THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
The Setting of the Sermon on the Mount: Mt 5,1-2
Mountains are traditionally places where God reveals himself. We saw in our overview of the Gospel how it features seven mountains. Here on the mountain of the Sermon, the evangelist continues his portrayal of Jesus as the new Moses. Moses however went up Mount Sinai where God spoke to him (Ex 19,20). Here in contrast to Moses, Jesus is speaking on his own authority.
By sitting down, Jesus is taking the usual postion of a rabbi for teaching (verse 2).
It is the crowds described in 4,25 whom Jesus sees in 5,1. Thus the background audience for the sermon is remarkably universal in orgin. The foreground audience though is the disciples. We can take this group as more than just the four disciples whose call has already been related. The crowd listens without making the commitment, just hearing the authority of Jesus (7,28); the disciples however are those who hear having already made the commitment.
Return to the main page.
THE BEATITUDES:Mt 5,3-12
One look at the Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments shows a clear difference of attitude. The Beatitudes are concerned with the values by which we must live if we are to belong to the kingdom. They set the scene as it were before Jesus gives his own teaching about the Law (5,17).
The Ten Commandments, which were also proclaimed from a mountain, are instead laws, "you shall not". In the OT setting, the commandments were a set of laws setting the boundaries for belonging to the tribe. Unlike the Beatitudes, they are limited and restrictive. (Later Christian usage of the commandments as a set of "hangers" for moral teaching is therefore different to their original role.)
There are many problems with the Jerusalem Bible translation of the Beatitudes which is still used at Mass. We will look at "happy" shortly. Jesus "going into the hills" misses the significance of the mountain. And the second and third beatitudes are changed round. This reading follows a minority of manuscripts, as the JB likes to do elsewhere (notably Jn 11,25).
The Beatitudes refer first to the present condition of the disciple and then look to the future: they are realistic about the present time while giving hope with their promises for the future. The first (5,1) and eighth beatitude (5,10) both hold out the promise of the kingdom of heaven. The fourth (5,6) and eighth beatitude (5,10) both refer to righteousness. Thus there is a bracket around the eight beatitudes, with the ninth (5,11-12) on its own. The first four Beatitudes are more about attitudes, the second four are more about activities.
Isaiah 61 provides the background to several beatitudes, the message of the anointed one of God therefore belongs to him specially. Thus we can see Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew living as merciful (9,27; 15,22), as mourning (26,36-46), as meek (11,29; 21,5), as righteous (3,15; 27,19). The Passion in chapters 26 and 27 tells of his persecution.
Looking at the first beatitude, whereas Luke (Lk 6,20) says bluntly "blessed are the poor", Matthew speaks rather of the "poor in spirit". For Luke, certain conditions of living are blessed. Matthew instead provides a programme for becoming blessed, a means for receiving the promised fulfillment in the future (4,17). That Luke continues immediately with a series of woes (Lk 6,22-26) need not concern us at this stage.
Return now to the main page.
A Look at Each Beatitude
"Blessed are the poor in spirit" recalls Is 61,1 as we have seen. Being poor in spirit is an attitude because the poor are dependent on God and open to his ways. Here the second half of the Beatitude is in the present tense: already the poor in spirit experience the power of God, the kingdom of heaven breaking into their lives.
Mourning is a mourning for the fate of God's people and the fate of Jerusalem (Is 61,2). They will be comforted by God (this is known as a "divine passive") so that hope can be renewed (Is 61,4).
Meek is another word for humble - it is a much stronger word than in common English. The land they inherit will be the new heavens and new earth of the Apocalypse (Apoc 21,1) where they will be gathered with the Son of Man in his glory (19,27-28).
Psalm 107 is a great celebration of God providing for his people and leading them safely through danger. Through his steadfast love, God satisfies the thristy and fills the hungry with good things. That is the life sought by the righteous who may also be called poor in spirit, mourners and meek. Those who seek to follow God's will. This prepares us for the second half of the beatitudes, which are more about what we do.
Mercy we could say begins with God and returns to God. God in Exodus is a God who despite the sin of his people is still a God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Ex 34,6). God is a God who wants mercy, not sacrifice (Ho 6,6). Thus showing mercy reflects the very life of God himself.
The pure of heart therefore are those who are completely dedicated to God in their innermost being (their heart) and therefore experience his presence in their lives ("seeing God"). Traditionally no one can see God and live (Is 6,8) but longing for the presence of God is the desire of the psalmist (Ps 42,2). Thus the prophet Elijah can speak of the Lord God "before whom I stand"; in some sense the prophet has been in the presence of God, has seen God.
Peacemakers are those who bring the gift of peace (10,12-13), the hebrew "shalom" which indicates the peace, wholeness, harmony that comes from God himself. Peacemakers are therefore sons and daughters of God (Ps 72,7 reflecting on the messianic king). Proverbs (Prov 10,10) gives practical advice about bringing about peace.
Because not all are peacemakers so persecution may not be far away. To be righteous is to stand out and so invite persecution. That was the fate of the prophets Thus the eighth beatitude leads on to the ninth and longest beatitude which is spoken directly to "you", the disciples.
The fate of the prophets was to be rejected (2 Chron 36,16) because like Micaiah (1 Kings 22) their advice was not welcome. The same would be true of Jesus and it will also be that of his disciples. We will find this summed up in the third prediction of the passion and its aftermath (20,17-28)
Return now to the main page.
Salt and Light: Mt 5,13-16
Whilst both these sayings stress the role of the disciples in the world, these two "you" sayings follow on from the final beatitude which stresses the persecutions the disciples will undergo. Persecution and rejection will be the means by which the disciples will be salt and light to the world, just like Jesus himself.
The two sayings also point forward by providing a context for Jesus' demands in verse 20 for a righteousness which is greater than others.
Both sayings begin with emphatic "You are" as the Greek includes the pronoun "you". The city is sometimes said to be another metaphor for the disciples but it is not introduced by "you are". Mark is different to Matthew because he just makes the statement "salt is good".
Salt and light are both aids to the senses. Salt provides taste and light provides sight. Salt though works within the food whereas light comes from outside. Both are needed for life.
Salt is of fundamental importance for life, it is only in our own age that too much salt has become an issue. Salt is essential as both a preservative and for giving flavour, the latter being the point stressed by Jesus. Job 6,6 is a passing reference to salt giving flavour to food. The quotation from Leviticus, Lev 2,13, shows that salt was so central to life that it forms part of the symbolism of making covenants.
It is salt adding taste that seems to be the purpose of the image. It is a way of saying that by living the Beatitudes, the disciples are providing flavour to the world around them.
Isaiah 2,2-5 may be the reason Matthew introduces the city on a mountain into the explanation (5,14b). Is 2,5 speaks of walking in the light of the Lord. Is 42 and Is 49 are two of the servant songs of Isaiah and both speak of making the servant being "a light to the nations."
We have seen that Matthew has already used the theme of light when Jesus arrived back in Galilee (4,16). The quotation there also comes from Isaiah (Is 9,1-2). The theme is specific in John's Gospel when Jesus says "I am the light of the world" (Jn 8,12).
Return to the main page.
The Sunday Gospel
The Beatitudes may be considered the Church's favourite Gospel. It is a portrayal of the ideal Christian: Jesus is the man of the Beatitudes, his disciples are called to live them as Jesus did so as to become saints (1st November).
The Zephaniah reading selected for the 4th Sunday is a composite reading made up of one verse followed by two more taken from later in the book. It helps to make a clear distinction between the two parts in the way the reading is presented.
The verse taken from chapter 2 clearly reflect the beatitudes. The two verses taken from chapter 3 speak more of the underlying values behind the beatitudes.
For the salt and light sayings on the 5th Sunday, the OT passage from Isaiah (Is 58,7-10) brings out what is meant by good works in the final sentence of the Gospel. This is undoubtedly one part of the answer, the Church has always sought to be at the service of the poor. Yet maybe the evangelist is thinking rather of true righteousness, the topic to which he now turns.
Return again to the main page.