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Colossians 3:12 Humbleness of mind means my thoughts of others. I can’t be merciful if I don’t have humbleness of mind.

Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:1,2 Jesus is teaching a crowd of everyday, perhaps marginalized, people. Some were afflicted and physically hungry. They all had needs.

Matthew 5:3 Jesus isn’t speaking over their heads. They can relate. To inherit the kingdom of God, I need to be poor in spirit. Is my spirit rich, loud, or important? Has my spirit built wealth over the years? God doesn’t want to compete with this.

Blessed implies a state of supreme joy, favor, or spiritual happiness from God and not from temporary circumstances. Blessing was associated with prestige and wealth. Poor meant total helplessness.

Matthew 5:4 Mourning can be a blessing. Everyone goes through these seasons of spiritual, physical, or emotional mourning. We can’t avoid grief. Mourning is the pathway to comfort. This is the blessing.

Psalm 34:18

Matthew 5:5 Meekness is strength under control; it has restraint. This is in contrast to the idea that the boldest and most dominant is usually considered to be the one who is blessed.

Matthew 5:6 The hunger for righteousness is an active and continuous craving. It is a “life-threatening” need for righteousness. Be desperate to do what is right and you will be filled with God.

Matthew 5:7 Jesus is teaching things they haven’t heard before. They knew about revenge and defending honor.

Matthew 5:8 Jesus introduced right living from the heart, not an outward show. Righteousness that begins on the outside rarely reaches inside.

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are those that make peace.

Romans 5:10

When my enemy is personal, Jesus says I must do my best to pursue peace. This requires forgiveness, mercy, and meekness. I can have the ability to react and respond to take revenge, but choose not to.

Why is making peace related to being a child of God? This must mean I am resembling the character of my Father.