February 7 Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:1-12 

This passage begins the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus sat down on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee and taught His disciples---with a multitude of people listening who had come from all over the Galilean area, the Decapolis (ten cities across the Sea), Judea, and even Jerusalem.  Many had been following Him since He had miraculously already healed countless people.  Others came seeking...a miracle, a glimpse of the man who heals, perhaps a savior.  Now He would speak to their hearts.  

"Blessed are…the poor in spirit, …those who mourn, …the gentle,  …those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,  …the merciful, …the pure in heart, …the peacemakers, and those who have been persecuted. Respectfully, they each will have their needs met:  they will… receive the kingdom of Heaven, …be comforted, …inherit the earth, …be satisfied, …receive mercy, …see God, …be called the sons of God, …and, again, they will receive the kingdom of Heaven."

Imagine Jesus sitting on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, with a huge group, a multitude, of people, listening eagerly to His every word. This was near the beginning of His ministry and already He was so popular that He was drawing crowds of people. He spoke to them in ways that they could identify…who among them hadn’t mourned at some time or maybe sought righteousness in their life.

Hillside above the Sea of Galilee
Site of the Church of the Beatitudes

Jesus often spoke in parables and talked to His followers in ways that they could understand or identify themselves within His message. Considering the personality types, named by Galen (AD 131-200, not long after Jesus’ time) "sanguine", "melancholic", "choleric" and "phlegmatic”, each of the Beatitude blessings could be identified with a particular type. The sanguine temperament personality is fairly extroverted, very sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful, and would identify with the meek that Jesus spoke about. A melancholic can be highly creative, self-reliant, independent and is often a perfectionist and would be seeking to be “pure in heart.”  The choleric is a do-er, likes to be a leader and in charge of everything and would likely see themselves in the “merciful” that Jesus described. A phlegmatic tends to be self-content, kind, very accepting, affectionate, very consistent, relaxed, calm, rational, curious, and observant, making them good administrators and thus “peacemakers”.

The way that Jesus spoke specifically to His audience in the Bible hasn’t changed.  Jesus still speaks to us the same way---we just aren’t as familiar with shepherd’s terms as we are with computereese. We just need to listen…or read…more closely. What a spiritual feast He is giving us in the Sermon on the Mount!  Blessings and resulting rewards!  Rejoice and be glad. What a privilege it is to know God and to have Jesus as our Savior.

The Jewish people have a blessing or bracha that expresses how blessed God is, recognizing the special relationship between God and humanity. Blessed are YOU, Lord our God. If you enjoy something in this world without saying a blessing, it is as if you stole it. Talmud Berachot 35A

Lord Jesus you are blessed. Help me to be humble and thankful today for the blessings that You have given me.