I. Different ways of viewing/understanding the meaning of the Sermon on the Mount (SOTM)
A. Absolutist viewpoint (Leo Tolstoy): commands of SOTM are to be followed to their absolute limit. For example, Tolstoy said that when Jesus says "love your enemies," this statement meant that our current society should have no police force, no army; "do not store up your treasure" meant that each family should give away all that they had (which Tolstoy tried to do, although he had a wife and a number of children). Objections to this viewpoint include the points that the Bible does acknowledge the possession of things (Jesus' disciples had a bag of money that they used to fund food purchases, etc., in their travels); the Israelites fought to establish their nation, and they did so with their clear understanding that God was with them and had provided them that land; everyone in society would more or less have to subscribe to a Christian view of morality for a society with no police force to function, etc.
B. The SOTM was delivered to and meant to be followed by only "mature" Christians whose faith had developed to the point where they could handle and understand what Jesus was saying. The obvious objection to this view is that Matthew states clearly that Jesus addressed the "crowd," not just the disciples and/or close followers.
C. The so-called "Lutheran" viewpoint, that holds that the SOTM is designed to be a manifesto full of impossible commands that no one could ever meet, thus ensuring that we would have to rely fully upon the grace of God to live out our lives in a moral way. While it is true that we all will need the grace of God to effect change in our lives, there is no indication at all in the SOTM that Jesus was purposefully delivering impossible commands. There is every indication that Jesus meant these various statements as the way his followers were to live.
D. What I would call the "Sets a Standard" approach, articulated by the Matthean scholar Dale Allison in his book The Sermon on the Mount (clever title!): "The Sermon does not offer a set of rules...but rather seeks to instill a moral vision." (p. 11) "The Sermon's primary purpose is to instill principles and qualities through a vivid inspiration of the moral imagination." (p.11)
E. The commands set forth by Jesus are ultimately to be realized in the future Kingdom of God that will be established upon Christ's return. They are set "impossibly" high for us at this time because to do otherwise would be to set a limit upon "goodness," which no one would ever expect to do.
**My personal opinion: Jesus is setting a standard for us now that he expects to be the summation of what it means to be his follower; this standard will be realized fully only when His kingdom is established on earth.
Points to remember when reading/studying the SOTM:
a. The SOTM is not an separate piece of writing that Matthew presents completely independently of the rest of his Gospel. One cannot separate it from the context of all the rest of Matthew; for example, the saying about divorce in Mt. 5: 31-32 is amplified and better understood when looked at in conjunction with Jesus' sayings on divorce and marriage in chapter 19.
b. The SOTM uses hyperbolic language to make its points. For example, when Jesus tells us to give both our tunic and our cloak when someone is angry with us and sues us, literally that would mean that we are to become naked by giving up all our clothes. Is Jesus' point that he wants a bunch of naked Christians running around, or does he want us so to live in peace with others that we do everything we can to settle disputes? In the words of Dale Allison, "So we must hope that there is a difference between taking a text literally and taking it seriously, that one can do the latter without doing the former." (p. 12)
c. God's grace abounds to help us live to these standards espoused in the SOTM. Look at Mt. 4: 23- 5: 2-- according to Matthew, Jesus went around healing the masses, teaching, showing compassion to all, and in his Gospel, Jesus did this and then taught the crowd what it meant to live as His follower. These standards of behavior are not some regulations imposed on us for no reason-- they should be our response to the grace of God extended to us. (Look again at Mt. 5: 3-12-- these are blessings of solace and grace).
d. Jesus himself lived out these standards. As we struggle with our unforgiveness or our evil thoughts toward others, Jesus has overcome all these human behaviors and can be with us in our struggles to live the "complete" Christian life.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS NEXT PART OF THE BLOG:
There is a lot of information, suggested supplementary verses, and a number of reflection questions for each of the Beatitudes covered. I would suggest that you only look reflectively at one or two of these a day at most, especially so that you will have time to wrestle with the different issues these statements from Jesus bring to us.(Or, give yourself a day long retreat and use that time to wrestle with the whole shooting match!)
Matthew 5: 7 "Blessed are the merciful...." Mercy is an important concept for Matthew; twice he quotes Hosea 6:6 "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings," (see Mt. 9:13 and 12: 7). Matthew uses "mercy" both to indicate compassion (9:27; 15:22; 17:15; 20: 30-31) and forgiveness (18: 33). Also, the word "merciful" in Greek is "eleemones," which is related to the word "eleemosyne," which means "almsgiving." So, the word mercy as used in the beatitude could also convey the sense of assisting the needy.
Scripture References: Matthew 9: 27-31; 15: 21-28; 23: 23; 25: 31-46; Proverbs 14: 21; 17: 5
Reflection Questions: Given the examples of Jesus' compassion in Mt: 4: 23-25, just how compassionate am I? Am I more concerned with the letter or the spirit of the law? Do people come to me for help--why or why not? Are there people in my life that I have not forgiven--why or why not? Do I believe and live out Christ's forgiveness of me? Does any lack of forgiveness on my part limit my ability to be compassionate?
Matthew 5: 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart...." Early Christians took this verse to mean that people should strive to have complete cleanliness of actions and thoughts, a rigorous asceticism; the heart purified from evil desires. This thinking led to the rigid asceticism of some of the early monks. The Greek word used for pure, "katharos," means clean and unadulterated. Later commentators have said that they feel Jesus was expressing the concern that one's inner thoughts should be consistent with our outward actions (and all edifying, not actions consistent with evil thoughts!); the theologian Kierkegaard summed up this understanding with the book he wrote entitled Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing.
Scripture References: Jewish writers described "heart" as feeling--Deuteronomy28: 47; Matthew 22: 37; willing--Jeremiah 3: 17; thinking--Judges 5: 16. Also see: Psalm 24: 3-4; Matthew 6: 1-18; Hebrews 12: 14; Psalm 51: 10
Reflection Questions: What kind of image do you present "to the world"-- your family, your friends, your campus ministry, your church? Is this image consistent with the "inner you"? How or how not? Why or why not? Is the inner you something you would describe as "pure"? Are you transparent with your faith?
Matthew 5: 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers...." There are a variety of interpretations about what "peacemaker" means: someone who works to secure peace within him/her self; someone who works to produce peace among nations; someone who works to produce peace among interpersonal relationships. In fact, someone has written that a peacemaker is someone who works to have peace in the following areas: peace within (see Lamentations 3: 17, purity of heart); peace above--being at one with God (see Judges 6: 24); peace on all sides--human unity (see I Kings 5: 4). But since emphasis in Matthew often seen on reconciliation with others, the understanding that Jesus was referring to those who can facilitate reconciliation among one's peers seems to fit the best.
Scripture References: Matthew 5: 43-44; Matthew 6: 14-15; Matthew 17: 24-27; Matthew 18: 15-18; 21-35
Reflection Questions: Is there anyone with whom you are not at peace-- not just the extreme of animosity, but someone you dislike, someone with whom you are uneasy, someone about whom your harbor a resentment or grudge? What have you done to make the situation better? Do you know of anyone upset/angry at you with or without justification on their part? What do you feel that Jesus might call you to do in this situation?
Matthew 5: 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted....." This verse echoes verse 6 of the same chapter, and refers to those who may suffer physical violence or verbal abuse because of "faithful obedience to God's will."
Scripture References: Matthew 14: 1-12; Mark 6: 14-29
Reflection Questions: Have you ever been persecuted for living out your faith? Why or why not?
Matthew 5: 11-12 "Blessed are you when people insult you....." The point of view changes from third person to second person in these verses; some commentators believe that this fact indicates that the Matthean community was undergoing current persecution; in Luke, the point of view does not change, suggesting that the Lukan community had already been kicked out of the synagogue.
Scripture References: II Chronicles 36: 15-16; Nehemiah 9: 26; Acts 7: 54
Also look at these ways that Jesus suffered: Matthew 9: 2, 11, 24; 10: 25; 11: 19; 12: 1-14; 26: 65; 27: 30, 38-44.
Reflection Questions: In what ways do you feel you have witnessed the love of Christ to others? Have you ever persecuted those who are witnesses to Christ? How do you feel about people who leave tracts in public places or preach on street corners? Is your Christian faith timid? How willing are you to suffer what Jesus suffered?
Matthew 5: 13-16 "You are the salt of the earth...." Commentators suggest that the use of this imagery of "salt" is not meant to imply just "good people," but as in agents for zest, for action, to make something worthy of the Christian calling to happen. The phrase "you are the light of the world," is a reference to Isaiah 2: 2-5 in which the Israelites are encouraged to walk in the light of the Lord as a part of the celebration of the establishment of God's rule, God's kingdom, upon this earth. The reference to the "city on the hill" is a reference to Jerusalem, on the mountain of Zion. In Jesus' use of "Father" in verse 16, He is using the more personal and intimate "abba" to indicate the close nature of the Christian and God's relationship.
Scripture References: Isaiah 42: 6; 49:6; Job 6: 6; Romans 2: 19
Reflection Questions: Think of your external behaviors and your internal thoughts for the past month. What types of thoughts and/or behaviors would you want to be seen "on a hill," in a public place? Which ones would you want to hide or are hiding now? How is that affecting your relationship with Christ? If people gravitate to you, for what reason? In response to your Christian faith, what have you done to change or help your: friends, family, community, church, favorite campus minister with initials LVJ?
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