The Sermon on the Mount centrally speaks about Jesus’s exposition of the law and its application that leads to transformation of the inward person reflected in the outer works of man. In these chapters Jesus seeks to remind the people of the intent of the Law of God and also to empower them to keep it. The main point of the law is found in chapter 5: 48, “Be ye therefore perfect as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”. This perfection is the fulfillment of the verses in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, as restated in Luke 10:27: love God and love your neighbor. But the fulfillment of this commandment of perfection is not mere moralism. External acts do not suffice. There must be heart transformation and engagement in our relationship
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As David Hill says, these people are longing for something spiritual (Hill, D., 1975, p. 113).Their hunger cannot be satisfied with things of this world, it can only be satisfied by God as Psalm 90:14 says “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” The first four beatitudes are concerned with waiting, as G.E.P. Cox, (. Cox ,G.E.P ,1952) says, the poor in spirit, the mournful, the meek, the hungry and thirsty are waiting for the promise of the kingdom of heaven to come true for them. Or as , Herschel H. Hobbs says, these four are “the essence of the Christian character” ( Hobbs, H. H., 1961, p. 36). The next three, merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, are the “expression of the Christian character” ( Hobbs, H. H., 1961, p. 36). Once you are dependent upon God, knowing and repenting of your sins, desiring more of God and his character, then you are able to be merciful, see this broken world the same way God sees it. You will be able to keep your motives clean, your love will be without conceit, your actions without pride. David Hill brings out that peacemakers “Does not mean people who live in peace, practising non-resistance, but those who actually bring about peace, overcoming evil with good” (Hill, D., 1975, p. 113). According to H.H. Hobbs, the last blessing is the “experience of the Christian character” ( …show more content…
He assures them that he has not come to change the law but to fulfill it, but he is going to do it properly. It is as if he is saying: “Here is what I want from you…” and then gives us the beatitudes, then he goes on to say “here is what you’ve been doing and this is how that is wrong. I will give you the right way to do it so that you may inherit the kingdom in the end.” Jesus assures them that the problem is not the law, it never was. It was the way they have chosen to apply the law to their life that was the problem. The problem was not how strict you are with yourself in obeying the law, but how honest you are before God as you obey that law. The law said clearly “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart” (Deut. 6:5-6) and also “you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (Lev. 19: 18). The first one has to do with God and how we relate to him and the beatitudes clarify that. The second one as Romans 13:9-10 says, love is the fulfillment of this
As David Hill says, these people are longing for something spiritual (Hill, D., 1975, p. 113).Their hunger cannot be satisfied with things of this world, it can only be satisfied by God as Psalm 90:14 says “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” The first four beatitudes are concerned with waiting, as G.E.P. Cox, (. Cox ,G.E.P ,1952) says, the poor in spirit, the mournful, the meek, the hungry and thirsty are waiting for the promise of the kingdom of heaven to come true for them. Or as , Herschel H. Hobbs says, these four are “the essence of the Christian character” ( Hobbs, H. H., 1961, p. 36). The next three, merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, are the “expression of the Christian character” ( Hobbs, H. H., 1961, p. 36). Once you are dependent upon God, knowing and repenting of your sins, desiring more of God and his character, then you are able to be merciful, see this broken world the same way God sees it. You will be able to keep your motives clean, your love will be without conceit, your actions without pride. David Hill brings out that peacemakers “Does not mean people who live in peace, practising non-resistance, but those who actually bring about peace, overcoming evil with good” (Hill, D., 1975, p. 113). According to H.H. Hobbs, the last blessing is the “experience of the Christian character” ( …show more content…
He assures them that he has not come to change the law but to fulfill it, but he is going to do it properly. It is as if he is saying: “Here is what I want from you…” and then gives us the beatitudes, then he goes on to say “here is what you’ve been doing and this is how that is wrong. I will give you the right way to do it so that you may inherit the kingdom in the end.” Jesus assures them that the problem is not the law, it never was. It was the way they have chosen to apply the law to their life that was the problem. The problem was not how strict you are with yourself in obeying the law, but how honest you are before God as you obey that law. The law said clearly “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart” (Deut. 6:5-6) and also “you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (Lev. 19: 18). The first one has to do with God and how we relate to him and the beatitudes clarify that. The second one as Romans 13:9-10 says, love is the fulfillment of this