(8-14) The Sermon on the Mount Is Our
Constitution for Perfection
"In that matchless Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has
given us eight distinct ways by which we might
receive this kind of joy. Each of his declarations is
begun by the word 'Blessed.' Blessedness is defined
as being higher than happiness. 'Happiness comes
from without and is dependent on circumstances;
blessedness is an inward fountain of joy in the soul
itself, which no outward circumstances can seriously
affect.' (Dummelow's Commentary) These
declarations of the Master are known in the literature
of the Christian world as the Beatitudes and have been
referred to by Bible commentators as the preparation
necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
For the purposes of this discussion may I speak of
them as something more than that as they are
applied to you and me. They embody in fact THE
CONSTITUTION FOR A PERFECT LIFE." (Lee,
Decisions for Successful Living, p. 56.)
How can the Sermon on the Mount help you to
become as your Father in heaven? Has it occurred to
you as you read this sermon, that Jesus is actually
describing the qualities of an exalted person? With
this in mind, the Beatitudes become steps of
perfection that enable us to truly love God and our
fellowmen. Study the following commentaries on the
Beatitudes:
Turning from the love of the world to the Love of God
1. Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
"To be poor in spirit is to feel yourselves as the
spiritually needy, ever dependent upon the Lord
for your clothes, and your food and the air you
breathe, your health, your life; realizing that no
day should pass without fervent prayer of
thanksgiving, for guidance and forgiveness and
strength sufficient for each day's need."
2. Blessed Are They That Mourn
"To mourn, as the Master's lesson here would
teach, one must show that 'godly sorrow that
worketh repentance' and wins for the penitent a
forgiveness of sins and forbids a return to the
deeds of which he mourns."
3. Blessed Are the Meek
"A meek man is defined as one who is not easily
provoked or irritated and forbearing under injury
or annoyance. Meekness is not synonymous with
weakness. The meek man is the strong, the
mighty, the man of complete self-mastery. He is
the one who has the courage of his moral
convictions, despite the pressure of the gang or
the club."
4. Blessed Are They That Hunger and Thirst
After Righteousness
"Did you ever hunger for food or thirst for water
when just a crust of stale bread or a sip of tepid
water to ease the pangs that distressed you seem
to be the most prized of all possessions? If you
have so hungered then you may begin to
understand how the Master meant we should
hunger and thirst after righteousness. It's that
hungering and thirsting that leads those away
from home to seek fellowship with saints in
sacrament services and that induces worship on
the Lord's Day wherever we are. It is that which
prompts fervent prayer and leads our feet to holy
temples and bids us be reverent therein." Learning to love our fellowmen
5. Blessed Are the Pure in Heart
"If you would see God, you must be pure. There
is in Jewish writings the story of a man who saw
an object in the distance, an object that he
thought was a beast. As it drew nearer he could
perceive it was a man and as it came still closer
he saw it was his friend. You can see only that
which you have eyes to see. Some of the
associates of Jesus saw him only as a son of
Joseph the carpenter. Others thought him to be a
wine-bibber or a drunkard because of his words.
Still others thought he was possessed of devils.
Only the righteous saw him as the Son of God.
Only if you are the pure in heart will you see
God, and also in a lesser degree will you be able
to see the 'God' or good in man and love him
because of the goodness you see in him. Mark
well that person who criticizes and maligns the
man of God or the Lord's anointed leaders in his
Church. Such a one speaks from an impure
heart."
6. Blessed Are the Merciful
"Our salvation rests upon the mercy we show to
others. Unkind and cruel words, or wanton acts
of cruelty toward man or beast, even though in
seeming retaliation, disqualify the perpetrator in
his claims for mercy when he has need of mercy
in the day of judgment before earthly or heavenly
tribunals. Is there one who has never been
wounded by the slander of another whom he
thought to be his friend? Do you remember the
struggle you had to refrain from retribution?
Blessed are all you who are merciful for you
shall obtain mercy!"
7. Blessed Are the Peacemakers
"Peacemakers shall be called the children of God.
The troublemaker, the striker against law and
order, the leader of the mob, the law-breaker are
prompted by motives of evil and unless they
desist will be known as the children of Satan
rather than God. Withhold yourselves from him
who would cause disquieting doubts by making
light of sacred things for he seeks not for peace
but to spread confusion. That one who is
quarrelsome or contentious, and whose
arguments are for other purposes than to resolve
the truth, is violating a fundamental principle laid
down by the Master as an essential in the
