In Matthew 5, Jesus begins what we know as the Sermon on the Mount (which continues through Matthew 7). These chapters contain many familiar verses, including the blessings often called the Beatitudes (from the Latin for blessings).
Before we begin to dig into the specifics of each blessing in Matthew 5:3-12, which we'll start next week, let’s take a moment to set the stage.
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: (Matthew 5:1-2 ESV)
There were crowds of people around Jesus. Matthew 4 tells us that He had been going throughout Galilee proclaiming the gospel and healing people. Great crowds began to follow Him everywhere, to see what He would do next. Among this multitude were His disciples, the men (and probably some women) who had committed to follow Him because of who He was, not just what they might get out of it. It’s when His disciples came to Him that Jesus began to teach.
This tells me that everything in the powerful teaching in Matthew 5-7 is for Jesus’ disciples. The crowds who were milling around, hoping for a miracle, would have heard, but His words were directed to those closest to Him.
These lessons are as applicable to His disciples today as they were when Jesus first taught them. If you are Jesus’ disciple, His follower, today, these lessons are for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to receive fresh insight from these familiar verses. There’s always something new we can learn from the Word of God.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 ESV)
Think About: How are you following Jesus today?
If you haven’t yet made the decision to follow Jesus and would like to find out more, please reach out to me. I would love the opportunity to answer your questions. Simply comment below or use the chat feature on this page. Let’s talk.
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