The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

5 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and when He was seated, His ^[a]disciples came to Him. ² Then He began to teach them, saying,

³ “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].^(A)

⁴ “Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].^(B)

⁵ “Blessed [inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect] are the ^[b]gentle [the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled], for they will inherit the earth.^(C)

⁶ “Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.^(D)

⁷ “Blessed [content, sheltered by God’s promises] are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed [anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature] are the pure in heart [those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character], for they will see God.^(E)

⁹ “Blessed [spiritually calm with life-joy in God’s favor] are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they will [express His character and] be called the sons of God.^(F)

¹⁰ “Blessed [comforted by inner peace and God’s love] are those who are persecuted for ^[c]doing that which is morally right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].

¹¹ “Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness] are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of [your association with] Me. ¹² Be glad and exceedingly joyful, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.^(G)

Disciples and the World

¹³ “You are the ^[d]salt of the earth; but if the salt has ^[e]lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].

¹⁴ “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; ¹⁵ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.^{(H) 16} Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the ^[f]Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke [of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished. ¹⁹ So whoever breaks one of the least [important] of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

²⁰ “For I say to you that unless your righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Personal Relationships

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be ^[g]guilty before the court.’^{(I) 22} But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice against him shall be guilty before the court; and whoever speaks [contemptuously and insultingly] to his brother, ^[h]‘Raca (You empty-headed idiot)!’ shall be guilty before the supreme court (Sanhedrin); and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the ^[i]fiery hell. ²³ So if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and while there you remember that your brother has something [such as a grievance or legitimate complaint] against you, ²⁴ leave your offering there at the altar and go. First make peace with your brother, and then come and present your offering. ²⁵ Come to terms quickly [at the earliest opportunity] with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way [to court], so that your opponent does not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you are thrown into prison.^{(J) 26} I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid the last ^[j]cent.

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’;^{(K) 28} but I say to you that everyone who [so much as] looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye makes you stumble and leads you to sin, tear it out and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ If your right hand makes you stumble and leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

³¹ “It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife is to give her a certificate of divorce’; ³² but I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except on grounds of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced commits adultery.^(L)

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not make false vows, but you shall fulfill your vows to the Lord [as a religious duty].’ ³⁴ But I say to you, do not make an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.^{(M) 36} Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you are not able to make a single hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’ [a firm yes or no]; anything more than that comes from the evil one.^(N)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth [punishment that fits the offense].’^{(O) 39} But I say to you, do not resist an evil person [who insults you or violates your rights]; but whoever ^[k]slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other toward him also [simply ignore insignificant insults or trivial losses and do not bother to retaliate—maintain your dignity, your self-respect, your poise].^{(P) 40} If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, ^[l]let him have your coat also [for the Lord repays the offender]. ⁴¹ And whoever ^[m]forces you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.^(Q)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’^{(R) 44} But I say to you, ^[n]love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,^{(S) 45} so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. ⁴⁶ For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? ⁴⁸ You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.^(T)

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

6 One Sabbath while Jesus was passing through fields of standing grain, it happened that His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.^{(A) 2} But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what ^[a]is unlawful on the Sabbath?”^{(B) 3} Jesus replied to them, “Have you not even read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him—^{(C) 4} how he went into the house of God, and took and ate the ^[b]consecrated bread, which is not lawful [for anyone] to eat except the priests alone, and [how he also] gave it to the men who were with him?”^{(D) 5} Jesus was saying to them, “The Son of Man (the Messiah) is Lord [even] of the Sabbath.”

⁶ On another Sabbath He went into the synagogue and taught, and a man was present whose right hand was withered.^{(E) 7} The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely [with malicious intent], to see if He would [actually] heal [someone] on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him. ⁸ But He was aware of their thoughts, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward.” So he got up and stood there. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you directly: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ After looking around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did, and his hand was [fully] restored. ¹¹ But the scribes and Pharisees were filled with senseless rage [and lacked spiritual insight], and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Choosing the Twelve

¹² Now at this time Jesus went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. ¹³ When day came, He called His disciples and selected twelve of them, whom He also named ^[c]apostles (special messengers, personally chosen representatives):^{(F) 14} Simon, whom He also named Peter, and his brother Andrew; and [the brothers] ^[d]James and John; and Philip, and Bartholomew [also called Nathanael]; ¹⁵ and Matthew (Levi, the tax collector) and Thomas; and ^[e]James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; ¹⁶ Judas [also called Thaddaeus] the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor [to the Lord].

¹⁷ Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a vast multitude of people from all over Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who had come to listen to Him and to be healed of their diseases. Even those who were troubled by unclean spirits (demons) were being healed. ¹⁹ All the people were trying to touch Him, because [healing] power was coming from Him and healing them all.

The Beatitudes

²⁰ And looking toward His disciples, He began ^[f]speaking: “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are you who are poor [in spirit, those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for the kingdom of God is yours [both now and forever].^{(G) 21} Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are you who hunger now [for righteousness, actively seeking right standing with God], for you will be [completely] satisfied. Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are you who weep now [over your sins and repent], for you will laugh [when the burden of sin is lifted]. ²² Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness] are you when people hate you, and exclude you [from their fellowship], and insult you, and scorn your name as evil because of [your association with] the Son of Man. ²³ Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for their fathers used to treat the prophets in the same way. ²⁴ But ^[g]woe (judgment is coming) to you who are rich [and place your faith in possessions while remaining spiritually impoverished], for you are [already] receiving your comfort in full [and there is nothing left to be awarded to you]. ²⁵ Woe to you who are well-fed (gorged, satiated) now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now [enjoying a life of self-indulgence], for you will mourn and weep [and deeply long for God]. ²⁶ Woe to you when all the people speak well of you and praise you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

²⁷ “But I say to you who hear [Me and pay attention to My words]: ^[h]Love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, [make it a practice to] do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless and show kindness to those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ Whoever ^[i]strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other one also [simply ignore insignificant insults or losses and do not bother to retaliate—maintain your dignity]. Whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.^{(H) 30} Give to everyone who asks of you. ^[j]Whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. ³¹ Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. ³² If you [only] love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ If you lend [money] to those from whom you expect to receive [it back], what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to receive back the same amount. ³⁵ But love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, and do good, and lend, ^[k]expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful.

³⁷ “^[l]Do not judge [others self-righteously], and you will not be judged; do not condemn [others when you are guilty and unrepentant], and you will not be condemned [for your hypocrisy]; pardon [others when they truly repent and change], and you will be pardoned [when you truly repent and change].^{(I) 38} Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.”

³⁹ He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man guide [another] blind man? Will they not both fall into a hole in the ground? ⁴⁰ A student is not superior to his teacher; but everyone, after he has been completely trained, will be like his teacher. ⁴¹ Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice or consider the log that is in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, allow me to take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite (play actor, pretender), first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. ⁴³ For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.^{(J) 44} For each tree is known and identified by its own fruit. For figs are not picked from thorn bushes, nor is a cluster of grapes picked from a briar bush. ⁴⁵ The [intrinsically] good man produces what is good and honorable and moral out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart; and the [intrinsically] evil man produces what is wicked and depraved out of the evil [in his heart]; for his mouth speaks from the overflow of his heart.

A Secure Foundation

⁴⁶ “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not practice what I tell you? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and obeys them, I will show you whom he is like:^{(K) 48} he is like a [far-sighted, practical, and sensible] man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and yet could not shake it, because it had been securely built and founded on the rock. ⁴⁹ But the one who has [merely] heard and has not practiced [what I say], is like a [foolish] man who built a house on the ground without any foundation, and the torrent burst against it; and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”