5 When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[b] on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
The Law and the Prophets
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter,[c] not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks[d] one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Concerning Anger
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister,[e]you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult[f] a brother or sister,[g] you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell[h] of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister[i] has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister,[j] and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court[k] with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
Concerning Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.[l] 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.[m]
Concerning Divorce
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Concerning Oaths
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.37 Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.[n]
Concerning Retaliation
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,[o] what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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I love the Sermon on the Mount. I have read it dozens of times; I have taught it at least seven times. So I approach this context with a fair amount of familiarity. What I catch myself doing as I read it this time is qualifying in my head, looking for the exceptions and how to make this more palatable for those who are just being introduced to the teachings. I realize that when you take away the qualifiers, this is really hard.
- The divorce/remarriage/adultery passage. How do we approach that in the modern world? Everyone knows a believer who has been divorced or whose parents were divorced or loves someone who is divorced. Everyone wants those people to be happy and live a joyful life, following Jesus. Saying that remarriage causes adultery is a surefire way to drive a lot of really good people away and cause a lot of avoidable pain.
- Love your enemies is a great bathroom plaque. It is a brutally difficult way to live your life. I do not believe the "You have to love everyone, but you don't have to like them," mentality. Loving someone does not mean smiling to their face while you curse them in your head. Loving someone does not mean avoiding doing bad things to them that you are completely justified in doing. I laugh with my loved ones. I give them gifts. I look for ways to spend time with them in order to build them up. I sacrifice my plans so that they can enjoy their lives more. Love those who hate you and intend you harm.
- Anger and Adultery. What we think about...the directions that we allow our hearts and our minds to wander...that is reality for our soul. Did we act on it? Did we beat our loud neighbor or cheat with the secretary? Does not matter where the purity of the soul is involved.
What I am struck by as I write these examples is that we undervalue ourselves, especially our soul. The life that we have is precious, a gift created by God for us to spend as we choose. I do not take great care of my body, though I try not to abuse it. I try to invest in my mind, although I feed it lots of junk. I pay lip service to caring for my soul. All three are functioning well enough that I can move through my life fairly successfully but I do not invest in them because they do not seem worth it.
The examples from the passage that I gave above all come from that apathy. If we truly understood and valued marriage, if we were able to see the transformation of two souls that comes from the union, we would be much less likely to get into bad relationships and quit on marriages. If we valued a pure and healthy soul...if we were able to see our spirits as God sees them...how would our lives changed? How would we stop binging on the junk food of pornography and violence and commercialism and greed?
I don't think that Jesus is laying out a bunch of rules that he arbitrarily made up in order to prove who is worthy. I think he is laying out how to care for the soul. And when you have a group of people with healthy souls, the world begins to transform.
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