Matthew 5:1-48
Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
1 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.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
The Fulfillment of the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Divorce
31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Oaths
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Eye for Eye
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
I came upon an article today about the structure and order of the Sermon on the Mount...Although I have never read his books, author Dallas Willard wrote about the structure and the significance of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in the article...And the Sermon on the Mount is one of the chapters and verses of Jesus that I very much enjoy...Jesus' Sermon highlights a critical aspect of Jesus' teaching that often gets overlooked when we treat His words as isolated teachings...The tension between our tongue's capacity for both praise and cursing (James 3:9-12) and Jesus' radical demands for internal purity in Matthew 5 is precisely what Willard's insight addresses...
When Dallas Willard argues that Jesus was not just randoming teaching us about life in the Sermon on the Mount, he is referring to the deliberate and strategic order of presentation that Jesus employed...Willard believed that the Sermon is not merely a collection of wise sayings, but a carefully constructed blueprint for life in God's Kingdom, beginning with the most fundamental internal transformation...The order matters because each teaching builds upon the last, forming a coherent path to righteousness that starts from the inside out...
Jesus begins His Sermon with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12), which describe the character of those who belong to His Kingdom – the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted...These are not merely virtues to acquire, but descriptions of a transformed inner state...Immediately following these foundational character traits, Jesus addresses the Law, and His very first example is anger and contempt...
This brings us to Matthew 5:21-26: "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,’ and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment...But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment...Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court...And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell."...Jesus then follows this with the instruction to reconcile before offering a gift at the altar...
Willard's assertion that "It is the elimination of anger and contempt that [Jesus] presents as the first and fundamental step toward the rightness of the kingdom heart" is crucial because it reveals Jesus' priority...He doesn't start with outward actions like theft or adultery (though He addresses them later)...He begins with the hidden, internal states of the heart: anger and contempt...
So why is this order important that Jesus put it this partircular way?..Foundation for All Other Righteousness: One can understand, as Willard saw was that Jesus was teaching that genuine righteousness flows from the heart...If the heart is filled with anger and contempt for others, then any outward act of "goodness" or religious observance (like offering a gift at the altar) is fundamentally flawed...Jesus is saying that the internal disposition toward our fellow human beings is paramount...It's the soil from which all other Kingdom virtues grow...Without addressing anger and contempt, true love for neighbor, forgiveness, and even love for God are impossible...
Jesus exposed the root of sin...Jesus consistently went beyond the letter of the Law to its spirit...Murder is the outward act, but anger and contempt are the root emotions that lead to it...By addressing these internal states first, Jesus exposes the true depth of human sinfulness – not just in actions, but in thoughts and attitudes...This aligns with your own struggle with loving your enemy; it's the internal disposition that Jesus targets first...Indeed, subsequent teachings in the Sermon on the Mount regarding murder, divorce, adultery, oaths, an eye for an eye, and the command to love our enemies all reveal how these issues are deeply intertwined with, or stem from, the presence of anger and contempt in our lives...
The Kingdom of God is fundamentally about relationships – our relationship with God and our relationships with one another....We are to love God and to love neighbor...Anger and contempt are corrosive to relationships, creating division and preventing the love and unity that characterize God's Kingdom...Jesus emphasizes that reconciliation with our brother or sister is a prerequisite for proper worship of God (Matthew 5:23-24)...
Our tongues do not remain tamed...In reading James 3:9-12 "With the tongue we praise our LORD and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness...Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing...My brothers and sisters, this should not be...Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?...My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?...Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."...Jesus' teaching on anger and contempt aims to purify the source from which both words and actions flow, leading to a life where praise for God and love for fellow humans are consistent and genuine...And certainly, James passages truly discuss the heart's influence on our words and actions...
In essence, one can see that Dallas Willard's emphasis on the order of the Sermon on the Mount reveals Jesus' Genius in addressing the human condition...He starts by targeting the internal spiritual diseases of anger and contempt, knowing that healing at this foundational level is essential for building a truly righteous life that reflects the Kingdom of God...It's a call to profound inner transformation that precedes and enables all outward obedience...