jesus summarizes and gives us our options. As we consider his words we must decide. Will we, like a foolish man, build our house on sand, hearing only and not doing? Or will we, like a wise man, build our house on the rock, not only hearing but doing also? “(We) are no more strangers and foreigners, but fel­lowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Eph. 2:19-20).