Matthew V
1. And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2. And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their’s is the kingdom of heaven.
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4. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
8. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for their’s is the kingdom of heaven.
1 1. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
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Verse 1. 1. Christ’s relation to the multitude always depend upon the spirit of the multitude; that spirit might be (a) fanatical; (b) worldly; (c) earnest. 2. Christ spake to His disciples as a special body: thereby showing (a) that a certain degree of moral preparation is requisite to understand the words of Christ; (b) that the few may be the teachers of the many; (c) that the propagation of truth may begin at the lowest possible point, either in numbers or influence.
Christ brings truth to the Church, the Church must bring receptivity of heart to Christ.
Verse 2. The opening of Christ’s mouth was: — 1. A signal of His personal authority; 2. A fulfilment. of long-cherished hope; 3. A completion of Divine revelation. When Christ speaks the Church should be silent.
Verses 3 — 12. Instead of going into the lessons of each beatitude, the beatitudes may be looked at as a group. So looked at, we see: — 1. That-some of them look towards God, and others towards man; theology and morality
* The texts we least need are the ones we like best, and remember longest. A kind-hearted, lazy man will remember “Blessed are the merciful” long after he has forgotten the injunction to be “diligent in
business.” — (Beecher.)
should be united. 2. That some persons are included beyond our expectations, and others are excluded contrary to our expectations; the poor in spirit, the mourners, and the weak are here; but where are the rich, the famous, and the mighty? 3. That right moral relations to Christ are always associated with the richest personal rewards; the good enjoy not only a blessed condition, but shall enjoy an ample compensation. 4. That men have always mistaken the direction in which “blessedness” lay. 5. That the enemy himself shall be a contributor to the saint’s joy.
Christ’s ministry summed up in two words — “Repent,” “Blessed.”
Three things noticeable about the beatitudes: — 1. Their intense spirituality; 2. The possibility of exemplifying their practical conditions in daily life; 3. The present and personal blessedness which they affirm.
13. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
i. Christ summons man to a high standard. — There is Divine wisdom in this. Christ does not degrade humanity, but elevates it by hopeful words. “Men may overget delusion, not despair.” In proportion as responsibility is thrown upon man, does man rise to the dignity of the occasion. Educate common men into gentlemen by treating them as gentlemen; the same principle holds good in the higher life. Show men that great things are expected of them, and the latent power will be developed. 2. Christ recognises the true influence of good men. — Salt, light, elevation. 3. Christ recognises the active and passive aspects of influence; — salt and light (active); city set on a hill (passive); both conjoined in true Christian character. Some persons are more pungent than lustrous, others more conspicuous than penetrating; others more dazzling than cheering.
In this display of influence three things are obvious — (a) secrecy, “salt;” (b) supremacy, “light of the world;” (c) publicity, “city set on an hill.” In all this there is perfect silence; silent as the salt, silent as the light, silent as the city on an hill. Wonderful that so much life should be associated with so much silence: it is so in the body: the heart is silent, the hand demonstrative; the brain makes no sign, the tongue “no man can tame.”
1. Every man has a light peculiar to himself; 2. There is a right way of shedding light, “so shine;” 3. Men are to see the works, not the worker; 4. Works are to have a heavenly tendency.
“The Christian is called a light, not lightning. In order to act with effect on others, he must walk in the Spirit, and thus become the image of goodness: he must be so akin to God, and so filled with His dispositions, that he shall seem to surround himself with a hallowed atmosphere. It is folly to endeavour to make ourselves shine before we are luminous. If the sun without his beams should talk to the planets, and argue with them to the final day, it would not make them shine; there must be light in the sun itself, and then they will shine of course.” — (Bushnell.)
Men are affected by what they “see.”
17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
I. The possibility of mistaken conceptions regarding Christ. 2. The final worker should never disparage the preparatory worker. 3. The law is one. 4. Christ fulfilled it. Summer fulfils spring; noon fulfils morning; the fruit fulfils the blossom; manhood fulfils infancy. 5. All trifling with law involves at least the degradation of the trifler. (6) All honour of the law secures exaltation in the kingdom of heaven. Whether “the kingdom of heaven” be taken in a limited or in the widest sense, this principle holds good. 7. Man is to regulate his conduct by Divine law, and not by human standards. He who walks at noonday by the light of a taper will be held guilty for stumbling, delay, and ignorance. 8. Mutual comparison of “righteousness” is forbidden; man is not to compare with man, but to judge himself by the law. Failure in this duty will lead to exclusion from the kingdom of heaven. “We dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” (2 Cor. x. 12.) The Absolute is the only standard by which man should determine his moral relations and his moral courses.
21. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment:
22. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca! shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool! shall be in danger of hell fire.
23. Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24. Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
I. God has been educating the race up to the highest spirituality; from “killing” to evil speaking; from evil speaking to confession, contrition, restitution, the course of religious education has proceeded. It is so in the human family circle. The child is cautioned against violent deeds, before it can understand the wrongfulness of unkind words; education, therefore, keeps pace with the unfolding capabilities of the pupil. Much education (including much pulpit teaching) fails through beginning at the wrong point, or through incorrect perception on the part of the educator. 2. The principle of evil is the same, though its manifestations vary; in “kill,” “angry without a cause,” “Raca,” “fool,” we find precisely the same principle, though the modifications are various. Differences of degree are not to be confounded with differences of nature. 3. Reconciliation to man is an essential part of true religion. — “First be reconciled to thy brother.” Man cannot be right with God while wrong with his fellow-man. Philanthropy and religion are hemispheres; put them together, else unity and revolution are impossible. 4. Human antagonisms are strengthened by delay, — “agree quickly” {ra-xy); come to him in the right mental mood ^I<t6l evvowv, be well-minded); the wrong mood leads to the wrong action, the wrong action provokes retribution, and thus the sinner becomes his own tormenter; stifle wrong while yet it is in the mind, — bruise the serpent’s head*
‘■’■’ A recent publication, entitled “Ecce HOMO,” contains this statement: —” The primitive man had no obligations, no duties, to any except his parents, his brothers, and his parent’s brothers, and their families.
27. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28. But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
31. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement;
32. But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
The same idea of bringing the race forward to spiritual conceptions, and founding education upon a spiritual base, characterises this passage. The two voices are again heard; the first “by them of old time” (rot? apxaiois to the ancients); the second that (apart from divinity) of a dogmatist — solemn, impressive, in his individuality — (‘Eyco le<yap vpZv). There is no division of responsibility — all rests upon that ‘Eyco!
1. All human impulses are to be held in perfect mastery.
2. There is a judgment upon the heart as well as upon the outer life. 3. When the bodily appetites and the spiritual nature come into collision, let the body suffer, not the soul. A whole body (a body wholly gratified) or a maimed soul, which? 4. There are bodily temptations as well as mental temptations. (Trace the reciprocal action of body and soul.)
When he met with a man unrelated to him he would without hesitation take his life and his property. But the life and property of a relation were sacred, and the Greeks held that there were certain supernatural powers called Erinyes, who vindicated the rights of relatives.” This statement must not be accepted without duly considering instances which Homer himself supplies, proving the direct contrary. Medon killed a man, not improbably a brother (yvwrbg); Tlepolemus killed the maternal uncle of his father, and when settled in Rhodes was blessed by the peculiar favour of Jupiter; and Epeigeus killed his cousin. Even the family circle was not guarded by insurmountable walls.
The mind has advantages in the probationary state which the body has not; — death has yet to pass upon the body; the body is not to be wholly purified or transformed until the resurrection; the mind, on the contrary (except so far as modified by the body), may be “set on things above.” 5. Christ, in this paragraph, shows the bearing of His specific truths on the body, and bodily relations; (a) personal mastery; (b) personal mastery may require the severest measures; (c) personal mastery required in the maintenance of the conjugal bond.
“Saving for the cause of fornication.” This is a clause which we do not find in the conjugal laws of the heroic age. Whilst it is true that the Greeks detested the crime of adultery, it is also true that they did not allow it to break the marriage bond. Helen lived for many years in de facto adultery with Paris; but when the war ended, she resumed her place in the house of Menelaus, and though she never quenched the tormenting fire of her shame, yet the nuptial tie continued in full force and virtue. In this point, the Homeric and Christian code are at variance.
33. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
34. But I say unto you, Swear not at all: neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35. Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
i. Language should be the simple expression of the heart. 2. Social intercourse can never be right until the heart is right. 3. The heart can never be right until Christ’s word is its supreme law. 4. All violent expression is suggestive of conscious weakness, exasperated temper, or want of social faith. 5. Christianity seeks to simplify human communications.
Morality demands exactness in speech; exactness of speech is much promoted by exactness of observation, a clear, unprejudiced, comprehensive perception of facts; to fall back upon “heaven,” “earth,” “Jerusalem,” or the “head,” as illustrative realities, is rather to pander to human disbelief than to trust to the simple dignity of the truth.
38. Ye have heard that it hath been said. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth:
39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy;
44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you:
45. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?
47. And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so?
48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
i. The superiority of the moral over the passional in human nature. 2. Material compensation not equal to moral satisfaction. 3. Only the lowest part of the human constitution can be appeased by revenge on the physical nature of an enemy. 4. The patient endurance of wrong may be a most useful illustration of the grandeur of personal rectitude. 5. Where compulsion ends, generosity may begin. 6. A right relation to Christ places men in a right relation to one another — friends, enemies, suppliants, borrowers. 7. Men who thus occupy a right relation to one another attest their filial relation to God, — “that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” It is common to say respecting a son who reproduces the characteristics of his father, “He is his father’s son.” Christ, in putting the case so, does not disturb the relation of cause and effect. 8. God’s universal goodness, as displayed in material benefits, is not to be regarded as indifference to moral distinctions. God supplies the conditions, which, properly accepted and worked out, are designed to lead to repentance; but which, neglected or abused, aggravate the sinner’s impenitence. 9. Man is even in his moral aspirations to advance towards the Absolute.
GENERAL NOTE ON THE FIFTH CHAPTER.
The enthusiasm of perfect love seems to be the spirit in which all duties can alone be fulfilled. Christ shows men how to find “blessedness” in all states of life, some of them apparently much opposed to blessedness — “sorrowing,” “persecution,” being examples. Where there is enthusiasm of love, there will be a reverent regard for the “least commandments” as well as the greater; our “righteousness will exceed;” our brotherly affection will overcome our personal antipathies; our fleshly passions will be lost in holy ecstasy of delight in God; our right eye, right hand, or right foot will be as nothing to us when we are borne away by a sublime fervour of love; our sincerity will be so great that the heart need not be inflamed, chafed, and irritated by “swearing;” our magnanimity will transcend the murky region of revenge; he who takes the coat may have the cloak also; and two miles shall be walked, where only one
was “compelled;” and even more, our very “enemies” shall feel the benignity of our love, and our whole life shall be an upward struggling towards the perfectness of “our Father which is in heaven.” All this regarded as mere law is impracticable; but descended upon from the heavenly altitude of God-like love, it becomes easy, sweet, and most profitable. This is the ideal towards which we are tending, while as yet our faith is but a grain of mustard-seed. Men are not commanded to begin here, but we shall truly end here if we “abide” in Christ; these “sayings” become plain to us just as we increase in heart-depth and intensity of moral emotion. Love carries us upward from the pined and dwarfed “righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees” into the infinite sublimity and unquenchable fervour of the perfectness of God. Our religion, then, is to be the passion of our nature, fire fusing and refining everything — this fire is love, for “love is the fulfilling of the law.” The grammar and the lexicon help us little in understanding these maxims, but love reads them as one would read his native language, and executes them as one would fulfil the behest of life’s dearest friend. The height is high; only love’s unwearying wing can reach it.