Resource Detail

LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Matthew 5:1-16

Key Verse 5:14

Read vs. 1-2. This passage distinguishes "the crowds" from "His disciples". In what respect are the disciples different from the crowds (4:19)? Why is such a distinction needed for this passage? 

Read vs. 3-6. What does "poor in spirit" mean? Why is this quality first in Jesus’ message? How can someone who “mourns” be considered “blessed”? What are they mourning for? What does it mean to be “meek”? How will they inherit the earth? How can someone “hunger and thirst for righteousness”? What do being “poor in spirit,” “mourning,” “meek” and “hunger and thirst for righteousness” all have in common? 

Read vs. 7-12. How are the "merciful" blessed? What does it mean to be “pure in heart”? Why are “peacemakers” called “sons of God”? What do the “merciful”, “pure in heart”, and “peacemakers” have in common? What role do such people play in this world? How does the world treat these servants of God? Why are they still “blessed”? 

Read vs. 13. Who are the “salt of the earth”? What do they do exactly? What relevance do these people have if they develop the qualities in verses 3-12? What happens if they don’t? 

Read vs. 14-16. Who are the “light of the world”? What do they do for this dark world? What emphasis does Jesus make for them? What effect does the light have on others? Why is this important to God and us? 

YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Matthew 5:1-16

Key Verse 5:14

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”

In America we have several documents that are key to understanding the US government. We have the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. If you are born in the US, you are required to take a semester of US government in High School so that you can learn about the meaning of these documents. Probably in college you will come across more classes about government, maybe being taught by Professor Pyles of the Poli-Sci department. If you study these documents you quickly learn that a lot of thought was put into outlining what American is and what American's can and cannot do.citizens know how to act and what is fitting for society. Outlining what it means to be a citizen is a critical effort made by any government.

Today we are beginning to look into the passage of scripture known as the Sermon on the Mount. From chapters 5-7 Jesus declares what his kingdom is all about. Jesus outlines the qualities, characters, attitudes, motives and actions of his heavenly citizens. Anyone who desires to enjoy and participate successfully in Jesus kingdom must become completely indoctrinated by this passage of scripture.

Let's read verses 1 and 2.  "1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:"

As we have been going through the book of Matthew we have seen both John the Baptist and Jesus declaring, "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is near." The net result of this preaching was a heightened anticipation for the kingdom of Heaven. Many people had gathered around Jesus to hear more about the kingdom of Heaven. But there was a distinction among his listeners between those known as disciples and those known merely as the crowds. Jesus was teaching his disciples about heavenly citizenship here because they were the ones who were truly serious about the matter. However, the crowds who came to hear him were allowed to listen but they hadn't resolved their problem of commitment. What did Jesus then teach?

Look at verse 3.  3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." There are three parts here (1) Blessed, (2) the character quality; ex. poor in spirit (3) the promised result brought about by God. 

First let's think quickly about "blessed". The idea behind the ancient Greek word for blessed is "happy". But not happy in the modern sense of merely being comfortable or entertained or excited. Happy in the sense of complete joy, fulfillment and hope. Basically, in the godly sense of the word "happy".  Jesus uses this greek word for "blessed" or "happy" nine times in our passage!

Second, "The poor in spirit": This is not a man's confession that he is insignificant, or personally without value; that would be untrue. "The poor in spirit" are those who recognize that they have no spiritual "assets." They know they are spiritually bankrupt.

With the word "poor", Jesus uses the more severe term for poverty. It indicates someone who must beg for whatever they have or get. 

Third, "For theirs is the kingdom of heaven": Those who are poor in spirit, so poor they must beg, are indeed rewarded. They receive the "kingdom of heaven". Therefore, being poor inspirit is an absolute prerequisite for receiving the kingdom of heaven, because as long as we harbor illusions about our own spiritual resources we will never receive from God what we absolutely need to be saved. The call to be poor in spirit is placed first for a reason, because it puts the following commands into perspective. They cannot be fulfilled by one's own strength, but only by a beggar's reliance on God's power.

Next, we see that the godly reaction to poverty of spirit is mourning. Look at verse 4. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

The way this is worded in the original Greek indicates an intense degree of mourning. Jesus does not speak of casual sorrow for the consequences of our unspiritual condition but a deep grief before God over our fallen state.

So what do those who mourn actually mourn about? This is mourning on account of sin. To really be followers of Jesus, we must mourn over our sin and the ruin and separation from God that comes to our life from sin. We must mourn about how our sin damages the life of our neighbor and how sin creates hell instead of heaven. To mourn for sin means to get a sharp reality check to its destructiveness and danger. Since Jesus' kingdom is free from sin those who keep sinning cannot enter in. So we also mourn the general destruction and separation sin brings, far beyond the personal consequences to ourselves.

Is mourning perpetual though? The end of verse 4 reads "For they shall be comforted". Those who mourn over their sin and their sinful condition are promised comfort. God allows this grief into our lives as a path, not as a destination. Seasons of mourning over our sinfulness and fallen condition are a common pattern in this life and are perfectly normal. We should embrace these seasons of mourning over sin as a means to blessings. We need not judge those who are mourning over their sin but instead mourn together because Jesus says we are blessed to do so.

The next step: meekness. Look at verse 5. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

In the original Greek language, the meek person was not passive or easily pushed around. The main idea behind the word "meek" was strength under submission, like a horse that is trained to obey its master instead of running wild at its own will. 

To be meek means to show willingness to submit and work under proper authority. It also shows a willingness to disregard one's own "rights" and privileges.

For they shall inherit the earth: We can only be meek, willing to control our desire for our rights and privileges because we are confident God watches out for us, that He will protect our cause. The promise "they shall inherit the earth" proves that God will not allow His meek ones to end up on the short end of the deal.

When we have poverty of spirit, mourning for sin, and meekness a strong desire comes to the surface of our life — hunger for righteousness.

Look at verse 6, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

This describes a profound hunger that cannot be satisfied by a snack. This is a longing that endures and is never completely satisfied on this side of eternity. This is hunger for complete righteousness, not just enough to soothe a guilty conscience. Christians feel guilty because we know how we hunger for many wrong things: power, authority, success, comfort, pleasure - but how many hunger and thirst for righteousness? We see the 12 disciples hungering for glory and greatness in the passages of the Bible. If we find ourselves hungering for all the wrong things we need to look back at the first three character qualities and start over again; by the way, there is no shame in doing that. But what happens for those who hunger and thirst for right thing—that is righteousness?

"For they shall be filled" This is a strange filling that both satisfies us and keeps us longing for more. 

Through the first four beatitudes you'll notice that the physical man wouldn't find any happiness or blessedness in thins like being poor in spirit, , mourning or meekness, hungering and thirsting for righteousness. These are only a blessing for the spiritual man, those who are new creatures in Jesus. Many times though we default to our carnal idea of being blessed. So we pursue the pleasures, fun and sins of this world to bless ourselves. We have to take to heart that Jesus says we are "Blessed" or made "Happy" when we cultivate being "poor in spirit" or when we "mourn" deeply or when we allow God to break our willpower so we are meek. These spiritual pursuits are "blessed" and the way we can be "happy". Let's forget the old ways we made sought happiness and seek wholeheartedly these "blessings" that make us truly "happy". 

Look at verses 7-9.  "7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 

These verses show how the previously mentioned character traits display themselves among men.

The merciful care and reach out to help those that are in need, without demanding that they deserve such help. For they shall obtain mercy: If you want mercy from others - especially God - then you should take care to be merciful to others.

Blessed are the pure in heart: The pure of heart has the idea of straightness, honesty, and clarity. For they shall see God: In this, the pure of heart receive the most wonderful reward. They shall enjoy greater intimacy with God than they could have imagined.

Blessed are the peacemakers: This does not describe those who live in peace, but those who actually bring about peace, overcoming evil with good. The best way we accomplish this is through spreading the gospel, because God has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

For they shall be called sons of God: The reward of peacemakers is that they are recognized as true children of God. They share His passion for peace and reconciliation, the breaking down of walls between God and man.

The character traits described in the Beatitudes are not valued by our modern culture. We don't recognize or give awards to the "Most Pure in Heart" or "Most Poor in Spirit." Though our culture doesn't think much of these character traits, they do described the character of the citizens of God's kingdom. Because these are qualities of Jesus' kingdom the world's reception of these kind of people can be summarized with the word "persecution".

Look at verses 10-12. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Why will the world persecute us? Because the values and character expressed in these Beatitudes are so opposite to the world's manner of thinking. Our persecution may not be much compared to others, but if no one speaks evil of you, are these Beatitudes traits of your life?

The next section of our passage tells us where Jesus wants us to display these character qualities. I'll give you a hint, everywhere. Look at verses 13-16. 

 13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

 14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Jesus compares us to salt and light.

Disciples are like salt because they are precious. In Jesus' day, salt was a valued commodity. Roman soldiers were sometimes paid with salt, giving rise to the phrase "worth his salt." Disciples are like salt because they have a preserving influence. Salt was used to preserve meats, and to slow decay, and Christians should have a preserving influence on their culture. You are the salt of the earth: Disciples are like salt because they add flavor. Christians should be a "flavorful" people.

If the salt loses its flavor . . . it is then good for nothing: Salt must keep its "saltiness" to be of any value. When it is no good as salt, it is trampled under foot. In the same way, too many Christians loose their "flavor" and become good for nothing.

How are we like light though? 14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Jesus gives the Christian both a great compliment and a great responsibility when He says that we are the light of the world, because He claimed that title for Himself as He walked this earth (John 8:12 and John 9:5).

The purpose of light is to illuminate and expose what is there. Therefore, light must be exposed before it is of any use - if it is hidden under a bowl, it is no longer useful. When a Christian hides his light, he fights himself and the Holy Spirit by never letting his light so shine before men. Therefore, we should look for ways to let our light shine in greater and broader ways.

Of course the purpose in letting our light so shine by doing good works is so that others will glorify God. God's glory is the highest motive for life and ministry. But a key thought in both the pictures of salt and light is distinction. Salt is needed because the world is rotting and decaying and if our Christianity is also rotting and decaying, it won't be any good. Light is needed because the world is in darkness, and if our Christianity imitates the darkness, we have nothing to show the world.

To be effective we must seek and display the Christian distinctive that Jesus outlined here in the passage. We can never affect the world for Jesus by becoming like the world. Also, the salt and light metaphors remind us that the life marked by the beatitudes is not to be lived in isolation. We often assume that these inner qualities can only be developed or displayed away from the world, but Jesus wants us to live them out before the world.

Jesus never challenges us to become salt or light. He simply says that we are - and we are either fulfilling or failing that responsibility.

In summary we learned that there are many distinct ideas of "blessing" that Jesus has for his citizens. He has in mind a character and qualities that he can bless and use as a light for this dark world. We are blessed to be called as his heavenly citizens and we should take his outline of his kingdom with a sincere heart.

One Word: Blessed qualities of the kingdom.