NIV, Faithlife Study Bible | Page 174

1538 | MattheW 5:3

The Beatitudes

5:3-12pp — ​ Lk 6:20-23 He said :

3

“ Blessed are the poor in spirit , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven .

4

Blessed are those who mourn , for they will be comforted .

5

Blessed are the meek , for they will inherit the earth .

6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness , for they will be filled .

7

Blessed are the merciful , for they will be shown mercy .

8

Blessed are the pure in heart , for they will see God .

9 Blessed are the peacemakers ,

for they will be called children of God .

10

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven .

11

“ Blessed are you when peo ple in sult you , perse cute you and false ly say all kinds of evil against you be cause of me . 12 Re joice and be glad , be cause great is your re ward in heav en , for in the same way they per se cut ed the proph ets who were be fore you .

Salt and Light

13

“ You are the salt of the earth . But if the salt los es its salt i ness , how can it be made salty again ? It is no lon ger good for any thing , ex cept to be thrown out and tram pled un der foot . he does not have to consult with God before giving his new law — ​hinting at Jesus ’ divinity . 5:3 Blessed The Greek word used here , makarios ( meaning “ happy ” or “ fortunate ”), often indicates someone who is favored by God . poor in spirit Refers to those in Jesus ’ day who recognize and bear their desperate plight , and who long for God ’ s restoration through the Messiah . kingdom of heaven The crowd was already familiar with this terminology through John the Baptist ’ s proclamation ; they anticipated a time of restoration . See note on 3:2 . 5:4 those who mourn Could refer to those who mourn for Israel and for their plight within its present conditions ( e . g ., Roman occupation , what seems like a lack of God ’ s presence , impoverishment ). Alternatively , it could refer to those who mourn over their personal sin or are currently enduring difficult times . 5:5 the meek Refers to someone who is humble or gentle . The meek do not seek gain for themselves ; instead , they hope in the Lord . they will inherit the earth A reference to Ps 37:11 , which foretells the destruction of evildoers ( compare Rev 21 ), so that those who hope in Yahweh will live in peace .

5:6 who hunger and thirst for righ teous ness A metaphor for moral uprightness . This may be an allusion to Ps 37:12 – 17 ( compare note on Mt 5:5 ), which speaks of a time when oppressors will be no more . This line expresses a deep desire both for personal righ teous ness and for a world characterized by God ’ s righ teous ness ( or justice ). It implies that those who observe God ’ s commandments should do so not out of resignation , but out of a fundamental desire . Due to widespread poverty , many of those listening to Jesus were probably hungry and thirsty in a literal sense . 5:7 Blessed are the merciful This beatitude has the same emphasis as the others : God ’ s kingdom is breaking in upon the world . When it does , God will show mercy to those who have been merciful to others . 5:8 pure in heart Possibly an allusion to Ps 18:26 . This beatitude uses the terminology of ritual purity and cleanness , which would have been common in Judaism . But Jesus ’ original audience likely would have made no distinction between having a heart pure from sin and being a person who is ritually pure according to the law . This parallels Jesus ’ emphasis on God being

Jesus ’ Early Life and Ministry ( continued )

Herodias ’ s daughter dances for Herod and demands John ’ s head . Herod wonders if Jesus is John the Baptist raised from the dead .

Jesus refuses to be made king and prays alone .

Jesus heals many at Gennesaret .