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1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." ~ Matthew 5:1-3
Today, we transition into Matthew 5 where we find the Lord Jesus up on a mountain with His disciples. Although the previous chapter ended with a great multitude following the Lord Jesus from all over the region, today's passage didn't happen immediately after the events of Matthew 4. As mentioned earlier, Matthew is not always chronological. There is perhaps a four month period of time between Matthew 4 and Matthew 5. Matthew 5-7 is known as the Sermon on the Mount, whereas Matthew 5:1-12 is known as the Beatitudes.
This first sermon of the Lord Jesus gives us the process whereby our hearts find allegiance with the Lord Jesus. Then we must understand the difference between our relationship with God and our fellowship with God. Our relationship with God is based solely and only upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. It is only the Lord Jesus who makes us and maintains us right in the eyes of God. Our fellowship with God speaks of our intimacy with Him. The Bible refers to this as “walking in the Spirit." There is no fellowship when the heart isn't engaged. This is where this process of a changed heart comes into the equation.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him."
Once atop the mountain, the Lord Jesus sat down and assumed the standard form of teaching at that time. After the Lord Jesus seated Himself, His disciples came to Him to hear His teachings which had become their practice. This is the first usage of the word "disciples" in the New Testament. It speaks of someone who is becoming skilled at learning. This is why the Lord Jesus makes the truth sometimes hard for us to discover. He knows that when we are easily given things and we have no skin in the game we will take it for granted and it will not mean that much to us. So, He commands us to seek with all of our hearts for when we do we will become skilled at learning and then we will discover treasure that we had no idea existed.
Here, the Lord Jesus saw this mass of humanity coming up the mountain. When He saw them, as always, His heart was moved for them. When He saw them hungry, He gave them food. When He saw them spiritually hungry, He fed them with the truth. Later in Matthew 9:36 we will see that "When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."
In v.2-3 of today’s passage we read, "2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'"
Nine times in this chapter we see the word "blessed” employed. This word was used of the Lord to teach us about that which brings us true happiness and joy. He wasn’t teaching about the world’s type of happiness which is conditional and based upon circumstances. The Lord Jesus was teaching about true happiness which is determined by being made right with Him. This type of happy joy is an inner settled joy that reminds us that everything will be alright no matter the circumstances. It is a gift sent from God to the one who desires to be defined by Him.
The very last message given by God at the end of the Old Testament is found in Malachi 4:6 which reads, "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." The Old Testament ends with the word curse.
When the Lord Jesus came on the scene He came to confront among many other things a society that was full of religion. The Lord Jesus came to dismantle religion which to this day emphases the external. The Lord Jesus came to tell us that it is about God gaining control of our heart. This is the whole basis of the Sermon on the Mount. It’s inside, not outside. It’s not about outside rituals, it's not about philosophy, it’s not a building, it’s not about activism, it's about what is going on inside of our hearts.
When the Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," He was getting at the idea that His inner happy joy would rule the heart of the one who has come to the end of himself. This idea of "poor" describes one who understands that He is bankrupt before God. In the financial world there is chapter seven bankruptcy and there is chapter eleven bankruptcy. When one declares chapter seven bankruptcy, it means his business, as it has been known, is over, it is dead never to be reopened. Whereas chapter eleven bankruptcy the business is able to pay some of its debt but it will stay in business, although weakened. When the Lord used this word "poor" He was describing those who see themselves as chapter seven bankrupt. Those who declard chapter seven bankruptcy have come to the realization that they have absolutely no assets before the Lord. They understand that there is no hope unless God be merciful.
So, in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, we have to come humbly. We cannot discover the rule of God in our hearts if we remain proud because the word "poor" literally means poverty-stricken. It speaks of abject poverty. Destitute would be a better term. In the classical Greek, this word described a person who had one hand over his face not to be recognized by the crowd and the other hand would have been held out for help. This one thinks to himself, "I'm so bankrupt, I have no resources in and of myself." That's how we enter the kingdom. Nobody enters into a personal relationship with God if he proudly asserts that he has somehow earned it. The poor understand that old hymn, "Rock of Ages” which says, "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling."
