An Expositional Study Of The Sermon On The Mount
PORTRAIT OF THE IDEAL CITIZEN
Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:3-12 (KJV)
The plan is the new man
In the evident estimation of the Master, the basis of the new plan is the new man. So, here at the beginning He unveils for our examination and emulation a portrait of the ideal citizen of the kingdom. Whatever else we may learn about him, we see that he is no gloomy individual. We can be sure that if a Christian is gloomy there is something wrong, somewhere. The ideal described here is far from that. The Word employed by the Master is translated in the A.V. forty-three times as “blessed,” and six times as “happy.” A few commentators render it by the phrase, “to be congratulated.” Perhaps a blend of the three ideas will give us its real intention. Anyway, it is a word full of sunshine, thrilling with music. The lines of the portrait bring to us our Lord’s conception of the deeply blessed and happy man, the man truly to be congratulated: how different from the world’s idea of the matter. The description must have greatly astonished the multitude that listened on the fringe of the circle of disciples. With some of them there was the surprise of admiration; how magically beautiful it all was: “never man spake like this Man.” The surprise of incredulity belonged to others; these things were too high, they could never be; to not a few would come the surprise of repugnance; who wants such feeble qualities, let us have done with all such visionary virtues, let us look for manlier things, for things that will stand up to the claims and clashes of this sordid and practical work-a-day world. Yes, doubtless all such reactions found a lodgment in the minds of those either in the inner ring or in the outer circle: but, what do we think of this portrait?
Remember, here are not eight men, but eight sides of one man – Christ’s ideal man. Let us consider his features. Note first,
The feature of need
“The poor in spirit.” This seems a strange beginning for an ideal personality. It does not mean one who is poor spirited. God’s men are finer spirited than any men on God’s earth. But, one must begin low in order to build high. As William Harrison often said, “Stoop, man, stoop; the door into the kingdom is low.” The real significance of this word “poor” seems to be, beggars. People who have absolutely nothing, who depend completely and entirely on the benevolence of another; “Nothing in my hand I bring.” Here we have the picture of a man who is conscious of having nothing, and being nothing. To the Laodicean church it was written, in Revelation 3:17, “Thou . . . knowest not that thou are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” But when a man does know, he is well on the way to blessing. Paul speaks of such “as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (2 Cor. 6:10).
“Their’s is the kingdom of heaven”
To his sense of need that he will never lose there succeeds a sense of affluence: all the resources of the kingdom are at his disposal. Truly, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory” (1 Sam. 2:8). In this kingdom it is from paupers that princes are made. What lucky beggars we are. The kingdom becomes personal the moment we enter into it by the new birth, in accordance with the commands of Jesus Christ. Thereafter the individual Christian is entitled to and has access to the wealth of a kingdom – THE KINGDOM. No wonder Paul is constrained in 2 Corinthians 9:8 to say, “That ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound unto every good work.” What a great truth: the poor beggar is to be congratulated because he is in a position to draw on such an inexhaustible supply. Yet, when he compares possibility with performance, how far short he falls; and how grieved he is at the thought. Look again at his portrait, and unmistakably see
The feature of sorrow
“They that mourn.” Of course, it is beautifully true that what we usually think of as the mourner is blessed with His comfort; broken hearts always find solace in the Lord’s understanding sympathy, and lonely hearts may be assured of His abiding companionship; but this is probably not the kind of mourning that is in the Master’s mind here. It seems to us that there is a sequence in these Beatitudes. Each is a precious jewel, but not just one of a handful promiscuously thrown out. Rather they are strung together on a golden thread: each leading to the next. It is mourners over ill performance that we believe the Master is thinking of; and,
“They shall be comforted”
Comfort means more than just solace: it means strength. In Jeremiah 10, speaking about the fashioners of an idol god, the prophet says, “They fasten it with nails” (v. 4). Another translation has it, “They comfort it with nails” – strengthen it. The same idea is in Acts 9:31, “walking . . . in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.” Yes, that is it; they are happy who mourn over their failure, if their sense of disappointment leads them to seek from God the strength to do better, to come up to the standard that should characterize all who have the measureless resources of the kingdom to draw on. But will such strength minister to their pride? Quite the reverse: note,
The feature of yieldingness
“Blessed are the meek.” No one who has ever tried to be meek will mistake meekness for weakness: it is one of the strong qualities of character. Remember how prominent it was in the make-up of Moses? “The man Moses was very meek” (Num 12:3). He was certainly no weakling. There is another thing recorded of him in Exodus 32:32 that may help us see the nature of this thing: “and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book.” There we have it: a kind of self-effacement. A truly meek man is ready to waive rights and privileges, not because he is weak; but, on the contrary, because he is strong. He will give way to others, not always wanting his own way or looking after his own interests; but surrendering his wishes, for the sake of peace or help. Philippians 4:5 says, “Let your moderation be known unto all men.” Luther rendered it, “let your yieldingness.” Of course, a Christian can never yield principle; but, many of us have edges and corners that concern temperament rather than principle, and it is the mark of true humility and real strength to yield. Also, he will give way to God. Oh, to be meek as our Savior: “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me” (John 6:38). “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39).
“They shall inherit the earth”
Yes, the meek shall inherit the earth. Even now the meek have a wonderful way of entering into the produce of earth. Probably several of us could bring up one of God’s saints we have known to whom God ministered all the material necessities they needed. When such is His plan, He is able to lay all earth under tribute to supply His people’s need. Perhaps that is the real meaning of 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, “all things are yours . . . all are yours; and ye are Christ’s.” The only thing that is not yours is yourself; but God can take everything else for your need and your good. In a true sense, this is in a measure to inherit the earth; part of the blessedness of the meek. Yet, such material gain will not satisfy; so we look again at his portrait to discover,
The feature of appetite
“They which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Some people hunger for wealth, fame, lust, pleasure, or success; but these never satisfy; they do not quench thirst, as does pure water, but only intensify it, as salt water does. These “blessed” ones of whom the Master speaks, are always grateful for the material provision that rewards their meekness; but they long for something other, something deeper than the earthly: they have a voracious appetite for goodness. “Righteousness” – to be right with God and with others: that is their deepest desire; and, thanks be to God,
“They shall be filled”
Here is a desire that can never fail to find satisfaction. It shall be true hereafter: “I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness” (Ps. 17:15). Also, It will be continually true here, “For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness” (Ps. 107:9). It only remains to ask ourselves whether our wish for this righteousness, this goodness, is to be dignified with such intense words as “hunger and thirst” – do we faint with hunger? Do we pant for thirst? This beatitude is not attached to a vague feeling that we would like to be a little better than we are, but to a consuming longing of the soul. One of the sure signs that we are growing in this goodness; that we are being “filled” with this “righteousness,” is when we have a thought, not of judgment, but of sympathy for those who may still be on lower rungs of the ladder. In the picture of this ideal citizen, we note,
The feature of kindliness
“The merciful.” The more righteousness we have ourselves, the more leniencies (not laxity) we will show toward others. Those who hurt us may not be totally to blame. For example, that supposed friend who was so rude the other day – that bitterly cold and windy day. He was so rude that the thought crossed the mind never to speak to him again. But, he did not reveal that he had just learned he had cancer, with only six months to live. That old saying, “To know all is to forgive all,” has a world of experience commending it. So, perhaps we should be merciful and not judge harshly and hastily; there might be a very good explanation.
Illustration
In a last letter written to his mother, just prior to her death, William Harrison wrote: “Last Sunday morning I was very angry with a rude old man, who, instead of listening to my sermon, read a book the whole time I was preaching and paid absolutely no attention. I discovered later that night, that he was reading his Bible and was completely deaf. You would not have been happy with me, so I wanted you to know that this has partially cured me of such unkind judging. Pray for me because it is my goal to be entirely cured.”
Also, those who fall short of the standard may have an explanation, if not excuses. None of us know all the circumstances; we do not know the temptations, so let us go through this world with a big heart of understanding pity. And even when there is no excuse for someone’s behavior, especially toward us, let us still be merciful; for
“They shall obtain mercy”
An old Greek writer has said, “Tis kindness that still begets kindness,” and that has proven itself beautifully true over and over again. We reap what we sow, even from others. They may at first be resentful or suspicious; but as they perceive the sincerity of our kindliness they will come to pay us back in our own coinage – a truly profitable, interest-bearing, currency. Let us never forget that they who show mercy to others will themselves find God’s mercy, and how constantly Christians need that. His judicial mercy will become ours the day we are born again; His providential mercy is often needed because of how we behave. To that end, our kindliness must not only be of outward demeanor, but of inward heart. This is applicable to all these virtues. For example, look at the portrait again, and see
The feature of cleanness
“The pure in heart.” Those who heard the Master’s words were thoroughly familiar with ceremonial purity, the washed hands, and so on. They were assiduous in external purity, the washing of the outside of the cup and the platter. They needed to grasp the fundamental importance of internal purity, the washing of the heart; made clean and kept clean.
Illustration
A known gangster was converted and later explained that it was “as if God had taken a sponge and wiped his heart clean. But,” he said, “while that is all right as far as it goes; it needs to not only be clean on the surface, but clean right through.” So, he spent the rest of his life taking the Gospel to those we are often prone to set aside as “criminal.”
The holy hill demands not only clean hands, but a pure heart. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully” (Ps. 24:3- 4). The Psalmist’s prayer covers the whole, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps. 51:10). Thrice blessed are those who have so precious a gift; even for its own sake because it is nice to be clean. But even more for what follows,
”They shall see God”
There is seeing and there is seeing. This is not the passing glance of a casual acquaintance; this is the continual look of a blessed intimacy. To see Him in this way is to get an inkling of His loveliness, a glimpse of His heart, an idea of His mind, a sight of His love, a reminder of His comfort, a glance of His encouragement.
Illustration
The story is told of a ship in a storm; the passengers were huddled in frightened groups below. One of them, clinging precariously, crept up toward the deck and speedily returned with the heartening encouragement, “It’s all right, I've just seen the captain’s face.” That one look at the joyous master, of the skipper’s countenance, was enough.
Hebrews 11:27 tells us that “Seeing Him Who is invisible” was the secret of Moses’ magnificent endurance. As long as Peter kept his eyes on the Lord Jesus he could tread the waves, but the moment his eyes strayed to the storm, he began to sink (Matt. 14:30). There may be plenty of storms for us in life, but they can be triumphantly overcome if only we can “see” God. One day, “we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). Meanwhile, every day, we may see Him as He reveals Himself to pure hearts. What a blessed privilege. But let us always bear in mind that it is only as the window is kept clean that the vision is kept clear. Sight is easily lost if the window is shaken or shattered by strife and discord. Behold, then, in the portrait,
The feature of harmony
“The peacemakers.” In this present age there is widespread need for the exercise of that divine art, in the world, in the home, and even in the Lord’s church. While hard to believe, there are disturbers of the peace even in the body of Christ, the church. What a terrible witness – a church’s happy and spirited joy and testimony badly hurt because some of its leaders are at loggerheads, squabbling over personal differences until a split in the church is accomplished. How infinitely sad; but it seems to happen all too frequently today. What blest employ; trying to get people reconciled to God and then reconciled to one another. Of course, we should make no peace with evil; but personal differences, yes. Yes, we all would do well to retain, as did our Master, a capacity for indignation against all that is cruel, hypocritical, unrighteous, and wrong. But, this aside, who will not chose to be a peacemaker? It will sometimes need courage; it will always call for tact: but these are gifts that we may seek from God. And as far as personal self is concerned, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you (i.e. you on your part) live peaceably with all men” (Rom.12:18; emphasis added). Here is the chief reward of this noble task:
“They shall be called the children of God”
It does not mean that He calls them that. He gave them that name when they received Him, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12), whether or not they assume this role of peacemaker. It is that other people call them so. “Like father, like son,” we say; and because this is a fundamental characteristic of God, we call those who practice it, His children. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19); “Having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:20). Certainly, God is a Peacemaker; and when men see one whose heart is devoted to this blessed task, they are likely, sooner or later, to recognize him as one of the “children” of God. They will say, “If ever there was a real Christian that is one.” It is a rare honor to be recognized as a child of God; but there is another side; there might arise opposition from the enemy, so we find a last trait in this portraiture,
The feature of loyalty
“They which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” Of course, we must make sure that we are persecuted “falsely,” as verse 11 says. In other words, that we have given no cause for it, that we have not in any way provoked it by wrong behavior, and that we do not deserve what we get. If we are ill-treated for no other reason than our loyalty to Him, “for My sake” (Matt. 5:11); then we enter into an honored company, “the prophets which were before you” (Matt. 5:12). We become possessed of a great joy, “rejoice, and be exceeding glad” (Matt. 5:12); we look forward to a glorious future, “great is your reward in heaven” (Matt. 5:12). Even now there is the blessedness of a nearness to Him, and intimacy with Him, of which all the persecuted have born testimony; from Paul in Rome, to John on Patmos. Physical persecution may not be our lot; but ridicule, social ostracism, mental cruelty, verbal scorn, may come to us; for if we follow Jesus Christ closely, we must not be surprised if we are hit by some of the mud and stones that are thrown at Him. If such becomes our experience, will we be ashamed or afraid, or will we be brave enough to stand steadfastly loyal at any cost? “Blessed,” if so; for
“Their’s is the kingdom of Heaven”
But we’ve had this before. It came in the first Beatitude, and now in the eighth. It has been called, “the unending octave” – the eighth note the same as the first, only higher up the scale. The repeated phrase has also been called, “the two gates of the garden – the nether gate and the farther gate.” We would amend this last statement thus: a lovely garden this certainly is, with these qualities as its exquisite flowers. The entrance gate is a lowly one, we must stoop as “poor in spirit,” to enter the lovely place, “the kingdom of heaven.” After sojourning awhile in the glorious pleasances, we come at last on the second gate, which turns out to be not just the exit from our beautiful garden, but the entrance into a garden more beautiful still, “the kingdom of heaven” in fullness. To this shall the loyal persecuted have, and then not a lowly entrance, but an abundant entrance, such as 2 Peter 1:11 describes, “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
End of the ideal portrait
Even though utterly inadequate and unworthy, our consideration of the ideal portrait is finished; its wonderful qualities displayed. This is the style and size of person the Lord Jesus wants and expects us all to be. How terribly humbling to look on that picture of what we should be, and then to look on what we really are. How far off this ideal citizen many of us are. At least, we speak for ourselves.
Summary
The Master has here been concerned to display these qualities before our eyes; it has not been His intention, at the moment, to tell us how those qualities may be obtained. That secret He revealed later through His servant Paul in Galatians 5:22-23, where, in dealing with the same sort of characteristics, “love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control” – he tells us they are “the fruit of the Spirit.” They are not put on from outside, as if the fruit were tied to the tree; but they grow from inside, from the life-giving Spirit, Who indwells every child of God, “the Holy Ghost . . . is in you” (1 Cor. 6:19). There lies our hope, our only hope; there is our secret, our all- sufficient secret. How blessed, how happy is the one here depicted. Let this one word be added, that the Holy Spirit does this for the one who, on his part, abides in (obeys) Christ, according to the Master’s own statement in John 15:4-5; if, and as, we abide, we abound.
