The Sermon on the Mount, part one: the Beatitudes and Jesus' fulfilment of the Law

Matthew 5 opens the Sermon on the Mount, which runs through chapters 5 to 7. It is the first of five long discourses in Matthew, each closing with a similar formula (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Many scholars see in that fivefold pattern an echo of the five books of Moses, though Matthew never says so. The Gospel's author and date are discussed in the class on chapters 1 and 2. The Sermon comes just after the summary of Jesus' ministry in 4:23-25: crowds are gathering from every direction, and Jesus goes up a mountain and sits down, the posture of a teacher, and teaches his disciples while the crowds listen (5:1-2; 7:28). The hill is not named. A tradition from later centuries places it above the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum.

Luke 6:17-49 contains a shorter parallel, often called the Sermon on the Plain, with four blessings and four woes. Scholars explain the relation in different ways. Some hold that Jesus taught similar things on several occasions. Others think that Matthew gathered sayings Jesus gave at various times into one discourse, while a smaller group holds that the two are the same sermon in different form. This class treats Matthew 5 as Matthew presents it, as the teaching Jesus gave his disciples.

The first hearers lived under Roman rule and were debating how to keep God's covenant. The Pharisees emphasised careful obedience to the Law and to the traditions of the elders. The community that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls withdrew to the desert to keep a strict purity. Others hoped for armed revolt. Jesus addresses all of this by announcing that the kingdom of heaven (4:17) has begun and by saying who belongs to it, and what righteousness it requires.

The Sermon is a teaching discourse, closer to Jewish wisdom and prophetic speech than to a legal code. It uses vivid exaggeration (hyperbole), a standard Semitic way of speaking: plucking out an eye or cutting off a hand in 5:29-30 is meant to show how seriously sin is to be taken, not to prescribe self-mutilation. It also uses contrast and paradox. Reading it well means asking what point each saying makes, and keeping the principle that the whole Sermon belongs to the announcement of the kingdom in 4:17 and to the call of disciples in 4:18-22.

The church has read the Sermon in several ways. Augustine wrote a commentary on it around AD 394, reading it as a description of the perfected Christian life. Lutheran teaching has often said that its demands show the hearer his need of grace. Anabaptists have held that Jesus meant it to be literally obeyed, including his words on oaths and retaliation. Dispensationalists have often said it describes the ethics of the future kingdom. Albert Schweitzer called it an 'interim ethic' for the short time before the end. Catholic teaching has distinguished commands binding on all from counsels of perfection for some. This class reads it as the authoritative teaching of the Messiah to his disciples about the righteousness of the kingdom, which is met in him and by his grace, and which his people are meant to live.

The literary rule is to read the six contrasts (5:21-48) after 5:17-20, since that passage states their purpose. Jesus is not setting aside Moses. He is showing what the commandments aim at.

5:1-12. The mountain and the seated teacher suggest Moses at Sinai, though Matthew does not say so. 'Blessed' (makarios) announces a state of favour from God, as in Psalm 1:1. The Beatitudes are not instructions. They declare who is blessed, and they reverse the world's ranking. The poor in spirit are those who know their need of God, and theirs is the kingdom of heaven, in the present tense. This language comes from Isaiah 61:1-3, where the poor and the mourning are promised good news and comfort. The meek inherit the earth, taking the words of Psalm 37:11. The pure in heart see God, echoing Psalm 24:3-4. Peacemakers are called sons of God. The last blessing, for the persecuted, matches the first by promising the same kingdom, so the list forms a frame (5:3, 10). In verses 11-12 Jesus turns from 'they' to 'you' and adds that the persecution is on his account, and that the prophets were treated the same way.

5:13-16. Salt preserves and flavours, and light is meant to be seen. Israel was called to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6), and Jesus now says this of his disciples. The city on a hill and the lamp on its stand make the point that discipleship cannot be hidden. The good works are to lead people to glorify the Father.

5:17-20. Jesus says he has not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfil them (plerosai). Not the smallest letter, the iota, or the smallest stroke, will pass from the Law until everything is accomplished. Scholars differ on what 'fulfil' means. The main suggestions are that Jesus brings the Law's predictions to their goal, completes its demands in his own obedience, and teaches its full intention. These are not exclusive. Verse 20 says his hearers' righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, who were admired for their care, so the question is what kind of righteousness is deeper.

5:21-26. Six times Jesus says, 'You have heard that it was said... But I tell you.' The first part quotes or summarises the Law, and the second states its fullest meaning. On murder, anger and contempt are the root. The insult 'raca' is an Aramaic word of scorn, and the one who calls his brother a fool is liable to Gehenna, the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem used as a picture of final judgment. Reconciliation comes before worship: a gift at the altar waits until the brother is faced.

5:27-32. On adultery, the lustful look is already the offence. The hyperbole of the eye and the hand makes the point that nothing is worth keeping at the cost of the soul. On divorce, Jesus cites the certificate of Deuteronomy 24:1 and restricts divorce, with an exception for 'sexual immorality' (porneia), a term whose scope is discussed in the tradition note. Deuteronomy regulated divorce and did not command it, and Jesus holds marriage to its original purpose (compare 19:3-9).

5:33-37. On oaths, Jesus says not to swear at all, by heaven, earth, Jerusalem or one's own head, but to let a simple yes or no stand. Oaths had become a ladder of evasion in which some formulas were binding and others not. Jesus calls for speech so truthful that oaths are not needed. Whether this forbids every legal oath is discussed in the church; the class notes the principle, that a disciple's word should be reliable.

5:38-42. 'An eye for an eye' (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21) was a limit on judges, ensuring penalties were proportionate and preventing endless revenge. Jesus addresses personal wrongs. The slap on the cheek is an insult more than an injury, and to turn the other cheek is to refuse to retaliate. Going a second mile answers the Roman soldier's right to compel a civilian to carry a load for one mile. These examples show a generosity that does not insist on its rights. How far they apply to the state's duty to punish evil is a debated question, and Romans 13:1-7 treats that as a separate matter.

5:43-48. The Law commands love of neighbour (Leviticus 19:18). 'Hate your enemy' is not in the Law, but it was a common inference, and the Community Rule from Qumran does tell its members to hate the sons of darkness. Jesus says to love enemies and pray for persecutors, since the Father sends sun and rain on good and evil alike. The chapter ends with 'be perfect' (teleios), meaning complete or whole, as the heavenly Father is (compare Leviticus 19:2; Luke 6:36 reads 'merciful').

The chapter teaches that the kingdom of God reverses human standards. Blessing goes to the poor, the mourning, the meek and the persecuted, themes that run from the Psalms and Isaiah through the whole Bible. It teaches God as Father: 'your Father' appears throughout, and the disciples' goodness is to reflect his. It teaches the unity of the Bible's moral law. The Law and the Prophets are not cancelled, and Paul later says love fulfils the Law (Romans 13:8-10), while Galatians 6:2 speaks of the law of Christ.

The chapter also teaches that God judges the heart, not only the act. Anger and lust are treated as the roots of murder and adultery, which agrees with the tenth commandment against coveting (Exodus 20:17) and with Psalm 51:6. The problem it exposes is deeper than rules. This is why many traditions read the Sermon as pressing the hearer toward grace, and why Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:26-27 promise a law written on the heart under a new covenant.

Finally, the chapter teaches the church's public role. The disciples are salt and light, and persecution is expected. In the wider canon the people of God are to bless the nations (Genesis 12:3) and to show God's character to the world.

The clearest connection is Jesus' own claim. He says he has come to fulfil the Law and the Prophets (5:17), and he alone says 'But I tell you' over the commands given at Sinai. The prophets said 'thus says the LORD'. The scribes quoted authorities. Jesus speaks with his own authority, which is why the crowds notice at the end of the Sermon (7:28-29). He stands as the one to whom the Law pointed (Luke 24:44; Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:24).

There is an echo of Moses. A teacher goes up a mountain and gives God's will to God's people, and the five discourses of Matthew may reflect the five books of Moses. Matthew never states the parallel, so it is best held as an echo. Jesus is greater than Moses, since he speaks as the lawgiver and not as a messenger.

The Sermon also describes a life Jesus lived. He was poor in spirit, mourned over Jerusalem, was meek, hungered for righteousness, showed mercy and made peace. He was insulted and persecuted for righteousness (Matthew 27:27-31). He loved his enemies and prayed for those who put him to death (Luke 23:34), and Isaiah 50:6 describes the servant who offered his back to those who struck him. He is the one who meets the standard of 5:48 where his people fall short, and the New Testament presents his obedience as the ground of their standing (Romans 5:19; Hebrews 4:15).