Almost every Christian has read the Sermon on the Mount, yet very few truly understand it. Today, I am writing this article in the hope of helping them. May God bless His people.
In this passage, Jesus first proclaims nine blessings to His disciples (Matthew 5:3–12), then provides teachings on conduct (Matthew 5:13–7:20), and finally emphasizes the necessity of putting these teachings into practice (Matthew 7:21–27). What Jesus said aligns with the Christian experience: grace comes first, making faith possible (Romans 10:14), and by abiding in faith and demonstrating corresponding actions, one can ultimately be saved (Romans 6:19; Romans 13:11–14; James 2:14–26).
Let’s begin with the nine blessings. Among them, the first two point to Jesus’ first coming, the next two point to His second coming, and the remaining five point to the conduct of Christians between these two comings.
The first blessing is given to those who are poor in spirit. They lack the Holy Spirit (the Spirit can also be translated as the Holy Spirit), belong to the flesh, are under the law, and do not receive God’s favor (Galatians 3:1–5; Romans 1:11). Jesus’ first coming brought the gospel of forgiveness; those who believe will receive the Holy Spirit, who is the believer’s guarantee of the kingdom of heaven (Ephesians 1:14).
The second blessing is given to those who mourn. They grieve over their transgressions (Joel 2:12–13), and the gospel can comfort them.
The third blessing is given to the meek. They keep themselves from evil and trust in God to do good (Psalm 37:1–11). Christ’s second coming brings righteous and comprehensive judgment, at which time these people will inherit the kingdom of heaven (Isaiah 57:13).
The fourth blessing is given to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Their longing will be satisfied through Christ’s judgment (Revelation 6:9–11).
The fifth blessing is given to the merciful. They forgive their brothers in Christ who have sinned against them, thereby preserving themselves in God’s mercy (Matthew 18:35).
The sixth blessing is given to the pure in heart. Their hearts are filled with truth, not loving false doctrine (1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy 2:22–23). They know God (Galatians 4:9; 1 Corinthians 13:12).
The seventh blessing is given to peacemakers. They love their brothers in the Lord who hate them. Because they possess the nature of the heavenly Father, Jesus calls them sons of God (Matthew 5:44–45).
The eighth blessing is given to those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. They are hated by the kingdoms of the earth, but they will inherit the kingdom of heaven.
The ninth blessing is given to those who are persecuted for Christ’s sake. They will receive a great reward from heaven.
After interpreting the nine blessings, it is time to interpret the Lord Jesus’ teachings. Jesus first instructed His disciples on how to preach the gospel (Matthew 5:13–16), then told them that the gospel does not contradict the law but fulfills it (Matthew 5:17; Jesus atoned for humanity’s sins on the cross, enabling the righteousness of the Law to be imputed to those who believe). Finally, by emphasizing that God’s righteousness — represented by the Law — remains unchanging, He required His disciples to practice righteousness (Matthew 5:18–20) and provided corresponding teachings (Matthew 5:21–7:20).
According to the teachings of the Lord Jesus, Christians have two roles in evangelism: one is salt, and the other is light. Salt symbolizes God’s righteousness and judgment (Genesis 19:26; Zephaniah 2:9), while light symbolizes God’s forgiveness (Matthew 4:16; John 1:4). Therefore, when sharing the gospel, Christians must first lead people to confess their sins before proclaiming God’s forgiveness. Some Christians, seeking to please outsiders, preach only God’s love without proclaiming confession. They are salt that has lost its flavor.
Regarding how to practice righteousness, Jesus offered teachings that diverged from the legal traditions of His day. These legal traditions instructed the Israelites on how to treat others under the same law, so Jesus’ teachings should also be understood as instructing His disciples on how to treat others of the same faith.
The first teaching was to avoid anger toward one’s brother. Jesus did not mean that those who became angry had no hope of entering the kingdom of heaven, but rather that they should make peace with their brother as soon as possible (Matthew 5:23–26).
The second teaching is to avoid lusting after women. Jesus meant to forbid disciples from worshiping idols in their hearts. In the Bible, adultery often signifies the sin of betraying God and turning to worship idols (Exodus 34:15; Numbers 25:1–2; Ezekiel 16:17; Matthew 12:39–42; Revelation 2:20). If a person worships idols in his heart, he has already betrayed God. Idol worship is a grave sin, and those who commit it will be cast off by God (Matthew 5:31–32), just as in Jeremiah 3:8, where the adulterous Israel was divorced by the Lord.
If we assume this teaching refers to matters between men and women, we cannot explain why the consequences of this sin are so severe — even to the point of gouging out an eye or cutting off a hand to avoid it. King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, yet God did not command him to inflict bodily harm. When a member of the Corinthian church committed sexual immorality by taking their stepmothers, Paul did not instruct him to harm himself. In Matthew 18:8–9, Jesus also taught to pluck out the eye or cut off the hand to avoid sin. There, the sin referred to causing a brother to fall away from the faith; here, the sin should likewise refer to causing someone to fall away from the faith. Idolatry is precisely such a sin.
The third teaching is to avoid swearing. Jesus meant for His disciples to steer clear of boasting. In 1 Corinthians, we see how boasting caused some church members to be esteemed while others were looked down upon, ultimately leading the church into division.
The fourth teaching is to avoid confronting evil people. Jesus meant that if a fellow believer wrongs you, you should endure it. From the text, the wrongdoing here is not grave sin (Matthew 5:39–41).
The fifth teaching is to love your enemies. Jesus meant that if a brother in the Lord hates you, you should love him and pray for him.
The sixth teaching is to avoid hypocrisy, concerning almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. When speaking of prayer, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray and warned them that if they did not forgive others’ offenses, the Heavenly Father would not forgive them either. Here, “offenses” does not refer to all sins, but specifically to those committed by disciples in daily life after believing in Christ due to fleshly weakness or momentary confusion (just like daily bread). Christians should forgive such offenses, for they themselves are not immune to committing them. As for grave sins, Christians have no obligation to forgive. Though some Christians may have committed them before conversion, they will not commit them after conversion unless their faith is false (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).
The judges and David showed no tolerance toward the nations seeking to destroy or oppress Israel (Hebrews 11:32–34). Even when Christians committed grave sins, the apostles showed no tolerance (1 Corinthians 5:13; 3 John 1:10). These instances of intolerance are recorded in Scripture as examples. The gospel is the gospel of forgiveness for sinners, but only those who believe receive forgiveness, while unbelievers are condemned (John 3:18). Jesus did not proactively forgive (heal) the Canaanite woman’s daughter until He saw the woman’s faith (Matthew 15:21–28). On the cross, He forgave those who crucified Him because they did not know He was the Son of God, but instead thought He had committed blasphemy (Luke 23:34; 1 Corinthians 2:8). As for the scribes who understood the Holy Spirit’s work yet went out to slander Him, Jesus showed them no tolerance (Mark 3:28–30). Therefore, for universally recognized grave sins like murder, rape, kidnapping, or robbery — regardless of who commits them against Christians — Christians bear no obligation to tolerate them. Brothers, let no one deceive you any longer!
The seventh teaching is to avoid coveting wealth. Coveting wealth leads to valuing money over the Lord. This is the same as idol worship. Idol worship is a betrayal of faith and will cause one to lose the light of life.
The eighth teaching is avoid judging others. Jesus meant not to judge brothers in the Lord. As for unbelievers, Christians should judge them so they may be saved.
The ninth teaching is to avoid casting pearls before swine. Jesus meant that Christians should value themselves. If someone rejects the gospel or goodwill shown by Christians and instead attacks them, Christians should not continue to offer these good things to such people.
The tenth teaching is to be kind to others.
The eleventh teaching is to guard against false prophets. Christians can recognize them by their deeds (Matthew 3:8). Any prophet who does not act according to Jesus’ teachings is a false prophet.
These are the teachings of Jesus. After reading them, we understand that Jesus’ burden is light (Matthew 11:30) and does not exceed human capacity. Some believe that since the Pharisees and scribes diligently followed the law, Christians must adhere to an even higher standard to surpass them. But did they ever truly practice the law? The hypocrisy (Matthew 23:23), the extortion of property (Mark 12:40), the oppression of the righteous (Matthew 23:34), and the slander of the true doctrine (Matthew 12:22–37) — even the upright among the Gentiles would not do such things. How much easier, then, is it for you to surpass them?
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