Sermon on the Mount Part One

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
“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.For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
(Matthew 5:1–24 ESV)

What is the apologetic value of the beatitudes?  First of all, I want tackle some misinterpretations.  Some Christians have looked at this and have acknowledged that this is hard.  So some have concluded that this must be for the millenium/heaven/resurrection.  Others have looked at this and concluded that this is just to remind us of what we cannot do and force us to seek grace.  I believe that Jesus actually expected us to follow his teaching right now in this life.  Imagine the apologetic of a church who took even just the beatitudes, much less the rest of the sermon on the mount and put our energy and resources into following it!  The attractiveness of the Christian faith would be so great that people would hardly be able to keep away.

Jesus’ teaching on the city on the hill that cannot be hidden has many applications.  It includes our life of worship and love and relationships and ethics.  I believe it could also include the apologetic nature of the church.  Apologetics does not always have to be defensive or reactive.  We can demonstrate to the world an active and healthy intellectual life.  People should not have to guess what we think.  Let us shine the light of Jesus that also transforms our minds.

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