Matthew 5:1 Commentary and Bible Study

This is Christ’s first recorded sermon. Matthew has just introduced us to the Lord’s ministry by telling us that vast crowds responded to his teaching, preaching, healing, and casting out of demons, and now he brings us examples of each of these. Matthew 5-7 records the teaching and preaching of the Lord in Sermon on the Mount, and Matthew 8 records various healings, the miracle of the calming of the storm, and the casting out of demons. Chapter 9 adds other healings and reports various responses to Christ ministry, some positive, some negative, including the early opposition of the scribes and Pharisees.He waits till the crowds have come from far and wide. It is speculated that the multitude was never again so great. He could only address them all by ascending a hill, but this is not the only reason he went on a hill. It has deep significance; it points to the heavenly origin of his teaching. The law was given on a mountain and so also was the grace of God. This sermon has been so celebrated within and without Christianity. It is brilliant in its structure with no overlap. Every sentiment is so profound. It also has a remarkable build-up from elementary to sophisticated. The Sermon on the Mount makes use of the element of surprise again and again. Using the unexpected he makes one statement after another, which are the opposite of what people might generally assume, in order to open the mind and make people think. It is full of intensely striking but simple every day illustrations. We hear it said that the early part of the Sermon is just soft stuff, religious platitudes. Whoever says that has never properly read it; it is extraordinarily challenging in so many ways. It is delivered with divine authority, Christ often saying, ‘You have heard … but I say …’, and it was this that most struck the people who were present (Matthew 7:29). It is teaching about the kingdom of heaven which has been his message from the start (Matthew 4:17). It does not contradict the Old Testament in any way, but only the false interpretations given by the scribes and Pharisees, and their own additions. The opening and closing remarks indicate this was a single sermon delivered on a single occasion, but no doubt Christ used the same illustrations on other occasions. It sets out the standard of life required of a believer and the urgency for all to enter into the kingdom of heaven. It applies to all Christians in all places in all ages.‘And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them’. Notice what is going on. It seems a little strange at first sight. The Lord Jesus assembles around him the disciples (or to one side of him, more likely), and he turns to them and in a loud voice addresses them. Yes, but the multitudes are also present and they too will hear. He is in a perfect place on rising ground and yet his manner is to direct his teaching on this occasion to his disciples. Why? Some of his sermon really only apply to the disciples, but much of it is also intended for the great crowds. Then why address it to the disciples? Probably because it was less offensive to do so. This is going to be a very challenging message, the kind of message which may well upset, even infuriate, people, those who are self-righteous and who think they are fit for God. This was true of many of the Jews. They believed themselves to be especially blessed by God, under his favour, and accepted by him. It would considerably reduce the offensiveness of his message if it was addressed to the disciples with the vast crowd listening in. You cannot take offence so much if you are listening to what is being said to someone else. Christ gathers his disciples and uses them as a visual aid, indicating that he would deal with some of the people, a minority, and Jews at large must not assume they are in the kingdom. There are probably three distinct groups present: the disciples close by, the great crowd further away, and the scribes and Pharisees probably on the edge – we know they were in the region (Matthew 9:3, 11).