We are looking at the Sermon on the Mount. In particular, Jesus’ words at the end of the sermon. Jesus says, “ Therefore anyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
What are the words we need to hear and put into practice? How can we become wise builders living on the rock?
I read something from a favorite teacher of mine that makes a lot of sense. He said, “Unless you understand how Jesus taught, you’ll never understand what he taught.” (1)
You have to know your source.
The Source - Jesus and How Jesus Taught
Jesus is the most intelligent person who ever was. (2)
He made all things and knows all things. Jesus’ teachings are logical and rich. You need time to process them.
Jesus uses parables.
Parables are stories. They often stem from a teachable moment as Jesus interacts with people. Generally, we all have hard hearts. We may not think of ourselves this way, but we all embrace specific ways of thinking and doing. Our thoughts are so natural that it can be challenging for new ideas to penetrate. So Jesus tells a story. “It is hard to argue against a story.” (3) A story invites you to participate.
Learning the meaning of the word parable in Greek, paraballein, is also helpful. It means placing two things next to each other to learn more about them through contrast and comparison.” (2) The comparison reveals the message.
Often, Jesus’ parables don’t have an ending. I think this tells us something. We need to stick with the storyteller to learn the ending. The closer we get to him, the more we’ll know the story.
Jesus was relatable.
He used everyday things and experiences so people could relate to and understand his message. When he spoke to fishermen, he talked about fishing. He spoke of birds, seeds, coins, sheep, and brothers. These were things people could relate to and understand.
Jesus is gentle and personal.
He will not force his way or teachings on you or anyone else. Jesus' teachings were personal. He didn’t just give information; he knew and understood what each person needed to hear.
Jesus taught with authority.
This was the response of the crowd who heard Jesus’ teaching of the Sermon on the Mount. At the end, we learn that the people were astonished at his teaching, “for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mat 7:28-29).
The Message - What did Jesus teach?
Jesus taught the kingdom of God, which Matthew refers to as the kingdom of heaven. The message is the same.
A kingdom is a society or a group of people. A kingdom has an order or structure. One of the persons, the king, serves the people through care, provision, and protection. The king works for the good of the people, and the people have an allegiance to the king. They follow, serve, and love the king. (3)
The kingdom of God is a life with God. Jesus shared that it is available and possible to live in it. God’s kingdom is different from the kingdom of the world. Jesus is the king.
How does this work in Matthew?
Right before the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus began preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (4:17). They could see the kingdom in Jesus. Then, he began to create a community of disciples, calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John.
Then we learn: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” (Mt 4:23) Interestingly, we see almost the same message in Mt 9:35. Scholars believe the repeated verse signals that this is one teaching unit - from Mt 4:23 - 9:35. (4)
One commentator explains, “Matthew tells us what he’s going to tell us about Jesus’ ministry (4:23) Then he tells us (4:24-9:35). Then he tells us what he told us. (Mt 9:35)" (5)
I want you to notice something here. It begins with Jesus saving people. Salvation is more than forgiveness. As Tim Keller explains, “It means life is healed, slowly but surely, in all its dimensions”. (6) Jesus teaches, proclaims, and heals people. They meet Jesus, come to him, and follow him. They receive healing. He saves them from their burdens.
And what happens next?
The Word to Hear - Blessed.
The Crowd
A large crowd has gathered around Jesus. It is made up of people who have come from the north, south, east, and west to be with him. They are following him. He has healed every disease and sickness among them and has been telling them about the kingdom of heaven. The crowd (2) is the key to understanding what comes next in Matthew, The Beattitudes. (Mt 5:1-12) (7)
Now let's think about this for a moment. Imagine yourself in the crowd. You may be standing next to a mother or father whose child was just healed by Jesus and has run off to be closer to him. As you look ahead, there may be a leper who was just healed by Jesus, still in his sick clothes. You may notice some restless folks off to one side and some sad folks off in another corner. As Eugene Peterson writes, "They are people at the end of their rope.” (Mt 5:3, MSG)
The crowd includes the poor in spirit who struggle to make sense of things, people mourning a significant loss, the meek or “shy” who do not assert themselves,(3) those starving for justice, the pure in heart looking for what is right, the peacemaker, the persecuted.
It is as if Jesus is doing a little show and tell here as he begins to speak. (Mt 5:1-12) (2) He looks out at the crowd, sees them and their circumstances, and has compassion for them. That is what Mt 9:35-36 tells us. In his compassion, he blesses them. When Jesus calls them blessed, he is saying he values them. The blessing is not based on a virtuous condition they have achieved. When Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” he is not looking at the people around him and saying it’s a good thing you are struggling.”
Barbara Brown Taylor tells us, “please note that there are no shoulds or oughts here, no shalts or shalt nots. The language of the Beattitudes is not transactional language - do this and you will receive this…It is descriptive language - this is who the people are now, and this is what the future holds for them.” (8)
The point is not to become like these people so you can be blessed. The point is that even these people—the overlooked ones —are invited to live in the kingdom of God. They are blessed because Jesus is their king. As they remain with him, in his kingdom, they will not only be blessed but know blessedness - a “multidimensional flourishing”.(6)
A Pattern of Blessing in the Bible
This got me thinking. Is there a pattern of blessing in the Bible? At the very beginning of creation. God acts. Then God blesses. God created the sea creatures, the birds of the air, and humankind. Then God blesses them. Next, God tells them who they are to be and what they are to do. (Gen 1:20-22; 26-28)
God also blesses his people in Exodus. Like Jesus's compassion on the crowd, God had compassion on the Israelites. God told Moses, “I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt... So I have come down to rescue them. (Ex2:7-8)
God acts. God delivered the Israelites from Egypt. God said to the people through Moses: “ You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself” (Ex 19:4). God delivered them. God blessed them. They are precious and treasured in God’s sight. God carried them and delivered them from slavery to freedom.
Then God tells them what to do. They are to obey God. They are to live in his kingdom under his rule. They will be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” It is important to note that the people are blessed and can grow into blessings as a result of allowing God to rule over their lives. They are invited to live as one treasured by God and as one who treasures God. They are invited to live as priests - those who serve God - in a holy nation ruled by God. Only after the Israelites are blessed and delivered are they given the 10 Commandments. (Ex 20) The law did not determine the blessing. The acceptance by God comes before obedience to God. First, you are blessed.
That is what happens in the Beattitudes. Jesus sees the people and has compassion on them. He heals them. He gathers around them and blesses them. To be blessed is to have God's favor.
I like the way John O’Donohue explains it. He writes, “The word blessing evokes a sense of warmth and protection; it suggests that no life is alone or unreachable” (9)
Wherever you find yourself, Jesus has compassion for you. Jesus values you. The kingdom and the blessedness found there are available to you.
The gift of the world is our first blessing. The Word that spoke it all into being is still alive, still speaking, still calling forth life, still blessing. Listen for it. Receive it. Allow it to move you forward into its goodness.
“When a blessing is invoked, it changes the atmosphere” (9).
You find yourself in the kingdom of heaven - blessed.
If you want to go deeper…
Read Matthew 4:23-5:12; 9:35-36
How would you be described if you were in the crowd? What are your circumstances right now?
What do you think a life of blessedness looks like?
What difference does it make to be blessed by God?
A prayer prompt:
“O God my Creator and Redeemer, I cannot go into this day unless you accompany me with your blessing.” John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer, updated and revised by Susanna Wright.
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Dallas Willard, The Scandal of the Kingdom: How the Parables of Jesus Revolutionize Life With God.
Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, chapters 4-8.
The Dallas Willard Podcast. Episode 4: “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God and How it Comes: Why Parables?”
Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew A Commentary: The Christbook: Matthew 1-12; Scot McKnight. Matthew: Living Everyday as Jesus Taught Us.
Scot McKnight. Matthew: Living Everyday as Jesus Taught Us.
Tim Keller, The Way of Wisdom: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs,p.58
The Life Application Bible notes: “There are at least four ways to understand the beatitudes.1…a code of ethics for the disciples and a standard for conduct for believers. 2. They contrast kingdom values…with worldly values. 3.They contrast superficial ‘faith’…with real faith. 4. They show how the Old Testament expectations will be fulfilled in the kingdom.”
Barbara Brown Taylor, Gospel Medicine, “Blessed are the Upside Down”.
John O’ Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings