Matthew 4:12-25
Jesus Begins to Preach
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Heals the Sick
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread 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. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
When Jesus began His ministry we have a quote from the Book of Isaiah...The quote from the Prophet Isaiah is, “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great Light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a Light has dawned.”...From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”...
Jesus' Ministry had begun...He was ready to spread the Good News...The gospel had begun...The teaching of the revelation of Jesus had started...And it starts off with one of the Greatest Sermons and teachings of all time...Some believe that this Sermon is the central tenet of following Him and is the center and foundation of His teachings...
Right before Jesus began His Ministry began, He would choose Twelve Disciples to follow Him...Most believe He chose Twelve to be in line and have the same number of the original Twelve Tribes of Israel...
And the next thing Jesus did, before His first Sermon, was to go throughout Galilee with His newly appointed Disciples, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people...Jesus healed every disease and every sickness of the people...This would have made a great impression on His Disciples and those watching, and especially on the ones that He had healed...This Great Healing Power of His did not go unnoticed...News about Jesus spread 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 different cities were coming to see Him...Different people from the cities of Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan had people come and follow Him...News of His healing abilities spread throughout the land of Israel...His Disciples watched these things, and so did the people He touched and healed...
So as the crowds grew and He became popular He had helped and healed all those who were sick and ill with different kinds of diseases...Jesus had helped many who were poor in spirit...And many of those He had healed followed Him to the mountainside...His disciples came with Him, and He began to teach them about His ministry and what His ministry was going to be like...He would teach His Disciples and those listening to Him the foundation of His ministry in His Sermon on the Mount...Matthew has the Sermon on the Mount as His first Sermon...His first Sermon would show us what He believes in and who He is...
And as we read about the Sermon, called the Beatitudes, we find that He does not teach as the world teaches...The good news, His Gospel, was much different from what people were expecting to hear...It was a blessing to be poor in spirit...It was a blessing to mourn...It was a blessing to be meek and not strong...It was a blessing to search for righteousness...It was a blessing to show and give mercy...It was a blessing to be pure in heart...It was a blessing to seek peace with others, for they will be called children of God...It is a blessing to be persecuted, because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven...And it is a blessing to be insulted and persecuted by others when you talk about Jesus...Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you...The poor, the needy, those with problems were included in His Ministry...And this inclusion of those outside society's markers are the hallmark of His Ministry and a central point in His first Sermon...He welcomed the least and the last to follow Him throughout His Ministry and teachings...Where outcasts are turned away in many things, He invites all them in when He began His Ministry...
Jesus goes on to teach us about salt and Light, and how He is the One who fulfills the Mosaic Law...Some of His teachings touch the Ten Commandments...He talks about the subjects of murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, the old saying of an eye for an eye, and about loving your enemies...He teaches us about God's Kingdom and a Loving God...A God who LOVES everyone...And from this Sermon we draw much inspiration and insight into what He actually believes in...And we see a dependence on God to help us in these teachings...
We see that He is serious about helping those in need, the poor, and the meek...He defines murder even stronger than others might define murder from the Commandments...He says this about murder, “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 teaches us to forgive and be quick to settle our differences with our adversaries...Do not let our differences linger and last for long periods...
He says this about adultery, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’...But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart...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...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."...And this teaching touches the Ten Commandments...
He adds this about divorce, “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’...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."...
Jesus says this about oaths, “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.’...But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King...And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black...All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."...
He says this about the old law of an eye for an eye, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’...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...And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well...If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles...Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."...
We see the difficulty in His Sermon and these teachings as we continue to read and reflect...
Jesus adds this in His Sermon, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’...But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 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...If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?...Are not even the tax collectors doing that?...And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?...Do not even pagans do that?...Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."...
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount began His Ministry and it is full of incredible insight of getting along with others and how we are to treat others...The sermon seems almost like an exaggerated way to treat and help others...In His Sermon we see that He does condemn those who are ready to point out how others fail and are flawed in life, while we ignore our own misgivings and sins...As we read through the beginning of His Ministry, we see that He teaches a dependence on God...His words reflect more about helping and working with others than helping ourselves...So the Kingdom of God that He begins teaching very much about is about loving God and loving neighbor, even if the demands of our neighbors are very high and excessive...There is demand for grace woven throughout His Sermon, in us better getting along and being better with others and a dependence on God and our faith to help us through life and these teachings...
His teachings are a selfless message, one where are ready to forgive and forget (right now) and move on with our neighbors...He speaks more than just good deeds, and more of treating others like we want to be treated, even in difficult situations...In His Sermon then we see what the Kingdom of God is like...A Kingdom where everyone loves everyone, and maybe we love our enemies, because in the Kingdom of God we have no enemies...A Kingdom of humbled souls, ready and willing to forgive...A Kingdom where everyone shows each other respect and love...A Kingdom full of grace and truth...
The Sermon on the Mount is a sermon to be studied and learned...Knowing that we should always walk in love toward God and neighbor in all of life's situations...And Jesus knew that living our lives like this would not be easy and is a challenge for each of us...
And just because it is a tough and challenging Sermon, it is still relevant to God and His Son...We are not perfect, and He ends the Sermon with "Be perfect, therefore, as Your Heavenly Father is Perfect."...