Written by: Richard Prescott - CPAS

Matthew 5 v 5-8
“Those who are humble are happy, because the earth will belong to them.
Those who want to do right more than anything else are happy, because God will fully satisfy them.
Those who show mercy to others are happy, because God will show mercy to them.
Those who are pure in their thinking are happy, because they will be with God.”

Notes
Humble, merciful people have always been viewed as being at the “bottom of the pile”. Yet Jesus turned that on its head.

Back in the Old Testament, Isaiah 55 v 8-9 reads: “The Lord says, ‘My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’”

There’s a world of a difference between human priorities and God’s priorities. Jesus was challenging his listeners to get their priorities in line with God’s. And the challenge is exactly the same today. People get hung up on religion. People seek recognition for good deeds and wonder why they’re not satisfied. Church people judge others on one hand, then wonder why society rebels against “Christian morality”. And when we hear the gospel, it often seems to make no sense in today’s culture. 

Jesus doesn’t condemn us for struggling to do things right. Rather, he urges us to deal with our attitude.

We need to get our priorities right. We need to learn to see things from God’s perspective. By trusting in God, living his way and taking on his values, we will have all we need to survive. It’s as simple as that.

Prayer
Lord, help me to see things as you see them. Help me to realise that true satisfaction comes only from you. Amen

Matthew 5 v 9-12
“Those who work to bring peace are happy, because God will call them his children.
Those who are treated badly for doing good are happy, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be happy. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you.”

Notes
Jesus was making it clear just what kind of person would be fit for God’s kingdom. And he was sure to warn those listening to him that it wasn’t going to be easy.

If there’s anyone who would qualify for talking about suffering, it was Jesus. He knew exactly what he was talking about when he told his followers that they would be slated for their beliefs. He knew that God’s plan for him would involve suffering. And the warning came in the context of the whole story of God’s people, whose entire history had involved suffering.

Jesus was explaining that suffering had played a huge part in the lives of the prophets in the past, that it was happening “now” and that it would continue in the future. God’s people are required to live sacrificial lives. There’s no easy way to put that one across.

The fact that we’ve got a heavenly reward waiting for us may not be much of a comfort, unless we have a firm belief that eternity starts now. That certainly puts our troubles into perspective, doesn’t it?

And we will never have to face anything on our own, because God has promised to be with us always.

Prayer
Lord, help me to live in the light of your promises. Help me to see that nothing compares with the suffering that you went through, in order that I could spend eternity in your presence. Amen

Matthew 5 v 13
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its salty taste, it cannot be made salty again. It is good for nothing, except to be thrown out and walked on.”

Notes
For thousands of years, salt has been a really important substance. It has been used for flavouring foods, preserving meats and even cleaning wounds. 

The phrase “salt of the earth” is still used today to describe truly decent people. When Jesus talked to his followers about being salt, he was explaining that if they lived their lives by God’s ideals then the world would be a much better place. He was talking about people who would “flavour” the world with goodness. He was challenging people to preserve truth and to get cleaned up.

Salt loses its flavour when it’s diluted or left for ages and not used. So, you don’t need to be clever to work out what Jesus was getting at by using salt as his example.

Salt that isn’t salty is useless. Christians that don’t listen to God are just as bad.

Prayer
Lord, you really believe in me. Help me to live up to your ideals. Help me to see that all I need to do is follow you. Amen

Matthew 5 v 14-16
“You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden. And people don’t hide a light under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand so the light shines for all the people in the house. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven.”

Notes
There’s a village called Blakeney near my home in the Forest of Dean. When travelling back from the south late at night, I’m greeted near the end of my journey with the most amazing sight. Blakeney is set on a hill, and the twinkling lights of the cottages can be seen for miles. It would be very difficult to hide it from view. It always reminds me of Jesus’ words.

Light is designed for a purpose. It uncovers stuff that’s hidden by darkness. It provides safety. Light helps people see clearly. It reveals the truth.

It’s amazing to think that not only did God create light, in John’s Gospel Jesus also referred to himself as “the light of the world”. And here, he states that all Christians are “light to the world”. He was explaining that Christians will be seen – that we’ll be noticed.

God’s purpose in making us so obvious is that, right from the beginning, his plan was that his people would bless the nations. This is what he promised to Abraham. 

People spend a lot of time working out how best to “share the gospel”. Churches have endless discussion on how to improve their “evangelism strategy”. But Jesus clearly states here that, just by the way we live, people will see that it is God at work – and give him praise.

Prayer
Lord, it’s a privilege to be considered as light in the world. Help me to understand that people will see you through the way I live my life. Amen

Matthew 5 v 17-18
“Don’t think that I have come to destroy the law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. I have not come to destroy them but to bring about what they said. I tell you the truth, nothing will disappear from the law until heaven and earth are gone. Not even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will be lost until everything has happened.”

Notes
Jesus was constantly under the scrutiny of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. They would take every opportunity to try to trap him.

It’s very hard to put yourself in the shoes of those whom Jesus was talking to. You can understand their reaction when you take into account the way in which the law was ingrained in their lives. The law had been handed down from Moses and passed from generation to generation, in order that people would live as God intended them to live.

What would we do in today’s society do if a man claiming to be the Messiah turned up and began to criticise our moral structure, our justice system and our attitude to other people? How do you think the church would receive someone like that?

In this passage, Jesus spells out clearly that his whole existence was about fulfilling the law. God sent Jesus to make it possible for people to be reconciled to him. Jesus would take on the sin of the world and be the supreme sacrifice. Through Jesus’ perfect life, not a word or letter of the law was broken. 

It is Jesus who enables us to live the kind of life God wants us to live.

Prayer
Lord, thank you that my relationship with you is not dependent upon keeping rules and regulations. Even though your plans are way above anything I will ever understand, thank you that I can trust in you and know you as the way, truth and life. Amen

Matthew 5 v 19-20
“Whoever refuses to obey any command and teaches other people not to obey that command will be the least important in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys the commands and teaches other people to obey them will be great in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you that if you are no more obedient than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Notes
Jesus never pulled punches when he taught about entry to the kingdom of heaven. His words were always straight and to the point.

There are three things that Jesus says here.

Firstly, it is inevitable that we will make mistakes. The Bible tells us that everyone has fallen short in their attempts to be obedient to God. However, actively refusing to obey and encouraging others to be disobedient is another matter entirely. Disobedience is something that God detests. It’s only through his grace and willingness to forgive us that we can have a relationship with him.

Secondly, Jesus clearly says that the calling of a Christian is to obey God and help others to obey him too. Just look at what Jesus said when the Pharisees questioned him about the law: “... ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind.’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ All the law and the writings of the prophets depend on these two commands” (Matthew 22 v 37-40). Jesus was keen to point out that there’s a marked difference between having a relationship with God and simply being a legalist.

Thirdly, Jesus could see right though the Pharisees and other religious leaders around him. They were so caught up in the detail of the law that it became their master. Many were also simply paying lip service to God’s commands and making it all the more difficult for others to live by God’s standards. Jesus was clear in his judgement of them; they’d be going nowhere.

Prayer
Lord, I’m truly sorry for the things in my life that hinder my relationship with you. Help me to live in obedience to your will. Amen

Matthew 5 v 21-22
“You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘You must not murder anyone. Anyone who murders another will be judged.’ But I tell you, if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be judged. If you say bad things to a brother or sister, you will be judged by the council. And if you call someone a fool, you will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

Notes
How often have you sat in front of the TV news and wondered what God thinks of all the horrific crimes that take place? Can “calling someone a fool” ever be equal to a rape or a child abduction? 

It’s quite clear that Jesus was angry at the way people had embraced the regulations and traditions of the law without grasping the spirit of the law. Did they really understand what it meant to live by God’s standards? Or were they just living by a set of what had become meaningless rules?

The society in which Jesus was living had obviously become one that was tainted by double standards. This is why he was so vehement in his attack of the religious leaders. And Jesus knew that it would get worse. People had missed the whole point of God’s law. It was designed to help them understand the difference between right and wrong. You can still hear people today saying, “Well, I’ve done nothing wrong in my life. I’m fine. It’s not like I’ve ever murdered anyone.” Jesus could see how that sort of statement is a “slippery slope” to destruction, so his teaching was again turning people’s perception of the law on its head.

Alongside our actions, keeping a check on our attitude is just as important. Due to our sinful nature, we can only accept that we will never match up to the ideals of a holy God. If we have our hearts open to him, our relationship with him can be restored through what Jesus did on the cross.

Prayer
Lord, living by your standards is a tall order. Help me, by your Spirit, to understand what is right and to do what is right. Amen


word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes