Matthew 5:1-12
Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
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 be shown 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 because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
How does one start a ministry?...How does one start a New Religion?...
With the task of starting the New Religion called Christianity and bringing it to the world, Jesus started by choosing Twelve men...He called them His Disciples...Then He started healing people...He not only healed not some diseases, but every disease and everyone ill brought to Him was healed...Large crowds then quickly heard of Him and started following Him, to see who He was...In the land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, to Galilee of the Gentiles—the people who were living in darkness had seen a Great Light; on those living in those lands of the shadow of death, and now a New Light has dawned...The Light was near all the crowd who followed Him...When Jesus saw the large crowds following Him, He went up on a mountainside and sat down...His new disciples that just met Him, came to Him, and He began to teach them...
So to recap, He had just started His ministry, and the crowds were there following Him...Jesus had also just called His Twelve Disciples to follow Him...All He wanted and needed to start His Ministry were these Twelve men...Then He went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people...News about Him spread quickly all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and He healed them...Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed Him.
When Jesus delivered what I believe is the best Sermon I have ever seen or read, the Sermon on the Mount the people heard something different...It was now a time to speak...Wisdom would flow out of the Sermon as people and His Disciples listened...In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He delivers the Beatitudes...And in the Beatitudes, His ministry has begun, and we see what kind of ministry He will be preaching and teaching us about, as well as through the who Sermon on the Mount...His teachings are beyond the Ten Commandments...Blessed are the poor in spirit, who did not thing they accounted for much were told it is their kingdom is the kingdom of heaven...Those who mourn are blessed for they will be comforted...Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth...Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled...Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy...Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God...Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God...Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me (and the Twelve had just met Him, and the crowd as well)...Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you...
There was no large elaborate plan to begin Christianity, but it had begun...There was no high tech social media strategy at work...There was only this Plan from God...And that is everything...God would have His Son wander from small village to small village and the paths between these small towns always teaching the Twelve men He had chosen to learn the gospel, the good news, a new religion called Christianity...These Original Twelve men, minus one, would learn all about loving God and love for one's neighbor...And these few men would revolution and help bring a new religion called Christianity to the people of the world...Helping others with kindness and love can revolutionize the world and bring the world together...