At this point in His ministry Jesus goes up to a mountain to pray, where He stays all night in prayer (Lk. 6: 12). Upon His return in the morning, Jesus sets out to ordain His chosen apostles upon whom He will build His Church. Many of these men were already part of His "inner circle", as we have seen in our earlier studies in this Gospel Harmony study. Mark and Luke give us some personnel insights into several members of the Twelve. It is at this point (although it is not the first time), that Simon's name becomes Peter for most of the remainder of the Gospel, although he is still called Simon from time to time. Peter's role of "the rock on whom I will build My Church", is reflected in the surname Peter which is a derivative of "rock", or "stone". James and John the sons of Alpheaus are given the nickname the "Sons of Thunder", or as Mark refers to them the "Boanerges" an Aramaic term in deference to his Gentile audience, which carries the same meaning as above. James and John were very outspoken and intense, which got them in trouble on occasion. Thaddaeus is the only disciple who has a different name in each of the lists of the names of the Twelve.² This is likely to avoid confusion with Judas Iscariot. The other Simon was known as the Canaanite, which was a transliteration of an Aramaic word which means "to be zealous", used in reference to those who were zealous about the Law. Luke uses a transliteration from the Greek for "the Zealot", in different translations we simply see him referred to as "Simon the Zealot". And finally, Judas Iscariot* who is referred to as the betrayer in some fashion in all of the lists of the original Twelve.

His calling of the Twelve was based on sovereign prerogative, the text indicates His choosing based upon His own divine wishes, towards His own purpose.** Even Judas Iscariot was chosen based upon Christ's divine purpose, although he is responsible for his own actions in betraying Christ, his purpose was to do so. Jesus chose these men as the foundation for His Church, and ordained them to that purpose. The ordination of the Twelve involved giving them, primarily, the authority to preach the Word, as well as sign gifts to confirm their being sent from Him, i.e. the authority to cast out demons. Later, they would be given the power of the Holy Spirit to heal, raise the dead, and speak in tongues. These sign gifts would be one way of confirming their authority to speak on the Lord's behalf before the completion of the rest of the canon of Scripture. Our authority is no longer based upon these "sign gifts", but as a result of speaking forth the Word of God as it is written in the Holy Scriptures, this is how we are able to say "thus sayeth the Lord" with authority.

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¹Matthews mention of the Twelve comes latter in his Gospel, we have listed it as a confirmation of the lists given in Mark and Luke.

²Mk 3: 18 Thaddaeus. The only name that is not the same in all the NT lists of the Twelve (cf. Matt. 10: 2-4; Luke 6: 14-16; Acts 1: 13). Matthew calls him Lebbaeus, with Thaddaeus as a surname (Matt. 10: 3); Luke and Acts call him "Judas the son of James"; and John 14: 22 refers to him as "Judas (not Iscariot)." John MacArthur; The MacArthur Bible Commentary; Copyright Ó 2005; published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Page 1205

*Mk 3: 19 Iscariot. This Hebrew term means "man of Kerioth," as in Kerioth-Hezron, south of Hebron (Josh. 15: 25). John MacArthur; The MacArthur Bible Commentary; Copyright Ó 2005; published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Page 1205

**2309. θέλω thélō; fu thelé̄sō. To will, wish, desire, implying active volition and purpose. ^{Zodhiates, Spiros ; Baker, Warren: The Complete Word Study Bible : King James Version. electronic ed. Chattanooga : AMG Publishers, 2000, c1991, c1994, S. Ge 1:1}

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There was a great multitude that was following Jesus, and so He set Himself up on a mountain, and once He was ready He called His disciples to Him and began to teach them. Often the Sermon on the Mount is taught in small bites, which can lead to this section of Scripture being treated as "several sayings" of Christ. But the Sermon on the Mount is a continuous whole, and to understand it correctly each section has to read in light of what was said before. As a class we are going to break it down into bite size pieces to help us to understand the context better, but Jesus would not have had to do the same with His first century audience, they would have heard the sermon as a continuous whole, being familiar with the manner of first century speech. In order to get a feel for this as a sermon, rather than a collection of sayings, the class is going to read the entire Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5: 3-7: 29) aloud first, and then begin to break it down over the next few Sunday evenings. I would suggest for those of you reading this on the internet that you would read it straight through (ignoring the sub-headings, and the chapter breaks), as a continuous whole, I think that just reading it as it was heard will eliminate some incorrect notions about parts of the sermon. May God add His blessing to the reading and the hearing of His Word!

"The Sermon on the Mount introduces a series of five important discourses recorded in Matthew. The sermon exposits the law masterfully and assaults Pharisaic legalism potently, closing with a call to true faith and salvation (7: 13-29). In it Christ expounds the full meaning of the law, showing that its demands are humanly impossible (5: 48). This proper use of the law with respect to salvation closes off every possible avenue of human merit leaves sinners dependent on nothing but divine grace for salvation (cf. Rom. 3: 19, 20; Gal. 3: 23, 24). Christ plumbs the depth of the law, showing that its true demands go far beyond the surface meaning of the words (5: 28, 39, 44) and set a standard that is higher than that the most diligent students of the law have realized (5: 20)."¹ John MacArthur

The "Beatitudes" (Mt. 5: 3-12) as they are called have been poorly handled by many teachers. They have been drug through the mud so much I don't even have the energy to list even a couple of the ways we have mistreated this portion of the Sermon on the Mount. Christ is here handing out covenant blessings and curses, not your best life now promises. Note that St. Matthew is careful to inform us that Christ has gathered around Himself His own disciples, and is at first speaking to them, of course the rest of the crowds are listening in, and certainly these "Beatitudes" apply to all believers. The Greek word translated "blessed" in these verses is 3107 makarios {mak-ar'-ee-os}, which expresses more than a surface emotion, and this stylistic expression also implies that the one who is making the blessing is God.² These are not intended to be pursued individually to obtain the following blessing, these are qualities that are found in the life of the regenerate.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit." The first of the "Beatitudes" speaks of the "poor in spirit." Those who are poor in spirit are the ones that realize their own utter spiritual bankruptcy, and know that they owe all to God's grace. These individuals are acutely aware of their lack of righteousness, and utter dependency on God's grace alone for their salvation. This is the type of person that inherits the kingdom of Heaven, not the self sufficient, but the utterly dependent. This verse and the following clearly presupposes the truth of salvation by grace. So those who are conscious of their own spiritual poverty, and their utter dependence on God's grace, will participate in all the covenant blessings of the New Covenant which are summed up in the Kingdom of heaven. Notice that the implication is made that although there will be blessings here on earth, the most important blessings are those that come after in the Kingdom of heaven, which will be demonstrated throughout this passage, and it is these blessings that we should seek after first and foremost. The person who seeks only after worldly things, and earthly rewards is not the person/persons being described here by our Lord.

"Blessed are they that mourn……" Those who mourn after their sin, and its affront to God, who are driven by that godly sorrow to repentance, which leads to salvation (2 Cor. 7: 10), "will be comforted." Their comfort will come from their salvation, and forgiveness (Is. 40: 1, 2).

"Blessed are the meek." The Greek word translated "meek" is 4239 praus { prah-ooce'}, which indicates a mildness of spirit that is directed to God, and places confidence in His ability to defend His elect against injustice.* This is a person of immense self control,** aided and empowered by the Holy Spirit to take all manner of abuse, who is able to get along with even the worst of peoples, both believer and non-believer. "For they shall inherit the earth" is a quote from Psalm 37: 11.***

"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness." Christ speaks of those who seek after God's righteousness, realizing that they cannot establish righteousness of their own (Romans 10: 3, 4; Phil. 3: 9). It is impossible for man to live out the righteousness of the law on his own, which Christ will reveal in His explanation of the law in the sermon. Those who seek after God's own righteousness will be filled, and therefore experience a right relationship with God, which is more satisfying than any righteousness of their own could ever be.

"Blessed are the merciful." It is in the nature of someone who has been forgiven great wrong to be forgiving to others, for as we are forgiven, we should forgive. Mercy is a fruit of regeneration that flows from out of our correct understanding of from whence we came. When we were yet the enemies of Christ, He died for our transgressions, can we be any less merciful to our own enemies? In fact it is taught in the Scriptures that if it is a fruit of regeneration to be merciful, those who are unable to forgive need to fear that they have not an assurance of forgiveness (James 2: 13). The one who practices mercy, as our Father has been merciful to him has assurance of his own sins have been forgiven.

"Blessed are the pure in heart." Jesus is not referring to the outward appearance of purity, but the actual state of the heart. Only those who have been given a new heart of flesh, in place of their old heart of stone will be able to see God. This pureness of the heart comes out a new affection for those things that are good, pure, and praiseworthy, over those vile affections that we had in our previous unregenerate state.

"Blessed are the peacemakers." "As all men are represented to be in a state of hostility to God and each other, the Gospel is called the Gospel of peace, because it tends to reconcile men to God to each other. Hence our Lord here terms peace-makers the children of God: for as he is the Father of peace, those who promote it are reputed to be His children."⁴ -- Adam Clarke

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted…." These are those who are persecuted because of their stand on the Gospel. The price for following Christ is higher for some than others, and for some of us it will require our lives. This should also tell us that we can expect to be persecuted because of Christ, which is quite the opposite of what we here from many pulpits in our land today. Our reward is in heaven, but here on earth we should expect to be treated as aliens and strangers, and even criminals. Look how the world treated our Lord, if we are His children should we expect any less?

"Blessed are you when men shall revile you….." The previous verse spoke of physical persecution, and all that men can physically do to you. This verse speaks of all the things that the tongue can do to us. Persecute here is a legal term that refers to all sorts of slander, and unsubstantiated charges brought against those who serve Christ in an attempt to discredit them and prosecution for spreading the Gospel.

"Rejoice and be glad." The world is at enmity with God, and is hostile towards the Gospel. Throughout redemptive history those who have come and said "thus sayeth the Lord" have faced great persecution at the hands of those who would silence their cries on behalf of the Lord. We are in good company when we are persecuted because of the Gospel, and we should be happy to suffer as those who have come before us, and as our Lord suffered, for our reward for our faithfulness will be great in heaven.

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¹John MacArthur; The MacArthur Bible Commentary; Copyright Ó 2005; published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

²Blessed: 5: 3-5, 11; 16: 17; 24: 46; lit. "fortunate" or "happy." This term appears in classical Greek literature, in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT), and in the New Testament to describe the kind of happiness that comes only from God. In the New Testament, makarios is usually written without expressing the agent who blesses, that is, God. Thus "Blessed are the meek." This stylistic habit expresses reverence for the name of God, and readers would know that God is the One who is blessing or favoring the person. John MacArthur; The MacArthur Bible Commentary; Copyright Ó 2005; published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

*4239 praus { prah-ooce'}, 1) mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend them against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time. (Is. 41:17, Lu. 18:1-8) Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will. (Gal. 5:23)^{Zodhiates, Spiros ; Baker, Warren: The Complete Word Study Bible : King James Version. electronic ed. Chattanooga : AMG Publishers, 2000, c1991, c1994, S. Ge 1:1}

^{**5: 5 the meek. Meekness is the opposite of being out of control. It is not weakness, but rather supreme self-control empowered by the Spirit (Gal. 5: 23). John MacArthur; The MacArthur Bible Commentary; Copyright Ó 2005; published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.}

^{***Psalm 37: 11 "11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." King James Version}

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