On 10-30-11 Matthew 5:1-12 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Living as God’s People aka Blessed by God. You will find the 10-23-11 lesson directly beneath this message and on/or the right side.
Jed
Living as God’s People
Or
Blessed by God
Matthew 5:1-12
International Sunday School Lesson
October 30, 2011
Commentary
By
Jed Greenough
Well this blog has been in existence a bit more than a year and if you have been a part of this class long enough you may have sensed or even read that I seldom feel that there is enough scripture for each week’s lesson. This is again one of those weeks and I feel that the picture is less complete for my mind’s eye unless I see and include the scriptures that come both before and after the verses for today.
At the point that we join this account in 5:1 we would have a better idea of the crowds referred to if we look at the trailing verses from chapter 4. There we see that word was spreading fast about Jesus because not only was He teaching and preaching but He was miraculously healing every disease and sickness among the people as well. So of course word was spreading fast, that kind of news would spread like wildfire. They were pouring in from all over the region, wouldn’t you?
These crowds that were following Him were what moved Him to ascend the mountainside. Did He move away from them, as I feel because they were there for the signs not the news of the kingdom? Maybe He just moved to a position of higher ground as He did in affect when He moved onto the boat in Matthew 13:2 before speaking. Regardless we know from Matthew 7:25 that at the conclusion of this Sermon on the Mount that the crowd had followed.
In any case He sat down and it was to His disciples He called and it is to them that He began to teach. And what did He teach? Everything that He taught in our scripture for today were things that would happen in the future after things that happen in the present.
Those in sight here, the peacemakers and the persecuted, the insulted and the mournful as well as all the rest will no longer be in a place where their condition will be a cause for reward; no, they will have received their reward.
My understanding of the poor in spirit is best summed up in the words of two different versions. The first is the God’s Word Translation which puts it, “Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless.” And the New Living Translation, “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him.”
With regard to those that mourn it is obvious that not all of this world will receive the comfort in sight here but in my opinion it is only those of us who mourn the state of this fallen world that we live in. But when he returns as he said in John 16:20 our grief will turn to joy. We will change places with those of this world, for it is the world at the time of His return that will mourn (Matthew 24:30).
It is at that time that the meek will inherit the earth which is straight from Psalm 37 to quote verses 9-11 from that chapter, “For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.”
The rest of the beatitudes are rather self-explanatory but we still haven’t looked at the scriptures that follow this week’s mainly 5:13-16.
The beatitudes found in today’s scripture are the salt and light that Christ refers to in 5:13-16. It is through showing men your spirit, your righteousness, your witness that you show your light and therefore glorify the Father.
Light up the world people!
For Discussion:
1. See Luke 6:20-26.
2. Discuss that at this time there were many so-called disciples.
3. Discuss whether all the beatitudes listed apply to all Christians and for instance ask, “Do you literally hunger and thirst for righteousness, are you persecuted because of your witness for Christ?”
4. Discuss ways that individuals might need to make peace with others
5. Discuss how these attributes bring glory to God and their absence in Christians brings the opposite.
6. Discuss why people are persecuted rather than ignored because of Christ.
11-6-11: Forgiving as God’s People (First be Reconciled), Matthew 5:17-26
11-13-11: Loving as God’s People (Loving Your Enemies), Matthew 5:43-48 or 5:38-48
11-20-11: Praying as God’s People, Matthew 6:5-15
11-27-11: Facing Life Without Worry, Matthew 6:25-34
12-4-11: A Blessing for All Nations, Genesis 12:1-9
12-11-11: A Promise to Abraham, Genesis 15:1-6, 12-18
12-18-11: The Lord Provides, Genesis 22:1-2, 6-14
12-25-11: According to the Promise, Luke 1:46-55
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
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