The Beatitudes
He (Jesus) said:
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 thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown 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 because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely
say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be
glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same
way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
[From Jesus teaching, it
is not all just grace alone or faith alone but the works of righteousness for
here Jesus is teaching that great rewards await those who practice what he
teaches.)
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness,
how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be
thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be
hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they
put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see
your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. [Here again is
the reference of works – good deeds glorify the Father in heaven]
The Fulfillment of the Law
17 “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. 18 For truly I tell you,
until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke
of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is
accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these
commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of
heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great
in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your
righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you
will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
[Does St. Paul
contradicts this teaching? We will see] [Related to justification 5:20]
Murder
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[Exodus 20:13 ] and anyone who murders will be subject to
judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or
sister[The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman; also in verse 23. ][Some manuscripts brother or sister without cause ] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother
or sister, ‘Raca,’[An Aramaic term of contempt ] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You
fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
[A brother or sister
is one who do the will of the Father or one who has the same faith belonging to
the church]
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there
remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your
gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come
and offer your gift.
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to
court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may
hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and
you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until
you have paid the last penny.
Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[Exodus 20:14]
28 But I tell you that anyone who
looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It
is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be
thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off
and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for
your whole body to go into hell.
Divorce
31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a
certificate of divorce.’[Deut. 24:1] 32 But I tell you that anyone who
divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of
adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Oaths
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do
not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I
tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s
throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is
the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot
make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply
‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.[Or from evil]
Eye for Eye
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for
tooth.’[Exodus 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If
anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.
40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as
well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give
to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow
from you.
[This teaching is what differentiates a Christian from all the others
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[Lev. 19:18] and hate
your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you,
what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if
you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not
even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is
perfect.
NOTES
NOTES
5:1–7:29 The first of the five discourses that are a central
part of the structure of this gospel. It is the discourse section of the first
book and contains sayings of Jesus derived from Q and from M. The Lucan
parallel is in that gospel’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Lk 6:20–49), although some
of the sayings in Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” have their parallels in other
parts of Luke. The careful topical arrangement of the sermon is probably not
due only to Matthew’s editing; he seems to have had a structured discourse of
Jesus as one of his sources. The form of that source may have been as follows:
four beatitudes (Mt 5:3–4, 6, 11–12), a section on the new righteousness with
illustrations (Mt 5:17, 20–24, 27–28, 33–48), a section on good works (Mt
6:1–6, 16–18), and three warnings (Mt 7:1–2, 15–21, 24–27).
5:1–2 Unlike Luke’s sermon, this is addressed not only to
the disciples but to the crowds (see Mt 7:28).
5:3–12 The form Blessed are (is) occurs frequently in the
Old Testament in the Wisdom literature and in the psalms. Although modified by
Matthew, the first, second, fourth, and ninth beatitudes have Lucan parallels
(Mt 5:3 // Lk 6:20; Mt 5:4 // Lk 6:21b; Mt 5:6 // Lk 6:21a; Mt 5:11–12 // Lk
5:22–23). The others were added by the evangelist and are probably his own
composition. A few manuscripts, Western and Alexandrian, and many versions and
patristic quotations give the second and third beatitudes in inverted order.
5:3 The poor in spirit: in the Old Testament, the poor
(’anāwîm) are those who are without material possessions and whose confidence
is in God (see Is 61:1; Zep 2:3; in the NAB the word is translated lowly and
humble, respectively, in those texts). Matthew added in spirit in order either
to indicate that only the devout poor were meant or to extend the beatitude to
all, of whatever social rank, who recognized their complete dependence on God.
The same phrase poor in spirit is found in the Qumran literature (1QM 14:7).
5:4 Cf. Is 61:2, “(The Lord has sent me)…to comfort all who
mourn.” They will be comforted: here the passive is a “theological passive”
equivalent to the active “God will comfort them”; so also in Mt 5:6, 7.
5:5 Cf. Ps 37:11, “…the meek shall possess the land.” In the
psalm “the land” means the land of Palestine; here it means the kingdom.
5:6 For righteousness: a Matthean addition. For the meaning
of righteousness here, see note on Mt 3:14–15.
5:8 Cf. Ps 24:4. Only one “whose heart is clean” can take
part in the temple worship. To be with God in the temple is described in Ps
42:3 as “beholding his face,” but here the promise to the clean of heart is
that they will see God not in the temple but in the coming kingdom.
5:10 Righteousness here, as usually in Matthew, means
conduct in conformity with God’s will.
5:12 The prophets who were before you: the disciples of
Jesus stand in the line of the persecuted prophets of Israel. Some would see
the expression as indicating also that Matthew considered all Christian
disciples as prophets.
5:13–16 By their deeds the disciples are to influence the
world for good. They can no more escape notice than a city set on a mountain.
If they fail in good works, they are as useless as flavorless salt or as a lamp
whose light is concealed.
5:13 The unusual supposition of salt losing its flavor has
led some to suppose that the saying refers to the salt of the Dead Sea that,
because chemically impure, could lose its taste.
5:17–20 This statement of Jesus’ position concerning the
Mosaic law is composed of traditional material from Matthew’s sermon
documentation (see note on Mt 5:1–7:29), other Q material (cf. Mt 18; Lk
16:17), and the evangelist’s own editorial touches. To fulfill the law appears
at first to mean a literal enforcement of the law in the least detail: until
heaven and earth pass away nothing of the law will pass (Mt 5:18). Yet the “passing
away” of heaven and earth is not necessarily the end of the world understood,
as in much apocalyptic literature, as the dissolution of the existing universe.
The “turning of the ages” comes with the apocalyptic event of Jesus’ death and
resurrection, and those to whom this gospel is addressed are living in the new
and final age, prophesied by Isaiah as the time of “new heavens and a new
earth” (Is 65:17; 66:22). Meanwhile, during Jesus’ ministry when the kingdom is
already breaking in, his mission remains within the framework of the law,
though with significant anticipation of the age to come, as the following
antitheses (Mt 5:21–48) show.
5:19 Probably these commandments means those of the Mosaic
law. But this is an interim ethic “until heaven and earth pass away.”
5:21–48 Six examples of the conduct demanded of the
Christian disciple. Each deals with a commandment of the law, introduced by You
have heard that it was said to your ancestors or an equivalent formula,
followed by Jesus’ teaching in respect to that commandment, But I say to you;
thus their designation as “antitheses.” Three of them accept the Mosaic law but
extend or deepen it (Mt 5:21–22; 27–28; 43–44); three reject it as a standard
of conduct for the disciples (Mt 5:31–32; 33–37; 38–39).
5:21 Cf. Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17. The second part of the verse is
not an exact quotation from the Old Testament, but cf. Ex 21:12.
5:22–26 Reconciliation with an offended brother is urged in
the admonition of Mt 5:23–24 and the parable of Mt 5:25–26 (// Lk 12:58–59).
The severity of the judge in the parable is a warning of the fate of
unrepentant sinners in the coming judgment by God.
5:22 Anger is the motive behind murder, as the insulting
epithets are steps that may lead to it. They, as well as the deed, are all
forbidden. Raqa: an Aramaic word rēqā’ or rēqâ probably meaning “imbecile,”
“blockhead,” a term of abuse. The ascending order of punishment, judgment (by a
local council?), trial before the Sanhedrin, condemnation to Gehenna, points to
a higher degree of seriousness in each of the offenses. Sanhedrin: the highest
judicial body of Judaism. Gehenna: in Hebrew gê-hinnōm, “Valley of Hinnom,” or
gê ben-hinnōm, “Valley of the son of Hinnom,” southwest of Jerusalem, the
center of an idolatrous cult during the monarchy in which children were offered
in sacrifice (see 2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31). In Jos 18:16 (Septuagint, Codex
Vaticanus) the Hebrew is transliterated into Greek as gaienna, which appears in
the New Testament as geenna. The concept of punishment of sinners by fire
either after death or after the final judgment is found in Jewish apocalyptic
literature (e.g., Enoch 90:26) but the name geenna is first given to the place
of punishment in the New Testament.
5:27 See Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18.
5:29–30 No sacrifice is too great to avoid total destruction
in Gehenna.
5:31–32 See Dt 24:1–5. The Old Testament commandment that a
bill of divorce be given to the woman assumes the legitimacy of divorce itself.
It is this that Jesus denies. (Unless the marriage is unlawful): this
“exceptive clause,” as it is often called, occurs also in Mt 19:9, where the
Greek is slightly different. There are other sayings of Jesus about divorce
that prohibit it absolutely (see Mk 10:11–12; Lk 16:18; cf. 1 Cor 7:10, 11b),
and most scholars agree that they represent the stand of Jesus. Matthew’s
“exceptive clauses” are understood by some as a modification of the absolute
prohibition. It seems, however, that the unlawfulness that Matthew gives as a
reason why a marriage must be broken refers to a situation peculiar to his
community: the violation of Mosaic law forbidding marriage between persons of
certain blood and/or legal relationship (Lv 18:6–18). Marriages of that sort
were regarded as incest (porneia), but some rabbis allowed Gentile converts to
Judaism who had contracted such marriages to remain in them. Matthew’s
“exceptive clause” is against such permissiveness for Gentile converts to
Christianity; cf. the similar prohibition of porneia in Acts 15:20, 29. In this
interpretation, the clause constitutes no exception to the absolute prohibition
of divorce when the marriage is lawful.
5:33 This is not an exact quotation of any Old Testament
text, but see Ex 20:7; Dt 5:11; Lv 19:12. The purpose of an oath was to
guarantee truthfulness by one’s calling on God as witness.
5:34–36 The use of these oath formularies that avoid the
divine name is in fact equivalent to swearing by it, for all the things sworn
by are related to God.
5:37 Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’:
literally, “let your speech be ‘Yes, yes,’ ‘No, no.’” Some have understood this
as a milder form of oath, permitted by Jesus. In view of Mt 5:34, “Do not swear
at all,” that is unlikely. From the evil one: i.e., from the devil. Oath-taking
presupposes a sinful weakness of the human race, namely, the tendency to lie.
Jesus demands of his disciples a truthfulness that makes oaths unnecessary.
5:38–42 See Lv 24:20. The Old Testament commandment was
meant to moderate vengeance; the punishment should not exceed the injury done.
Jesus forbids even this proportionate retaliation. Of the five examples that
follow, only the first deals directly with retaliation for evil; the others
speak of liberality.
5:41 Roman garrisons in Palestine had the right to
requisition the property and services of the native population.
5:43–48 See Lv 19:18. There is no Old Testament commandment
demanding hatred of one’s enemy, but the “neighbor” of the love commandment was
understood as one’s fellow countryman. Both in the Old Testament (Ps 139:19–22)
and at Qumran (1QS 9:21) hatred of evil persons is assumed to be right. Jesus
extends the love commandment to the enemy and the persecutor. His disciples, as
children of God, must imitate the example of their Father, who grants his gifts
of sun and rain to both the good and the bad.
5:46 Tax collectors: Jews who were engaged in the collection
of indirect taxes such as tolls and customs. See note on Mk 2:14.
5:47 Jesus’ disciples must not be content with merely usual
standards of conduct; see Mt 5:20 where the verb “surpass” (Greek perisseuō) is
cognate with the unusual (perisson) of this verse.
5:48 Perfect: in the gospels this word occurs only in
Matthew, here and in Mt 19:21. The Lucan parallel (Lk 6:36) demands that the
disciples be merciful.
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