Do Not Resist Mercy (Matthew 5:38-42)

Christ tells us that we are to turn the other cheek if someone slaps us. If someone takes us to court we give them more than they are asking in the settlement. If someone wants us to go one mile then we go with them two miles. If we take these words at face value they can become rather burdensome to the abused and the afflicted. We know that God defends the widow and the orphan so how can we care about injustice while hearing an exhortation to tolerate injustice?

Oaths: God's Yes and Amen People (Matthew 5:33-37)

Christ tells us not to take oaths, but we read the apostle Paul taking oaths and putting other people under oaths. Is Paul contradicting Christ? What does Christ intend for us by his exhortation not to take an oath?

More Than a Certificate (Matthew 5:31-32)

Christ commands us not to divorce. This seems to contradict Moses and not seem to account for abuse. What does Christ mean in the sermon on the mount? How has divorce been abused in Israel? What is Christ positively commanding about marriage?

You Shall Not Commit Adultery (Matt. 5:27-30)

Our Lord commands us not to commit adultery. We might think that in the most literal sense we have done very well. However, how does this command challenge us to live a deeper and more committed life to the Lord? What is the solution to our problem? It is important as we wrestle with these questions that we find our affirmation in our Lord.

You Shall Not Murder (Matthew 5:21-26)

It is very easy not to murder someone. We can tell that we are doing well because we have not literally killed a human being out of vengeance. However, Christ humbles us by telling us we have all murdered. How have we murdered an individual? Why is it important to know the right standard of holiness rather than our own holy standard?

I have Come to Fulfill (Matthew 5:17-20)

Christ tells us that he has come to fulfill. This means that Christ has come to put the law and the prophets in their place. In our culture putting someone in their place means we put them down or we knock them down a few pegs. This is not at all what Christ means. Christ has entered history, he has taken on the flesh, and he has done enter history as the God/man so that we can have life in him. Redemption is only found in our incarnate savior. As we are found in Christ we live as living sacrifices to Christ. It is very important that we understand Matthew 5:17-20 in its proper context so that we do not strive to keep the rigors of the law in our flesh, but as we walk by faith saying amen to the Lord’s promises.

You Are the Light (Matthew 5:14-16)

Our Lord says that you are the light of the world. This almost implies that we are call attention to our good works and the good things that we do.  This would mean that Christ is commanding us to be self righteous and to engage in a piety competition.  Are we really supposed to parade around our good works?  Why would Christ warn us about the outward pious acts of the pharisees?  How does being the light of the world humble us and exalt our God? 

You Are the Salt of the Earth (Matthew 5:13, 14)

Today when we mention that someone is salty we mean it as a bit of a warning. Saying that someone is salty means that the person probably uses less than refined language. We would not expect the individual’s language to come from higher culture, but closer to what we might find at a shipyard. However, saying someone is salty is more of a qualification rather than an insult. We might hear someone say, “So and so is a bit salty, but boy they sure….” Then the compliment follows. Christ calls his disciples the salt of the earth without qualification. We are called to be a salty people because we are the salt of the earth. Is Christ telling us to be like sailors? What does salt have to do with Christ’s mission and divine wisdom?

Blessed are the Persecuted (Matthew 5:11,12)

We are told that persecution is a blessing.  Persecution is suffering.  Normally we do not associate suffering with blessing.  However, Christ assures us that as we are persecuted we are blessed.  Does this mean that Christ condones abuse?  Is Christ saying that blessing and abuse are one and the same?  Does Christ care about the abused and the persecuted? Clearly we know that our Lord does not defend the oppressor and the abuser so clearly Christ cannot condone such immorality.  We know that our Lord is the shield and defender to the abused.  So, how is persecution a blessing? How does persecution testify to our standing in Christ? 

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Jeremiah gives a very severe warning that we are not to say , “peace, peace when there is no peace. “ Christ states in Matthew 10, ““Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.” If we are not to broadcast peace, and Christ does not bring peace, then how can peacemakers be blessed? What is a peacemaker and can we know if we are one?

"Blessed are the Pure in Heart" (Matthew 5:8)

Christ assures us that those who are pure in heart will see God. Does this mean that if we are pure enough then we will have a vision or be taken up into heaven immediately? How do we know if we are pure enough to see God? How does one attain this purity blessing?

Blessed are the Merciful (Matthew 5:7)

Our Lord gives the assurance that as we show mercy we will receive mercy. It this a relationship that is reciprical? It means that the more we show the more we receive? What does Christ mean that we have to show mercy to receive mercy?

Blessed are the Hungry (Matthew 5:6)

We normally do not consider hungry people to be blessed people. However, Christ assures us that the hungry and thirsty are blessed. How can this be?

Blessed are the Meek (Matthew 5:5)

Today we encourage people to be active and deliberate in life because the successful are those who seize the day. We think of the meek people as the weak people who will be trampled. How can the Meek people of God be blessed?

Blessed are those who Mourn

When someone is in a state of mourning we do not associate that with blessing. However, Christ says that those who mourn are blseed. How can they be blessed? How can they be comforted when it seems that there is no place to find hope?

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Christ is the lord of lords and the king of kings.  He is God who has taken on the flesh to save his people from their sins.  If Christ is a king you would think that his priority would be the successful rain makers of this age who make things happen.  It would seem that Christ desires to save those worthy of his time.  However, Christ says blessed are the poor in spirit?  What does it mean that the poor in spirit are blessed?  How does such a blessing communicate Christ’s mission? 

From Sinai to Zion

Christ takes his seat on the mountain and begins to speak. We might think that this is a place that would give him a great vantage point for the crowd to see him. Is this the only reason Christ is on the mountain. What is the significance of mountains in Scripture?

Passing our Pilgrimage

This is the last meditation in our series of God’s Pilgrim Citizens.  We can be assured that our citizenship is in heaven because Christ has overcome in our place.  We recall the tree of life and how the opening and closing of scripture shows the ultimate outcome of our victory in Christ. Thank you for listening to this series and I hope it helped solidify your thoughts as it did for me. 

Sanctifying Sojourn

Paul tells Timothy that Godliness is a mystery. This sounds like we just encounter God somehow and someway, but it is not something that is very concrete. Paul is rather assuring Timothy and the church that God is with His people because the mystery of the Lord’s promise has been manifested with Christ. If Christ has not entered history then we cannot be sanctified. How does this work for all the saints throughout the ages?

The Gospel in Exile

The Lord commanded Israel to go into the land to engage in holy war.  They are to devote all that is unholy to destruction.  We skip ahead in Scripture and we consider Jeremiah 29.  This is a letter that Jeremiah writes to the exiles.  He encourages them to seek the welfare of the city.  What does this have to do with us today? We consider how Jeremiah 29 informs our life today as we sojourn under the sun as those secured in Christ.