The Beatitudes set the tone and nature for the rest of Jesus’ sermon. They serve as the key to understanding, not only the Sermon on the Mount, but Jesus’ teachings as a whole. Want to understand Jesus? Study the Beatitudes. I feel it is important to state that while I have tried to take a … [Read more…]
When Jesus was giving this sermon his country was occupied by the super power of the day: Rome. Rome was a military power that created “peace” through force. They conquered nations and maintained control with military presences and the threat of death for those who opposed them. A cross waited for anyone who was suspected … [Read more…]
Jesus often took what people where familiar with and went a step further. So it’s no surprise that he does that here. It’s not uncommon for us to say things like, “grace over law” or to act like grace is somehow more lacks than the law. That is incorrect. Graces calls us beyond “just” keeping … [Read more…]
Jesus was a skilled preacher. He spent time developing his sermons so that they had both style and substance. And the Sermon on the Mount is no different. In fact, the Beatitudes (which serve as the introduction to the larger sermon) is a poem. Jesus’ key note sermon opens with a poem. The man had … [Read more…]
Imagine being part of the crowd that day everyone is waiting and excited to see what’s Jesus going to say or what miracle will he preform. Some are there out of wonder, some out of envy, and some because they speculate that Jesus might be the one to liberate them from the Romans. Then suddenly … [Read more…]
Jesus was an itinerant preacher. We might call him a traveling evangelist. It’s important to remember that when reading the Beatitudes. This is a sermon He’s given multiple times. We learn in Matthew chapter 4 that Jesus, “went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom.” Matthew goes on … [Read more…]
If you really want to understand Jesus you have to understand the Beatitudes. They are key to understanding Jesus’ kingdom message and how He expects his followers to live and act. So for the next few days we are going to take a closer look at them and see what they mean for us today. … [Read more…]