New Testament Exegesis Mathew 5:3-12

Matthew 5:3-12, a Christian's character: the beatitudes: The beatitudes are how the Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew begins. The beatitudes are Christ's own specification of what every Christian ought to be. Anyone that wants to be a true Christian and follower of Christ needs to live by the qualities described in the beatitudes. (Stott, J.R.W. (1978) The message of the sermon on the mount Leicester LEI 7GP, England, Inter-Varsity Press)

The ten beatitudes are:

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 thirsts for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive 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 for the righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (NRSV)

Jesus clearly expects his teaching to be put into practice. It is not a formless ethical ideal; and, although Paul and John are able to sum it up in the word "love," the Sermon on the Mount is concrete and specific. Matthew apparently has nine beatitudes, though the eighth and ninth may constitute but one; and if vs. 5 is removed there may be only seven. Luke 6:20-23 contains four beatitudes, all of which have parallels here. Q probably had these, and in the third person rather than the second, as in Luke; Matthew, however, added such phrases as in spirit (vs. 3) and righteousness (vs. 6). (The Interpreters Bible) According to the basic Bible commentaries on iPreach, Matthew is not the author of the first Gospel in the sense that he wrote the book himself. He is considered sort of an editor. He compiled the book from several sources already in existence. It is important to understand that the way that Matthew arranged the material serves his purpose. Most New Testament scholars now believe that Matthew gathered the contents of his Gospel from four principal sources: (1) the Gospel of Mark, (2) a collection of the teachings of Jesus, more than likely from an earlier document, also known to Luke but apparently not to Mark, which has long since disappeared, (3) a source from which Matthew gathered material appearing only in his Gospel, some of which may have come from the oral tradition of Israel, and (4) the Hebrew Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament. We will see how Matthew used these sources as we consider the structure of his Gospel and the purposes it served. (Basic Bible commentaries, iPreach)

A beatitude is a blessing. "How happy!" in God's sight are those to whom Jesus refers--the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, and the others. Those who mourn (verse 4) are those who grieve for the sins and sorrows of the world. God will console them in the new age. Blessed are the meek (verse 5) has been called Jesus' incredible beatitude. The beatitude does not take the usual sense of our word meek. It signifies not weakness, but one who is aware of his or her own limitations. Because they have this awareness, the meek know how much they must depend on God. Instead of Luke's single word hunger (Luke 6:21), Matthew includes and thirst for righteousness (verse 6), making it a blessing for all who yearn for an upright life. Those who seek goodness with all their hearts will be satisfied in the time of God's promised rule. Only those who show mercy to others can receive God's mercy (verse 7), because divine mercy cannot enter a heart that is not itself merciful. The pure in heart (verse 8) are not the morally perfect. They are the ones who seek above all else to come before God. You will find God if you search with all your heart. Peace in the biblical sense is more than just the absence of conflict. It is harmony and well-being, both within oneself and among all people. Because these qualities are what God wants for all creation, we become true sons and daughters of God when we strive for peace (verse 9). The ancient Jewish word shalom (peace), used 172 times in the Old Testament, has no single English equivalent that captures its full meaning. The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who have suffered for the sake of God's righteousness (verse 10). In verse 11 Jesus speaks in direct address to the disciples. They will be persecuted because they are loyal to him, and disciples are not above their master. But they are to rejoice, because in the kingdom of heaven they will find blessing. In verse 12 the Beatitudes promises the kingdom of heaven, both now and in the age to come. (Basic Bible Commentary)

3. The Greek word rendered blessed is used in pagan literature to denote the highest stage of happiness and well-being, such as the gods enjoy. Here it stands for the Hebrew jashrê, "how happy!" as in Pss. 1:1; 32:1; 112:1. It is often used as a congratulatory salutation as in Luke 1:42; 11:27-28. The Beatitudes state who are happy in God's sight. The poor, oiJ ptwcoi6, Hebrew Janiyyîm, primarily denotes their state of poverty, but they are the despised, oppressed, and pious poor of Pss. 9:18; 10:9; 12:5; 34:6; Jas. 1:9; 2:5-6, who look to God for their vindication and for whom God cares. They are not merely miserable in body; they are afflicted in spirit (cf. Isa. 61:1) and "feel their spiritual need" (Goodspeed). The phrase in spirit, added by Matthew, is an accurate and happy gloss. Theirs is the kingdom: The is should not be emphasized; in Aramaic there would be no copula. Jesus may be thinking of the age to come, but in prophecy present and future are never clearly distinguished.

4. They mourn, perhaps for their own sins and those of Israel, but also because the wickedness of the world oppresses their spirits. They shall be comforted by God. In Isa. 61:2 and Luke 2:25 the "consolation of Israel" means the coming age of bliss. Some rabbis gave the name "Comforter" to the Messiah.

5. Some early MSS transpose vss. 4 and 5, perhaps in order to bring the poor and meek together; however, vs. 5 may be an early gloss based on Ps. 37:11,