From the Desk of Cheryl Hauer
The Sermon on the Mount is a beautiful, poetic portion of Scripture found in the Gospel of Matthew. As I researched the topic, I was amazed to encounter the varied descriptions given to Yeshua’s sermon by Bible teachers and Christian apologists throughout history. It has been called Christ’s Idea of Righteousness, the Goal of Life, the Ideal Christian Life, and the Constitution of Christianity. A. W. Tozer called it a set of ‘markers on the road to greener pastures,’ and Chuck Smith declared it our ‘Christian Manifesto.’ Unfortunately, although they were right in that the Sermon on the Mount is foundational to the Christian faith, the majority of these Christian leaders believed that Jesus was proclaiming a new order, one that replaced the Mosaic Law and freed its adherents from the ‘bondage of Old Testament legalism.’ Through it, some have said that Yeshua turned the Law ‘from negative to positive.’ Sadly, others believe that the Sermon on the Mount was a presentation of a ‘new set of ideals that focus on love and humility rather than force and exaction’ … clear examples of supercessionism.
It is important to remember that Yeshua’s hearers were 1st Century Jews, part of a community whose lives had been shaped and informed by a powerful living force called Judaism for over a thousand years. Through God’s oral and written Word, the Torah and the Prophets had instructed, convicted, and encouraged them for generations, and that Word made it crystal clear that anyone who came in His Name purporting to speak for Him, could only be authenticated by a love and respect for Torah.
The Sermon on the Mount does not present a new Law, rather an accurate interpretation of Scriptures as familiar to Yeshua’s listeners as the concepts He drew from daily life to bring clarity to His message. Solomon in all his glory, salt, light, burglars, and cities on hills all brought His Words to life. And as the master expositor that He was, He strengthened them with a profoundly deeper understanding and life-application than they had heard from any other Rabbi. His love for Torah is evident in every Word and His intent was to show the children of Israel, and generations of Bible believers yet to be born, what true Kingdom life should look like.
God’s Kingdom Come
Many Christians today, believe when reading the Sermon on the Mount, when Yeshua speaks of the Kingdom of God, He is referring to a future kingdom, one that is longed for today but will only be realized at His returning. The Kingdom of Heaven, another phrase used often in the Sermon, is recognized as that place beyond the clouds where angels dwell. But to His original listeners, His Words had a very different meaning. The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven were interchangeable references to a very current reality. A kingdom is defined by the presence of a reigning king, and Judaism taught that God’s Kingdom was real and present wherever His people were living in submission to Him. Where the King is, where His rule is acknowledged, there is the Kingdom.
In that Kingdom, life would be different than anywhere else. Every individual would be a reflection of the Divine, and God’s presence would infuse the community with His love, mercy, and goodness. Kingdom life would include the spirit of the Torah, not just the letter, and the Kingdom would grow beyond the borders of Israel to include the nations. But in Matthew Chapter 5, Yeshua began His first discourse with eight simple but profound blessings, spoken to His disciples, each of which had its roots in Torah.
The Beatitudes
Matthew Chapter 5 begins simply, “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.” What followed was one of the most important Sermons ever preached. Most scholars believe that Yeshua’s trek up the mountain actually served two purposes. It allowed Him time alone with His disciples to emphasize the importance of Torah and instill in them the beauty and necessity of the ‘spirit of the Law,’ before the multitudes followed. Their righteousness would have to exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees. He told them, in order for them to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and to teach others to do the same. It was the externalism of Pharisaism that kept the people from experiencing true Kingdom life, and as much as Yeshua’s Words would be like daggers in the hearts of some Pharisees, they would be a balm to the masses.
That mountain hike also helped to reinforce in the minds of the people, both the multitudes and the disciples as well, Yeshua’s connection to the Torah. Just as Moses climbed the mountain and brought the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel, so Yeshua climbed the mountain and taught the Torah with a power they had never seen. They were awestruck, not because He spoke some radical new theology, but because of who Yeshua was and the simplicity and authority with which He spoke.
The term ‘Beatitudes’ does not appear in the Bible but is a term that was derived from the Latin word ‘beatus,’ the word for blessed, happy, or fortunate. Each of the Verses in Matthew Chapter 5, begin with its Greek counterpart, makarios. None of them, however, contain a verb in the original language. Further, there are many verses in the Tanakh that use the very same sentence structure … Blessed are you, Blessed is he, Blessed are they, and so on. Such statements can be found in Psalms 2:12; 32:2; 40:4; 41:1; 65:4; 84:4-5; 106:3; 112:1; 128:1, as well as Proverbs 8:32; Isaiah 32:20 and 56:2 and Daniel 12:12. In each, the Hebrew word translated blessing is ‘ashre’ and the verb is absent. Most scholars agree that ‘ashre’ is difficult to translate into English. It is used to express congratulations and happiness, coming from a root that means to walk righteously in joy. With the verb removed, a Hebrew/English translation of the Beatitudes said it best as, “O, the gladness of…”
Even that is hard to grasp, however, so the following example is given. Imagine if you will for just a moment the pain and possibly apprehension that filled the heart of Abraham as he made the journey to Mount Moriah with his beloved son Isaac, knowing that perhaps death awaited his child, a death that he, Abraham, might be responsible to inflict. Now, imagine the unbridled elation, relief, joy, happiness … the gladness that filled his heart when God intervened, and the life of his miracle child was spared!
O, the Gladness of …
Sitting with His disciples on a mountainside in the Galilee, Yeshua began His proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven by speaking of the poor in spirit, a phrase known to refer to the lowly. The word translated poor is derived from a root that means to crouch as a helpless beggar. Those who are poor in spirit are painfully aware of their overwhelming need for God, of their own helplessness and insufficiency. Like the Apostle Paul, they are aware that only in their weakness are they strong. It is a theme that can be found throughout the entirety of Scripture and is at the very heart of the Sermon on the Mount.
[O the gladness of] the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57:17)
Matthew 5:4 also speaks of those who are brokenhearted, mourning, or even wailing over a catastrophe, a loss, or even over sin, their own or those of their nation. Like the first Beatitude, the mourner is one who is poor in spirit, aware of their need for God from whom their only real comfort will come.
[O, the gladness of] those who mourn for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning. (Isaiah 61:2-3a)
Like the first two, the third Beatitude deals with humility. The meek will inherit the earth, we are told, a direct quote from Psalm 37:11. The Hebrew word here is ‘anaw’ and means humble and lowly, even poor. It is the same word that is used of Moses in Numbers 12:3 where we are told that he was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.
[O, the gladness of] those who are meek for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)
But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. (Psalm 37:11)
Those that hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be satisfied as stated in Matthew 5:6, finds a counterpart in Psalm 42:2; the merciful will obtain mercy is also found in Psalm 18:25; the pure in heart in Psalm 24:4-5; the peacemakers in Psalm 34:14; and those who are persecuted for righteousness sake who will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, are promised life, righteousness, mercy, and honor in Proverbs 21:21.
Kingdom Life
In this, Yeshua’s first of several discourses during His ministry, He took every opportunity to establish Himself as a lover of the Tanakh. In the Sermon on the Mount, there are direct quotations from what some call the ‘Old Testament,’ as well as allusions to its teachings. In His overall ministry, He quoted the Tanakh 78 times, the Torah alone 26 times, and the Psalms 11 times. There could be no doubt that He fulfilled the requirement for the one who would speak for God as stated in Deuteronomy.
His main purpose, however, was to create a vivid, compelling word picture of Kingdom life and draw His listeners into the community of the redeemed. Some have suggested that the Beatitudes are very negative in content and glorify suffering. Nothing could be further from the truth! The focus is not on the problem being faced, but on the reward being given. Nor is Yeshua speaking of individual groups of people, i.e. those that mourn separate from those that are poor in spirit separate from those who are meek, etc. He is presenting a list of attributes, of characteristics to be possessed by all those who would be citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Beatitudes paint a picture of a Kingdom built on selfless love, humility, and genuine brotherly care for all mankind. These few short Verses describe an attitude of heart which compelled the believer to Kingdom behavior. And it was not a new message, but one that was as old as God’s interaction with mankind.
And it is perpetually significant, as important for you and me as it was for those multitudes on the hillsides of ancient Israel. As one commentator stated, the Beatitudes collectively are saying, “Blessed for eternity will be the person who possesses these characteristics that my Father and I possess.” Incredible Words of encouragement from the God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. O, the gladness!
Blessings and Shalom,
Issachar Community
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