The Sermon on the Mount Lesson 1: Matthew 5:1-12 Introduction John Stott has labeled this section of Scripture, “Christian-Counter Culture”. The term “counter-culture” was first applied to the culture of many young people of the 1960's and 1970's manifested by a life style that is opposed to the prevailing culture (Christian Counter Culture, John Stott, p. 54). Each generation seems to be dissatisfied with the world that it has inherited. During the 60's and 70's and even today, many want to have nothing to do with the mainstream or establishment, and at times for good reason. Young people often see greed, exploitation, waste, hypocrisy, injustice, and inconsistency in the prevailing secular culture. In rejection of the mainstream, many young people turned to alternative movements. Some turned to communal living, simple living, dressing casually, and going barefoot. Others turned to drugs and unrestrained sexual activity in the hopes of finding happiness. Some turned to various Eastern religions, meditation, and various philosophies. Others sought refuge in radical political movements and various causes. Yet young people often found that all these alternatives contained the exact same sins as found in the mainstream. They found that people in their own groups manifested the very same sins as found in their parent’s circle of friends. Here too, people were inconsistent, greedy, manipulative, selfish, and hypocritical. They were looking for right things (the meaning of life, true love, happiness, peace, fulfillment, contentment), but they were looking in all the wrong places.
God’s People Must Be Different So many people today are worried that the Church turns people off by its strong doctrinal stand on biblical issues, yet look at the Sermon on the Mount. In it Jesus took a very strong stand on moral issues (5:20,22,28,2930,32), yet why does this sermon still draw us? Why does it so attract the attention of people? Why does it seem like a breath of fresh air? Why did it amaze those that heard it? (7:28): "The first place to which they should be able to turn is the one place which they normally ignore, namely the church. For too often what they see in the church is not counter-culture but conformism, not a new society, but another version of the old society. No comment could be more hurtful to the Christian than the words, “But you are no different from anyone else” (Stott p. 55). The Sermon on the Mount attracts our attention because it presents a life style so different from that of the world. It is God’s cultural alternative. It presents a way of living, thinking, serving God, and treating others that is opposed to the world. God’s people have always been called to a different life style. At Mount Sinai Exodus 19:5-6 “Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be Mine own possession from among all peoples: for all the earth is Mine, and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel” Leviticus 18:3 “After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes. “Walk in their statutes”. “You shall not conform to their institutions” (NEB). “You must not rule your lives by theirs” (Mof). Yet in the centuries that followed God’s people kept forgetting their uniqueness. The rest of the Old Testament could be viewed as Israel’s continual attempt to become like the nations around them. During the days of Samuel the children of Israel would say: “Appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). Samuel warned them that becoming like the nations, they would equally taste the pitfalls of conforming to the world (8:11-19), which would include a loss of personal rights, mandatory military service, and all the various abuses of a monarchy. Such desire to be like the nations did not stop at the political process, it moved into the area of religion, Ezekiel 20:32 “And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, in that ye say, We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone”; Psalms
106:35 “But mingled themselves with the nations, and learned their work-and served their idols, which became a snare unto them”. In the Sermon on the Mount Prior to this sermon, John the Baptist and Jesus had both announced the fact that the long awaited Kingdom of Heaven was at hand (3:2; 4:17), and such a relationship demands repentance and a change of mind. The Sermon on the Mount is then the change required and demanded by this new relationship. "Jesus emphasized that His true followers, the citizens of God's kingdom, were to be entirely different from others. They were not to take their cue from the people around them, but from Him." The whole sermon is a lesson emphasizing the life style demanded by God, in contrast to the false views of both paganism and first century Judaism. Jesus contrast's His followers with both cultures. For example, in the area of prayer, Jewish abuses (6:5) and the abuses among the pagans (6:7-8) are cited. The same is true in the realm of love. The Jewish view (5: 43) and the pagan view (5: 46-47). "Thus pagans love and salute each other, but Christians are to love their enemies; pagans pray after a fashion, ‘heaping up empty phrases’, but Christians are to pray with the humble thoughtfulness of children to their Father in heaven; pagans are preoccupied with their own material necessities, but Christians are to seek first God's rule and righteousness (6:32,33)" (Vine p. 62). "Thus followers of Jesus are to be different--different from both the nominal church and the secular world, different from both the religious and the irreligious. Here is a Christian value-system, ethical standard, religious devotion, and attitude towards money, ambition, life-style, and relationships, all of which are totally at variance with those of the religious and non-Christian world" (Stott pp. 47-48). The Audience: 5:1-2 The disciples are present, but so are the multitudes (7:28-29), thus this sermon applies to everyone. The person who is poor in spirit is a sinner and someone who realizes his or her spiritual poverty. Jesus would apply the teachings in this section to “everyone” (5:28), and we know that God holds Gentiles (as well as Jews) accountable for their lusts and anger (Titus 3:3; 1 Peter 4:1ff). In the sermon, Pharisees, scribes, as well as Gentiles, are condemned for their perversions of true worship (5:20; 6:1-8).
Matthew 5:3-12 As we read and examine these verses, we need to ask ourselves, are we demonstrating these qualities? Or, have we begun to blend in with the world around us? When life places us in different situations, do we behave any differently than other religious people or non-Christians? “Blessed” Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” The term blessed is often defined as meaning “fortunate, happy, usually in the sense, privileged recipient of divine favor, 'O, the happiness of those'” (Arndt p. 486). “A man in the condition of being truly well-off” (Zond. Ency. p. 352). “He is declaring not what they may feel like ('happy'), but what God thinks of them and what on that account they are: they are "blessed" (Stott p. 33). The conditions, which Jesus represents as blessed are those which his listeners had always considered curses. These verses declare the man well-off that the world considers to be unfortunate. "These blesseds are another of Jesus' attempts to get man's eyes off the glamour and glitter of this age. Jesus wastes no time beginning by contradicting all points of man's basic philosophy. He lays down the challenge, ‘Whose world is real?’ For man declares that the rich, selfsufficient, proud, self-centered, aggressive, and the fully satisfied as being 'blessed'. “The beatitudes are paradoxes in that they declare as being truly well off the man who, from the ordinary point of view and perhaps in his own opinion, seems to be most unfortunate. Yet Jesus refers to a man’s true well-being which can often be opposed to his apparent wellbeing” (Fowler p. 207). The section is called the Beatitudes because each verse begins with a blessing. Such beatitudes also existed in the Old Testament (Psalm 1:1; 34:8; 65:4; 128:1), and are also found in other places in the New Testament (John 20:29; 14:22; James 1:12; Revelation 14:13). “The Poor in Spirit” “Those who feel their spiritual need” (Gspd); “They who sense spiritual poverty” (Ber); “The humble-minded” (Phi); “People who are so spiritually poverty-stricken that they have nothing in the way of merit to offer” (Stott p. 36). It does not apply to those who are solely economically poor, or those poor in intellect, or those who are spiritless (that is, those that lack energy and enthusiasm), rather it applies to those who are conscious of
their own spiritual bankruptcy before God. The following are some biblical classic examples of being "poor in spirit":
King David: Psalms 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise”. The Sinful Woman: Luke 7:38 “…and standing behind at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment”. The Prodigal Son: Luke 15:18 “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of thy hired servants”. The Publican: Luke 18:13 ”But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a sinner”.
“For theirs is the kingdom of heaven”: The Kingdom of heaven has to be received with the dependent humility of a little child. Jesus is trying to give away the Kingdom to those who want it on His terms, but His terms demand that all comers admit their deep spiritual poverty and unworthiness, and their dire need of His wealth. The proud, the selfsufficient, the “I did it my way” mentality, or “I'm not really that bad” justification of self is rejected. God offers a blessing to those who humble themselves (Luke 18:14). I will never discover my true worth and true unworthiness apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ. The kingdom of heaven, or the church, is for those who realize that they need to start over in life (John 3:1-5). This statement undermined the popular Jewish concept that in the messianic kingdom all would be wealthy. Like people today, many Jews had equated physical wealth with God’s favor. An even greater danger in our society is the feeling that self-sufficiency and confidence in one’s own ability and judgment are the ultimate marks of personal growth. Rather, Jesus notes, blessed are those who realize their spiritual bankruptcy and that all their gut feelings have led them in the wrong direction (Proverbs 16:25). While Jesus is talking about spiritual poverty, He also warned that material wealth can mask such poverty. As long as life is good and filled with material things, many people can ignore the needs of their soul (Luke 12:15ff).
“Blessed are they that Mourn”
Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted”. “Mourn”: To grieve and lament. “Happy are the unhappy”. People mourn over many things, deceased loved ones, lost opportunities, business failures, lost youthfulness, a scratch found on the sports car, or over nostalgic memories. The mourning which brings Christ's blessing, is a mourning over one's sins (5:3), that is, all those who mourn the loss of their innocence. This is not the sorrow of bereavement, but the sorrow of repentance. “Further, the grief or mourning that is meant must be understood in a sense consistent with Jesus’ ethic. It cannot be the frustrated distress of the man too old or sick to continue his revelry, nor the anguish of the robber who learns that the he overlooked more than he stole, nor the shabby penitence of the man who got caught in the act of some sin but cares little about the moral consequences of his deed” (Fowler pp. 211-212). It is one thing to be spiritually poor and acknowledge it; it is another to grieve and to mourn over it. James 4:9 “Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness”; 2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death”; Psalms 119:136 “Streams of water run down mine eyes, Because they observe not Thy law”; Philippians 3:18 “For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ”; 1Corinthians 5:2”And ye are puffed up, and did not rather mourn, that he that had done this deed might be taken away from among you”. “There is not enough sorrow for sin among us” (Stott p. 42). “For they shall be comforted”: That is, by the forgiveness of their sins. “This does not mean that the sorrowing shall be anesthetized to the point that they will not feel their suffering and pain. Rather it means that they will be strengthened, braced up, encouraged or cheered up to face the situation worthily as a disciple of the Lord” (Fowler p. 212). Not every aspect of the Christian life will be pleasant. Life in the Kingdom demands that we can get serious about sin. The Kingdom is not for those who love life to be shallow, and think that nothing is really to be taken too seriously. “Blessed are the Meek”
Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth”. “Meek”: Unfortunately the English word meek for many people suggests weakness. The common assumption is that when a man is meek it is because he cannot help himself; yet the Lord was meek (Matthew 11:29). Described negatively, meekness is the opposite of self-assertiveness and self-interest; it is equanimity of spirit, that is neither elated nor cast down. “Considerate, humble, unassuming” (Arndt p. 699). “Gentleness of strength” (Robertson p. 41). Meekness involves being gentle, humble, considerate, courteous, and therefore exercising self-control. “It indicates that forbearance and consideration for others that is willing to waive its rights if by so doing the good of others can be advanced” (Fowler p. 213). The logical progression in the context Here is the person that comes to the realization of their own spiritual poverty, that in turns mourns over their sins, and the hurt they have caused to others, especially God. The next step in maturity would be, “Do I react with gratitude to the correction others give to me?” "This meekness denotes a humble and gentle attitude to others which is determined by a true estimate of ourselves. It is comparatively easy to be honest with ourselves before God and acknowledge ourselves to be sinners in His sight but how much more difficult is it to allow other people to say things like that about me! We all prefer to condemn ourselves than to allow somebody else to condemn us. "The man who is truly meek is the one who is truly amazed that God and man think of him as well as they do and treat him as well as they do" (Stott p. 43). The Incredible Strength Required: Meekness is not a sign of craven weakness. Consider the strength required by the last beautitude: Hounded non-conformists, hated even to the point of death, must possess unwavering conviction, dauntless bravery, and remarkable self-control.” Moses is a man said to have been meek: Numbers 12:3 “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth.” Consider the responsibility given to him, consider the abuse that he took, ever the object of criticism. In the eyes of many of the Israelites Moses never did anything right! Yes, the Jewish people in other generations had respect for Moses, but many of his contemporaries did not (Exodus 5:21; 14:11-12; 16:2; 17:2-3; 32:1; his own family did not even respect him (Numbers 12:1-2); 14:2; 16:2-3; 20:2-5). Despite all this, Moses still pleaded for the people, and did not abandon God, his responsibilities, and was not bitter. What strength was required to put up with all of this for forty years.
“For they shall inherit the Earth” The world complains, and those among us with some of the world still left in us, secretly reason, “Yea, but, you cannot succeed in life with such an attitude, people will take advantage of you. You have to throw your weight around, push and shove. The squeaky wheel gets greased! The background of this statement is found in the 37th Psalm: “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness” (37:11). The clear lesson from this psalm is that the good guys will finish first. They who struggle most feverishly, in the end lose it all, while those who humbly serve God, inherit it all. When the Psalm was written, God's people were already in the land. Hence inheriting the land, means something more than possessing it. What the world struggles to gain through self-centeredness, pushing and shoving, doing it their way, getting what's coming to them, the world owes them, and so on, the humble Christian inherits, that is, happiness, contentment, satisfaction, eternal and true riches. 2 Peter 3:13 “But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness”; Revelation 21:4 “and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away”. At the moment it may look like, from a worldly point of view, that the humble Christian is forfeiting present happiness. Paul pointed out that even though he presently had little, in reality he possessed it all: 2 Corinthians 6:10 “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things”. Fowler points out that inheriting the earth means: 1. Christians can enjoy this life more fully than sinners because they enjoy whatever God sends. The wicked, in their rush to possess, usually overlook the best of this world. 2. Christians have the character that guarantees to them a greater measure of happiness, peace, contentment, and stability. 3. They will inherit the new heavens and the new earth. 4. Since inheriting the land or earth was promised while Israel possessed the land, the expression must stand for really enjoying God’s blessings. Since the Bible clearly teaches that the physical universe will be destroyed (2 Peter 3:10-11), inheriting the earth does not mean that Christians will live on this earth forever, or that this earth will be our heaven (Matthew 6:19ff).
Blessed are they who are hungering and thirsting after righteousness: 5:6 Observe the present participles (hungering and thirsting), which stresses that the person who will end up saved is the person who keeps on hungering after God’s truth. “Jesus here challenges our real desire for goodness. “Are you intensely and sharply pained by your need for true righteousness that you would die unless you get it?” Just how badly do you want to be righteous? Such questions criticize our satisfaction with partial goodness, halfway accomplishment, and partly kept promises to be good. Jesus cannot leave men in peace if He is to convert them. The self-sufficient, the smugly self-complacent, and the self-righteous are the only people on the earth beyond the help of God” (Fowler p. 215). We see this same hungering in the Psalms (42:1-2). The word “hungering” means the idea of pinching toil; "pine"; to famish, to crave. To crave ardently, to seek with eager desire, this is passionate hunger. This is far more than the person who just wants a nibble, but rather is the person who is starving. When one is hungering and thirsting after righteousness, one realizes: 1. Just being a good moral person is not enough. 2. God’s standards cannot be compromised, for His truth is our only guide to eternal life. 3. Any issue that God has addressed is a big issue. This means that when one is hungering and thirsting after righteousness, one does not neglect public worship, and neither does one try to see how close one can get to sin without sinning or how much error one can tolerate and still have unity. In this sermon Jesus reveals that God’s standard of righteousness goes far beyond just outward conformity (Matthew 5:20ff), but includes inward purity (5:28) and purity in our relationships. Hungering and thirsting after righteousness will include hungering after meeting God’s expectations as a husband, wife or parent (5:32). “Shall be Filled” The end of the Christian life is not disappointment or disillusionment. The person who keeps centered on God and His word will overcome all obstacles, will find the answers to questions pertaining to their relationship with God, and will find fulfillment and satisfaction in serving God. “Yet in all this the values and standards of Jesus are in direct conflict with the commonly accepted values and standards of the world. The world judges the rich to be blessed, not the poor, whether in the material or in the spiritual sphere; the happy-go-lucky and carefree, not those who take evil so seriously that they mourn over it; the strong and brash, not the meek and gentle; the full not the hungry; those who mind their own business, not those who meddle in other men's matters and occupy their
time in do-goodery like ‘showing mercy’ and ‘making peace’; those who attain their ends even if necessary by devious means, not the pure in heart who refuse to compromise their integrity; those who are secure and popular, and live at ease, not those who have to suffer persecution” (Stott p. 54). “With every beautitude, the gulf is widened between the disciples and the people, and their call to come forth from the people becomes increasingly manifest” (p. 55). “Blessed are the Merciful”: 5:7 “The beatitudes paint a comprehensive portrait of a Christian disciple. We see him first alone on his knees before God, acknowledging his spiritual poverty and mourning over it. This makes him meek or gentle in all his relationships, since honesty compels him to allow others to think of him what before God he confesses himself to be. Yet he is far from acquiescing in his sinfulness, for he hungers and thirsts after righteousness, longing to grow in grace and in goodness. We see him next with others, out in the human community. His relationship with God does not cause him to withdraw from society, nor is he insulated from the world's pain. On the contrary, he is in the thick of it, showing mercy to those battered by adversity and sin” (Stott p. 54). “Merciful”: Is not simply possessed of pity but actively compassionate. “Those who show mercy” (Wms). This is more than a feeling, but active help, mercy that is extended in its various forms (Matthew 25:34-46). The world prefers to insulate itself against the pains and calamities of men. Too often we behave like the world, by looking for reasons why we should not help. Man often tries very hard to avoid mercy (Matthew 15:5-6; James 2:15-16; 1 John 3:17-18). Mercy is often shown in extending forgiveness, Matthew 6:14-15; 18:33. “This is not because we can merit mercy by mercy or forgiveness by forgiveness, but because we cannot receive mercy and forgiveness of God unless we repent, and we cannot claim to have repented of our sins if we are unmerciful toward the sins of others. Nothing proves more clearly that we have been forgiven than our own readiness to forgive” (Stott pp. 47-48) A clear realization of what we have been forgiven, should always keep us in touch with the sins of others. Too often, we tend to love very poorly, because we are under the false impression that God only had to forgive us just a little bit. “For they shall receive mercy”: This last statement should always remind us, that we cannot earn eternal life. In the end, no matter how good we have lived, we will still need mercy (James 2:13). By contrast, the Jews
were under the erroneous impression that in the Messianic kingdom God would not offer any mercy to the heathen. We equally need to beware of substitutes for Christian mercy. “Godly mercy cannot mean connivance with sin. Mercy becomes only sentimental softness or careless indulgence when it ignores justice. Justice and mercy are not mutually exclusive (Matthew 23:23; Romans 3:23-26). Christian mercy must justly condemn sin (as God does) in order to save the sinner. The most merciful act one can do for a sinner is to cause him to acknowledge his sin, break his heart, and lead him to repent (2 Samuel 12:1-15). Christian mercy involves compassion for the sinner, but severity to the sin” (Fowler p. 218). Blessed are the pure in heart: 5:8 “Pure in heart”: “Clean in heart” (Ber). “Utterly sincere” (Phi). “Pure from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt” (Thayer p. 312). “Singleness of heart, an honest heart, free from any hidden motive of self-interest” (Zond. Ency. p. 353). This is an attack upon the external religion of the Pharisees and scribes (6:1-5). Jesus taught that true defilement comes from within (Matthew 15:18-19). Psalms 24:3-4 “Who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah? And who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto falsehood, And hath not sworn deceitfully”. Psalms 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me”. “That is, in his relations with both God and man he is free from falsehood. So the pure in heart are "utterly sincere" (JPB). Their whole life, public and private, is transparent before God and men. Their very heart--including their thoughts and motives--is pure, unmixed with anything devious, ulterior or base. Hypocrisy and deceit are abhorrent to them; they are without guile” (Stott p. 49). The world claims that everyone has an angle, and this is probably for the most part true. The Bible claims that the wisdom of the world contains selfish ambition (James 3:14-16), while the wisdom from above is without hypocrisy (3:17). Do we have hidden agendas? The Church is one place that we should be able to find people with pure motives. If someone asks us, “Why are you treating me so nicely?”, we should be able to honestly say, “Just because I love you--nothing more, nothing less.” The Sermon on the Mount reveals some practical applications of purity in heart. The removal of lust (5:28); pure motives in worshipping God (6:2); honesty in our speech and commitments (5:33-37); the removal of hate (5:22); one great single goal (6:19-24) and complete loyalty to one Master (6:24).
Purity of heart is manifested in a mind so clean that lust cannot survive (5:28), basic honesty so well known that oaths are unnecessary (5:33), motivations so pure that worship is real (6:33), love so pure that sinful hate, anger, contempt, and partiality have no place (5:22; 44-48), singleness of purpose so completely confident in God’s love and power that worry and materialism are impossible (6:19-24), and a heart that only serves one Master (6:24).What a challenge and what a promise! If Jesus says that only the pure in heart can see God, then any of us can be pure in heart. The world, and many religious groups, contend that we can never purify our hearts or our motives, yet God says otherwise (2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 4:12-13; 2 Corinthians 10:3ff; 1 Peter 2:1ff; 1 Timothy 1:5). “For they shall see God”: Their aim is pure, to do God's will, to please God, and be with Him eternally. Such individuals will get their wish. 2Corinthians 5:9 “Wherefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well-pleasing unto Him”. “Jesus’ challenge to His or any age is simply: ‘How badly do you want to see God?’ Are you willing, then, to open up your inmost thoughts, your best-hidden desires, and your secret designs for the inspection of God? How happy is that man who so lives that at any moment he could bare his heart to the eye of God without shame. Who is willing to pay this price to enter the kingdom?” (Fowler p. 219). Blessed are the Peacemakers: 5:9 “He is transparently sincere in all his dealings and seeks to play a constructive role as a peacemaker” (Stott p. 54). “The sequence of thought from purity of heart to peacemaking is natural, because one of the most frequent causes of conflict is intrigue , while openness and sincerity are essential to all true reconciliation”(p. 50). “Peacemakers”: “Loving peace” (Thayer p. 183). “Making peace” (Arndt p. 228). “They that work peace--more than 'peaceful'” (Alford p. 26). “Maintainers of peace. It's hard enough to keep peace, it is still more difficult to bring peace where it is not” (Robertson p. 42). “Peacemakers are active heroic promoters of peace in a world full of alienation, party passion, and strife”(Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 100). “Active promoters of peace, he does not fold his hands, but rolls up his sleeves” (Stott p. 51). This is not peace at any price. The next verse reveals this fact, for these peacemakers are being persecuted (Matthew 10:34-36). At the same time we need to make sure conflict is never the result of our bad attitude or sinful behavior: Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men”. How often do we depend upon others to take the first step? This
verse infers that peace, in many of our relationships, depends on us to maintain . The Bible reveals that peace is not cheap and neither does it just naturally happen. “He made peace with us at immense cost, even at the price of the life-blood of his only Son. We too--though in our lesser ways--will find peacemaking a costly enterprise when we are ourselves are involved in a quarrel, there will be either the pain of apologizing to the person we have injured, or the pain of rebuking the person who has injured us..or again, we may not be personally involved in a dispute, but may find ourselves struggling to reconcile to each other two people or groups who are estranged and at variance with each other. In this case there will be the pain of listening, or ridding ourselves of prejudice, of striving sympathetically to understand both the opposing points of view, and of risking misunderstanding, ingratitude or failure” (Stott p. 51). See Ephesians 4:3; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 3:11. Are we any different from the World? The world tends to avoid conflict. A cheap peace is maintained by simply avoiding each other, by not speaking to each other, by only saying what is absolutely necessary, and by tending only the bare minimums of social courtesy. When people look at the Church do they see anything different from the world they live in? “For they shall be called sons of God”: Just as God got involved in the sin, pain, misery, and strife of this wicked world, even so those who follow Jesus will do the same. Jesus’ Peace Corps volunteers are those who share His worldview and seek peace on His terms. This means fighting with spiritual weapons against sin (James 4:1-5; Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:2-5). It means waging war, not upon mere ignorance, but rather ignorance of God (Hosea 4:6), and not upon mere poverty, but poverty of the soul. The peacemaker must be willing to use God’s truth to bring rebels to their knees before God. There can be no real peace in a marriage, home, or life, until people bow before God and cheerfully submit to His will. In this peacemaking mission, Jesus lost His life, and in the struggle against sin, His disciple may not expect to fare any better (Hebrews 12:2-4; Matthew 10:34ff).
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness: 5:10
“Yet he is not thanked for his efforts, but rather opposed, slandered, insulted, and persecuted on account of the righteousness for which he stands and the Christ with whom he is identified” (Stott p. 54). “Yet however hard we may try to make peace with some people, they refuse to live at peace with us. Not all attempts at reconciliation succeed. Indeed, some take the initiative to oppose us, and in particular to revile or slander us. They find distasteful the righteousness for which we hunger and thirst. Persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value-systems” (Stott p. 52). Jesus shatters any false illusions that we might be entertaining as to the success, which awaits us. See Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12; Luke 6:26. “For the sake of righteousness..(11) ..on account of Me”: We are not to seek out trouble. Posing for persecution is a favorite stunt. No one deserves to be called persecuted, unless it is for 'righteousness sake'. Many simply deserve to suffer (1 Peter 2:20). “Cast insults at you..say all kinds of evil against you falsely”: How often does Christianity get blamed for all the world's problems? People point to the abuses of the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages and at other times, and yet they fail to realize that such abuses are the world's values. Because Catholicism is not an expression of New Testament Christianity, neither in its organizational structure, plan of salvation, moral code or methods of spreading the gospel. “On account of Me”: Its not merely the principle that matters, it is the person. Great principles exist because God exists! Note that Jesus places service to Him on an equality with the service rendered to God by the prophets in the Old Testament. Here Jesus claims that men should serve and worship Him, even to the point of death. Jesus could be none other than God, to rightly demand such allegiance. “Rejoice and be glad': “How did Jesus expect His disciples to react under persecution? Rejoice and be glad! We are not to retaliate like an unbeliever, nor to sulk like a child, nor to lick our wounds in self-pity like a dog, nor just to grin and bear it like a Stoic, still less to pretend we enjoy it like a masochist” (Stott p. 52). Because in losing little, we gain much(5:12). It places us in noble company, “for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you”. God views the faithful Christian just like He viewed the faithful prophets in the Old Testament. Our courage should be bolstered in knowing that we are walking in the steps of God’s mightiest, most fearless spokesmen of the past. We are God’s voice today! We can be the heroes of faith in our time. Do you see yourself as a modern day Elijah, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
or Daniel? This is the way God sees the faithful today, because suffering in a small way shows appreciation for the suffering that Christ endured for us: