Heaven on earth - an introduction to the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5, 6, 7
We seek to grow a community of people who follow Jesus and live radical lives. We are learning
· to Love God (with all of our heart and mind and strength);
· to love people (building a community where everyone is welcome and is given a place to receive healing, to grow and to learn) and;
· to put love into action (ensuring that our lifestyles and choices introduce Jesus and his blessing to the community around us and further afield).
As part of learning more about this, our theme for the next few weeks’
teaching is, “Heaven on earth”. We will be studying the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5,6 and 7.
What does it look like when we love God, love people and put love into action?
I’ll let you into a secret – it looks a bit like heaven but it’s not an easy option for life.
Jesus summons those who would be his followers to a life of radical devotion and radical dependence on him. In the series we are starting Jesus explains what that sort of life looks like. Maybe a good summary could be in the line in the Lord’s prayer, “your will be done on earth as in heaven”.
Overview of Matthew
Matthew was one of the disciples although not a prominent one. Otherwise known as Levi the tax collector he collated his biography of Jesus over several years of teaching and leading the early church in the years after Jesus had ascended. The structure of his book is very deliberate and helps us understand what he wants us to know about Jesus. The sermon on the mount is the first of five blocks of Jesus’ teaching which Matthew serves up for us.
We see the context for Jesus’ teaching in the previous chapter. Early on Jesus established his moral credibility by overcoming the temptations of the enemy. He then declares his manifesto, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” So we respect his authority and know what he is about.
Then he gathers his team and gets to work demonstrating what the kingdom of heaven looks like in action. He calls the first disciples and tours the neighbourhood teaching and doing, explaining and healing.
We see the footprints of the Son of God on the shores of lake Galilee.
He does what anyone planting a church or setting up a business would do - authority, manifesto, team, action.
People are interested, large crowds start to follow him; no doubt his disciples are asking questions. So the time comes to sit down and have a chat. In fact, a Jewish teacher would always sit to teach in the same way that an English one would usually stand (as I am doing).
Roundabout AD 28, a real man, Jesus, walked up a Galilean hill, found a suitable rock and sat down. Whilst some disciples stood around transfixed, he launched into a most extraordinary, stunningly radical sermon in which he described a new world order, an upside down world, heaven on earth.
Matthew 5:1-12
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him and he began to teach them.
The sermon on the mount emerges from a phrase that Matthew uses as a throwaway line in 5:1, “He saw the crowds.”
He saw the crowds. When Jesus sees people he doesn’t just see them. You can tell from other events such as the woman with a haemorrhage who touched him in the crush of people but whom Jesus spotted; or the time he is described as being in anguish when he sees the mourners at Lazarus’ funeral. Even when he is on the cross and being tortured he notices the people around him. Jesus always notices what’s going on, he sees deeper than we do.
Later on Matthew describes Jesus like this, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Most of the time when I walk through crowds I am oblivious to what is going on. If I do notice people I am not always thinking charitable thoughts - more likely commenting to myself on their dress sense or the language they use.
But Jesus looked out on the crowds and saw that they were like sheep without a shepherd. He sees ordinary people like you and me. The crowds around him included the poor and dispossessed, caught between a brutal occupying army and bullying religious leaders. He sees them and hears them, struggling and broken as well as powerful and proud.
And he looks at us. He sees us. He sees you. It’s as though he is standing right in front of you right now with those piercing eyes, looking deep into your heart and he sees you. He knows you. And he knows that you have questions and problems and doubts. And he has compassion on you. He loves you.
And he sees the crowds and knows that they too have questions and problems and doubts. He sees the disciples coming to him, wanting to follow him but unsure of what this all means.
So, Jesus sets off on a long discourse dealing directly with the questions and concerns of ordinary people like you and me.
After the beatitudes he talks about being true to yourself and to the biblical heritage, he talks about broken relationships and murder, about lust and adultery, about how you speak and keeping your word, about revenge, forgiveness and dealing with those who don’t like you and who treat you badly. He talks about mixed motives in giving and the spiritual disciplines. He explains how to pray and teaches about money and reliance on God. He covers criticism and judgement, the way we should relate to God and our calling, how to discern what is good and from God and the importance of building our lives on Him.
At the end , in chapter 7, Matthew looks at the crowd too and sees that they are amazed and everyone knows that they have been listening to someone who has authority and whose answers for life are true.
Jesus starts with an extraordinary and provocative recitation. We’ll have a quick look at the eight beatitudes. I will pose a question which I will partially address and partially leave you to ponder until next week.
These verses have the sense of poetry in the lilt and repetition of the words. But their gentle syntax belies a revolutionary message. They are called beatitudes purely out of an old tradition based on the Latin translation of the word blessed. We will look at this in more detail next week. But for now you could use the phrase a preacher I used to listen to used, the beautiful attitudes.
Try to listen to them for the first time – note how strange they are, blessed and mourning? How upside down they seem to be.
Matthew 5: 2-12 - The beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
A little before this event Jesus says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
This means that the kingdom of heaven is near and that repentance enables you to see it. Repentance is not about feeling sorry for something you have done wrong but about changing your ways. Reversing your lifestyle choices, choosing a different direction for your life, deciding to follow Jesus and not any other.
When you decide to follow Jesus and walk the road less travelled, through the narrow gate, life is different and looks different. The difficult questions begin to find answers, the deep desires of our hearts find a way to express themselves, there is power to change bad behaviour. Most of us feel guilt somewhere deep down and Jesus shows us that there is mercy and forgiveness to free us from that.
As we repent, we find the kingdom of heaven is near. And this is what it looks like. We can’t see it in full but we can experience it in part. Jesus uses this poem to give us a taste. You feel as though you can almost reach out and touch it…
Welcome to the upside down kingdom of Jesus. It’s as though someone has sneaked into the display in the shop window and changed all the prices, someone has gone into our house and moved all the furniture around. Welcome to heaven on earth.
There are those who hear the band playing and walk away because they don’t want to listen. There are others who come and watch and like the look of it but they are tone deaf and can’t understand the music. In the same way, there are some who walk away from Jesus and his kingdom. There are others who like what they see but don’t understand.
Those who follow Jesus, love the music and can’t get enough of it.
We are uneasy in our world and can sense that things aren’t right. We long for a different world, we seek after the kingdom of God and when we hear these words, somehow they ring true.
We don’t see as much as we want and we don’t understand as much as we would like but we hear the echoes of the melody, we see glimpses of his power and presence. But we believe that we too can become part of the counter culture of Jesus and can, filled with the power and presence of his Spirit, change this culture. Having met Jesus, this longing for heaven on earth is our challenge, our calling and our celebration.
"It seems to me the leader of the Church might think it's worth saying: ‘I'm going to follow Jesus and anyone who wants to come with me can follow because this way leads to love and compassion and tolerance. If you don't like it, stay here, but this is the way I'm going.'” Philip Pullman
Here’s a question for you to ponder this week. Perhaps you discuss it at housegroup or you may want to email me your thoughts and questions. Ask a colleague at work what they think.
When we read the beatitudes we traditionally think of them as life is tough but one day it will be better if your attitude is right. Although there is a grain of truth in that I think Jesus is also saying, “If you repent and follow me this is how you will choose to live and you will begin to experience a taste of heaven”.
If we take the name of Jesus Christ, we follow him and call ourselves Christians – there is a sense in which we can become like him. His power and purpose can come to pass in us, now, today.
So can you give some time to reading these verses and asking yourself,
“How can this mean now - as well as sometime in the future, forever?”
How can I experience something of the kingdom of heaven today as well as one day for ever? How can I be part of the battle to redeem the values of the kingdom of God? Perhaps that could be a NY resolution for you – to work out how Jesus means you to live this year, and how to experience more of his kingdom.
Don’t be a spectator of the kingdom, don’t stand on the sidelines. Jesus sees you and calls your name and invites you to follow him, live differently and be a part of bringing heaven on earth. So I invite you to join in the upside down world of the Wharfedale Vineyard in 2011. I invite you to commit yourselves to seeing the kingdom come – in your life, in the life of this community and in the world around us. Let us seek after, pray for and hungrily desire heaven on earth.
Let’s pray the Lord’s prayer together – the one he teaches later in the sermon on the mount.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one
for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
David Flowers, 09/01/2011