On a hillside, possibly in the Korazim Plateau in northern Israel near the Sea of Galilee, Jesus began his Sermon on the Mount—the term first used by the 4th/5th century theologian, Augustine—with a grouping of virtues we know as the Beatitudes, in which he repeatedly emphasized the Greek word makarios, meaning “blessed (receiving God’s favor), fortunate, good (in a position of favor), happy (feelings associated with receiving God’s favor),” according to the NIV Exhaustive Concordance Dictionary for the reverse interlinear function in Bible Gateway Plus.
The NIV Application Commentary for Matthew on Bible Gateway Plus says, “Makarios is a state of existence in relationship to God in which a person is ‘blessed’ from God’s perspective even when he or she doesn’t feel happy or isn’t presently experiencing good fortune. Negative feelings, absence of feelings, or adverse conditions cannot take away the blessedness of those who exist in relationship with God.”
“Since it contains the very heart of Jesus’ teaching, we may think of the Sermon on the Mount as being to the New Testament what the Ten Commandments are to the Old Testament,” says Halley’s Bible Handbook. “Every Christian ought to read and be familiar with the Sermon on the Mount and strive earnestly to live according to its teachings.”
In his study Bible notes, Dr. Tony Evans calls the Sermon on the Mount Jesus’ kingdom manifesto. He says, “We could call the Beatitudes antibiotics from God’s pharmacy that can aid life transformation. They are a reminder that Jesus is primarily concerned with what’s happening on your inside, which should be the basis of what you’re showing on the outside.”
Max Lucado, in his study Bible notes, says, “Sacred delight is what Jesus promises in the Sermon on the Mount.”
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By Jeff Henderson
By Dr. Henry Cloud
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