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Agape Bible Study
Matthew 5 - 7
The first Beatitude: "BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT"
Matthew 5:1-2 ~ When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying Blessed are the poor in spirit'...
The word Jesus used for "poor," ptochos in the original Greek, means "poor" but not as in "pauper" "one who works for a living but cannot rise above the poverty level (penes in the Greek). Instead the Greek word ptochos [pto-khos] is better translated as "beggar," one who is completely dependant on someone else for support. In this blessing, Jesus taught His disciples that the first step on the pathway to Heaven is to admit that you cannot make it on your own "in this life or in the next. We are "poor in spirit," we are not self-sufficient "we admit our dependence on God and that we need Him in our lives, rejecting our natural desire for a "self-sufficient spirit."
And if we achieve this blessedness the promise is:
FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
It was through the Sacrament of Christian Baptism that we have ceased to be children of Adam and have been reborn as children in the family of God. It is through that rebirth that the inheritance of the Kingdom of our Father is ours "the Kingdom of Heaven in all its dimensions:
- For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, Abba, Father!' The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ... (Rom 8:14-17).
- But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, Abba, Father!' So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir through God (Gal 4:4-7).
It was this divine son/daughter-ship that was lost to our original parents in their fall from grace in the Garden of Eden when they became dis-graced and dispossessed of the Kingdom. It is this eternal Kingdom of Heaven that has now been restored to those who are reborn into the family of God.
The first step on the road to salvation and the first promise:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: those who acknowledge their need for God à Kingdom of Heaven: eternal life promised through Baptism by water and the Spirit |
Review of the first beatitude and promise:
| BLESSING #1: | |
| BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT | We are "poor" in spirit because we acknowledge that we are not self-sufficient and that we need God in our lives. We come to Him in childlike faith, knowing that we cannot make it on our own without Him. |
| PROMISE #1 FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN | When we acknowledge the sovereignty of God over our lives we discover that He does not save us because of what we have done, but He saves us because of what Christ has done for us. If we persevere in faith, we are promised the gift of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. |
BEATITUDE #2: "BLESSED ARE THEY WHO MOURN"
Matthew 5:4: Blessed are they who mourn ...
When we become "poor in spirit," we admit we need God. We realize that we are insufficient without Him. "Poverty of spirit" expressed in childlike faith defines our relationship and brings us into the presence of the One True and Holy God. As we yield to spiritual childhood by admitting poverty of spirit and as we kneel in His presence, the more clearly we see God. The more clearly we see God, the more we become aware of our imperfections. We become humbled in His holy presence and we feel the burden of our sins. The result is that in becoming aware of our sins we mourn our transgressions. To repent and feel genuine sorrow for our sins is a natural outflow of surrender to God through "poverty of spirit." There can be no forgiveness of sin without true repentance.
In our sincere mourning for the sinful condition of mankind, we have the promise of our Savior that on the day of His return all mourning and sorrow will cease.
"FOR THEY WILL BE COMFORTED"
Not only does the Holy Spirit comfort us in our sorrow and repentance but through living the Sacraments of our faith He gives us the strength to resist sin and the strength to stand against sin in our community and in the world. We bear our suffering with a spirit of atonement, reconciliation and love, and the result is comfort and strength.
| Blessed are those who mourn: to mourn one's own sins and the sins of the world sin = purification à Comfort, strength, and reconciliation |
BEATITUDE #3: "BLESSED ARE THE MEEK"
Jesus: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:29-30
Now, Moses himself was by far the meekest on the face of the earth.
Numbers 12:3
The first step on the stairway to eternal life in "poverty of spirit" acknowledges God's sovereignty over your life. Your complete dependence on Him places you in child-like faith before the throne of God. Face to face with a pure and holy God, you mourn your sins and the sins of the world. The first step identifies your relationship to God and the second refines you with the purifying fire of repentance. It is the third step, "blessed are the meek," which renews you and places you as a useful tool in the hands of the Master of the universe.
Matthew 5:5: Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
In Matthew 5:5, the Greek word praus, [pronounced prah-ooce'], means "mild, humble, or meek" (see Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, pages 534-35). The word praus is only found four times in the New Testament: three times in the Gospel of St. Matthew in 5:5 [4], 11:29, 21:5 and once in 1 Peter 3:4 (Thayer's, page 534). In both Matthew 11:29 and 21:5, Jesus is called "meek" like the prophet Moses before Him (see Num 12:3).
And in yielding in meekness to the plan of God working in our lives we are promised ...
"FOR THEY WILL INHERIT THE LAND"
God's servants shall dwell in the land and possess it; it shall be the heritage of their descendants; those who love God's name shall dwell there.
Psalm 69:36b-37
Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Matthew 25:34b
The first beatitude places us before the throne of God. The second Beatitude purifies us and the third places us in the hands of the Master as we submit in meekness and humility to His will and His plan for our lives. It is the promise of the third beatitude that the meek will "inherit the land."
We, as the New Covenant children of God, are the inheritors of this "land," the "new Israel" of the Universal/ Catholic Church [catholic means universal]. It is a world-wide kingdom that carries the world-wide blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with power and dominion over the earth "to bind and loose" (Mt 16:19; 18:18; Jn 20:22-23) and vehicle by which the invitation of God's gift of salvation is extended to every nation on the face of the earth.
The third step on the road to salvation and the third promise:
| Blessed are the meek: yielding our will to God's will for our lives = renewal à inherit "the Land", the Church = the dominion over the earth to bind and loose. |
Review of the last lesson:
| BLESSING #2 BLESSED ARE THEY WHO MOURN | As we yield to spiritual childhood, admitting poverty of spirit and kneeling in His presence, the more clearly we see God. The more clearly we see God the more we become aware of our imperfections. We become humbled in His presence and we feel the burden of our sins. The result is that we mourn our sins. Repentance and genuine sorrow for our sins purifies us. To mourn sin is a natural outflow of surrender to God through "poverty of spirit." |
| PROMISE #2 FOR THEY WILL BE COMFORTED | Not only does the Holy Spirit comfort us in our sorrow and repentance but through living the Sacraments of our faith He gives us the strength to resist sin and the strength to stand against sin in our community and in the world. We bear our suffering with a spirit of atonement, reconciliation and love, and the result is comfort and strength. |
| BLESSING #3 BLESSED ARE THE MEEK | Christian "meekness" is not weakness. It is based on humility which is expressed in the New Testament as the supernatural quality that is the outgrowth of a renewed nature. This renewal can only come when we surrender to God and seek His divine will in our lives. It is this third step: "blessed are the meek," which renews us and places us as a useful tool in the hands of the Master of the universe. |
| PROMISE #3 FOR THEY WILL INHERIT THE LAND | No longer does Satan have the power to dominate us because we have been reborn through Christian baptism into the family of God. We belong to the God who created and dominates the earth. As His children and Christ's heirs we inherit the earth and the universal kingdom He has established on earth to lead the nations into the family of God "the Catholic (universal) Church. |
"BLESSED ARE THEY WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS"
Denying our own "self-sufficient spirit," we yield to God in "poverty of spirit," acknowledging that we need Him in our lives and in childlike faith we move forward to take our place at the foot of His throne. As we draw closer to God, like the prophet Isaiah (Is 6:5-6) we become aware of our sinful nature; we mourn our sins and the sins of the world. In our sincere repentance, Christ atones for our sins and by God's grace we are purified and restored to fellowship with Him. Our desire is now to surrender our lives as we experience spiritual renewal. We strive to submit ourselves to His will, offering our lives as useful tools in the hands of the Master of the universe. As a result of yielding to Him in meekness and humility, we want to be more like Him "our souls hunger and thirst for righteousness just as our physical bodies need food and drink for us to survive physically. The fourth Beatitude is a pivotal step in our spiritual journey. In the fourth Beatitude we move from what we need to give to God to the miracle of what God plans to give to us.
"FOR THEY SHALL BE SATISFIED"
...for they shall be satisfied. Some translations read: for they shall be filled.
This beatitude has a promise that is also a consequence if the blessing is not fulfilled. Each of the beatitudes, unlike the negative statements of the Ten Commandments, is given in a positive statement. Yet, a negative is implied if the blessing is not fulfilled.
The believer's greatest desire is to ever increase in the wisdom/knowledge of God which leads to righteousness, but according to the writer of the book of Sirach, one can ever be filled or satisfied by the righteousness that comes from the Old Covenant Law.
But now the focus has been changed to our need for union with the fullness of God; therefore focus turns to Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, who fulfills of our desire for union with the fullness of God Himself in the gift of the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, the Most Holy Trinity gives Himself completely to the soul who hungers and thirsts for Him "He gives Himself completely in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He comes to us in the miracle of Transubstantiation as the Bridegroom giving all of Himself to His Bride, the Church.
The Turning Point: The fourth step on the road to salvation and the fourth promise:
| Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and seek to receive the King of Righteousness à to be filled by Christ in the Eucharist |
BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL
Give to everyone who asks you, for truly this is the way that God loves to give.
St. Clement of Alexandria
Be merciful in order that you might receive mercy.
Bishop St. Polycarp, Epistle 2.3
Be merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful.
Jesus in Luke 6:36
Matthew 5:7 ~ Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.
Through the miracle of the Eucharist we are filled with the humanity and divinity of Christ. With Jesus living within us, it is our desire to be more like Him. Just has He shared His merciful love with everyone so now we too, in our love for Him, feel the desire to let His mercy flow through us to everyone we meet.
The Greek word used for "merciful" in this passage is the adjective eleemon [el-eh-ay'-mone]. In the Old Testament Hebrew being "merciful" meant the outward manifestation of pity, but in the New Covenant this expression of mercy and pity is to be expressed by one who is actively compassionate as God is actively compassionate "a compassion generated internally but expressed externally as acts of mercy.
"FOR THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY"
Love itself is the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it. In it we shall find rest.
St. Augustine, Homilies on the Gospel of John, 10.4
Question: What is the 5th petition of the "Our Father" prayer? See Mt 9-13.
Answer: And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Question: What is it that is the implied negative in the second phrase of this petition that will not be granted if we fail to forgive our trespasses?
Answer: It is implied that our petition for forgiveness will not be heard unless we first forgive others who have wronged us. It is interesting that this is the 5th petition. In the significance of numbers in Scripture, 5 is the number signifying grace.
This petition is so important that in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus will return to address this particular petition on granting mercy and forgiveness after finishing the Our Father prayer in Matthew 6:14-15, and Jesus will continue teaching the importance of extending God's mercy to us in our relationships with others throughout His ministry. An example of Jesus' commitment to mercy as a necessary Christian virtue can be found in the parable of the Ungrateful Servant, also know as the Parable of the Merciless Servant. Matthew 18:21-35: The Parable of the Ungrateful or Merciless Servant
The fifth step on the road to salvation and the fifth promise:
| Blessed are the merciful: when we show our mercy and forgiveness à we will be given mercy and forgiveness through Jesus' perfect Sacrifice on the Cross |
Matthew 5:8 ~ Blessed are the clean of heart for they will see God...
The Greek word for "pure" or "clean" in this verse is katharos. It is an adjective meaning "pure as in being cleansed." The heart, or kardia in Greek, is the most vital organ in the human body. We think of our hearts as the internal instrument of our emotions but the ancients did not understand the function of a heart in this way. For the peoples of ancient times, the Jews, Greeks and Romans, different body parts had different physiological functions. The Jews believed that anger was situated in the nose and that love, compassion and most other emotions in the kidney, liver and bowels. To the people of Jesus' time the heart reflected the total substance of a man or woman; the true inward essence of a person as opposed to what is visible.
"FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD"
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." It is true, because of the greatness and inexpressible glory of God, that "man shall not see me and live;" for the Father cannot be grasped. But because of God's love and goodness toward us, and because he can do all things, he goes so far as to grant those who love him the privilege of seeing him...for "what is impossible for men is possible for God."
St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, IV.20.5
The LORD is just and loves just deeds; the upright shall see his face.
Psalm 11:7
Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble through which many may become defiled ...
Hebrews 12:14-15
Matthew 5:8 ~ Blessed are the clean of heart for they will see God.
The promise of this beatitude is that the clean/pure of heart will have the privilege of seeing God. In Old Testament Scripture to see the face of God referred to that unique intimacy that was restored to believers through the peace sacrifice that restored communion with God through a sacred meal.
The sixth step on the road to salvation and the sixth promise:
| Blessed are the pure of heart: our old hearts are replaced with the pure heart of Jesus our Redeemer à we will see God's face in the faces of everyone with whom we share His love and we will recognize Him in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. |
"BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS"
The peace shown by peacemakers brings a harvest of justice.
James 3:18
Matthew 5:9 ~ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
St. Augustine wrote that the peacemakers are not only peace filled but that they are active makers of peace. They encourage peace around them by healing alienations and discord and bringing about reconciliation. This peace begins within the lives of the clean of heart as they conform themselves to the image of Christ, and then the peace they generate diffuses from them to the world (Augustine, Sermon on the Mount, Book I chapter 2.9). This is the kind of peacemaking we all must seek. Internal peace transformed into militantly spiritual and joyously unquenchable peace shared with our family, our friends, and the world as our witness of a life conformed to the Prince of Peace!
The peace of Jesus Christ is His gift to us.
"FOR THEY WILL BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD"
Matthew 5:9: ...for they will be called children of God.
The Greek text literally reads "sons of God," a title that occurs only here in Matthew's Gospel and which is understood to include both men and women.
The seventh step on the road to salvation and the seventh promise:
| Blessed are the peacemakers: with Christ living in us we become conformed to His image of peace and loveà in the image of Christ we become divine children of His Father |
"BLESSED ARE YOU"
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna [hell].
Matthew 10:28
Matthew 5:11-12 ~ Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
In directing this blessing personally ("you") to the disciples and the Apostles, Jesus is acknowledging them as successors to the holy prophets of Yahweh who in their obedience to the will of God perished for their faithfulness. This is a fate that will befall all of the Apostles with the exception of John Zebedee who will suffer imprisonment and other forms of persecution for his commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus does not make the job description for "Emissaries [Apostolos] of God" particular appealing in this life, but there can be no doubt the promise of the long term benefits are eternally great.
The summation of living the Law of love on the journey to salvation and the repeat of the first promise:
| Blessed are they (blessed are you) who are persecuted: we take up our crosses and follow Jesus, committing ourselves to everything He has taught us " even enduring persecution for His sake but joyfully because we know He has promised us eternal life in our Father's Kingdom. |
Matthew 6:19-21 ~ Treasure in Heaven: (Jesus continued addressing His disciples, saying) "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroy, nor thieves break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there also will be your heart be."
In this passage Jesus is contrasting earthly treasures as opposed to heavenly rewards.
Matthew 6:22-26 ~ Light versus darkness in serving God versus serving the world:
(Jesus continued) "The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be. 24 No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Question: What contrast is Jesus making in this passage as opposed to the last passage?
Answer: Jesus turns from the contrast between two treasures to the contrast between two conditions, the sighted and the blind - light versus darkness, and between the two masters - God or the world.
Matthew 6:25-34 ~ Depending on God: (Jesus said) "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? 27 Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? 28 Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. 29 But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry and say, What are we to eat? Or What are we to drink?' or What are we to wear?' 32 All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these will be given you besides. 34 Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil."
Jesus' "Therefore," oun in the Greek, indicates that this passage is a summing up and a conclusion on His teaching on the public life of the Christian disciple and the accumulation of earthy possessions. The Christian must compare the security of the two treasures, the usefulness of the two eye conditions, and the worth of the two masters:
| The Two Treasures: | Earthly possessions: corruptible, insecure | Heavenly treasures: eternal, secure |
| The Two Eye Conditions: | Blindness: darkness to the body | Sight: a light to the body |
| The Two Masters | The World: the false, temporary master | God: the true, good and eternal master |
And when we have made the choice for heavenly treasure, for the light of Christ for good sight, and for God as our true Master then, Jesus says, this is how we behave: Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life... (verse 25).
Question: When we choose God, what do we need to be anxious about? Why?
Answer: We do not need to be anxious about what we eat or what we wear. If all our energy is devoted to our relationship with God, we will not have time to concern ourselves with worrying about what we cannot control.
Question: Again Jesus teaches His disciples by providing a contrast "this time it is a contrast of two life goals. What are they?
Answer: Earthly ambition as opposed to Godly ambition.
Question: What in essence does Jesus say about worry in this passage?
Answer: Worry is a lack of faith in God.
Jesus teaches that God created and now sustains life just as He created and now helps us to sustain our bodies. The logic is if God takes care of our lives can't we trust Him to take care to the needs of our bodies, and if we trust God to take care of our lives and our bodies cannot we also trust Him to take care of the less important matters like our food and clothing?
Chapter 7
A CHRISTIAN'S RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMITMENTS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD WORKS
The connecting thread that runs through chapter 7 of Matthew's Gospel is that of relationships.
Matthew 7:1-6 ~ Judging others in our attitude to our brothers and sisters in the Christian community: (Jesus continues, saying)"Stop judging, that you may not be judged. 2 For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. 3 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden bean in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden bean is in your eye? 5 You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye.
6 Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, least they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces."
Although Jesus has called us to a standard of "perfection" in Matthew 5:48 when He said, "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect," He understands that this is not a perfection that we are likely to achieve in this life, nor does He anticipate that the Christian community as a whole will be perfect.
Question: What is the paradox of the Church in her mission to resist sin and to live in holiness?
Answer: The paradox of the Church is that she is the sinless Bride of Christ who is full of sinners.
Jesus knows that within each individual faith community and within each Christian family there will at times be disharmony and disunity. In this passage Jesus directs how Christians should behave in the community toward a fellow Christian who has fallen into error and toward others who have fallen into sin. In cases of disharmony Jesus forbids two actions and encourages a third in how Christians act and react to other Christians and to "our neighbor" "who is now identified in the New Covenant as everyone with whom we come into contact in our walk of faith:
Question: In cases of disharmony Jesus forbids two actions and encourages a third in how Christians act and react to other Christians. What are these actions?
Answer:
- The Christian shall not judge sin in someone if he/she is guilty of that same sin or other sins in his/her own life (7:1, 5).
- The Christian shall not be a hypocrite who pretends to be holy while living with unconfessed sin in his/her own life; such a person will receive a harsher judgment themselves because they are fully aware of the sin (7:5).
- The Christian shall be a loving and concerned guide to brothers/sisters in the Christian family, in helping them avoid sin and to live righteously (7:3, 4 & 5).
Matthew 7:7-12 ~ Jesus teaches about the effectiveness of our prayers to the Father and our obligations to others
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, 10 or a snake when he asks for a fish? 11 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. 12 Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the Law and the prophets.
It is natural that Jesus should move in His homily from the relationship of the Christian with brothers and sisters within the faith community to the relationship of the Christian with God the Father. He wants His disciples to understand that living the Christian duty of righteous behavior is much too difficult without the divine grace of our heavenly Father. Addressing the effectiveness of prayer to the Father, Jesus does not put any restrictions on prayer. St. Jerome commenting on this passage notes: It is written, to everyone who asks it will be given; so, if it is not given to you, it is not given to you because you do not ask; so, ask and you will receive (Jerome, Commentary of Matthew, 7).
Question: Even though prayer is infallible, we are not infallible. If Jesus says prayer is as easy as asking and "it will be given to you," why is it that sometimes God's answer to our prayers is "no" or "be patient"?
Answer: Our petition may be delayed or denied because:
- Our personal dispositions are not righteous because of personal sin.
- What we have asked for is not a righteous and unselfish request.
- Because now is not the time for us to receive such a petition.
Jesus has already warned us against the sin of hypocrisy in prayer and has already given us His own model prayer in the Lord's Prayer. Now He encourages His disciples to pray by giving some commands and some very loving promises. In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus gives three direct commands and three promises if one follows these commands in connection to how we should pray.
Question: What are the three commands?
Answer: Ask, seek, and knock.
Question: What are the three promises we are to expect if we follow these commands?
Answer: The promise is expressed in three statements: "everyone who asks receives", "the one who seeks finds" and "to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
| COMMAND: | PROMISE: |
| Ask | everyone who asks receives |
| Seek | the one who seeks finds |
| Knock | to the one who knocks, the door will be opened |
Question: What door? Quote the significant passages. See Mt 3:13-17 and Rev 3:8; 20-21; 4:1; CCC 536 and 1026.
Answer: The door to heaven and eternal life which had been closed since the Fall and had not been opened until the coming of the Christ:
- After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove (and) coming upon him (Mt 3:16).
- I know your works; behold, I have left an open door before you, which no one can close (Rev 3:8).
- Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, (then) I will enter his house and dine with him and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne (Rev 3:20-21).
- After this I had a vision of an open door to heaven, and I heard the trumpet like voice that had spoken to me before, saying, "Come up here and I will show you what must happen afterwards" (Rev 4:1).
Jesus illustrates His promise in another parable in Matthew 7:9-11 of a child coming to a father with a request, something with which everyone hearing the sermon can relate "everyone having been either a child or a parent themselves.
Matthew 7:13-14: The Narrow Gate and Narrow Path versus the Wide Gate and the Broad Path
Jesus continued His teaching by saying: "13 Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. 14 How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few."
From the beginning of God's relationship with man, through the gift of free will, man has always had the choice between two paths: to travel the path of obedience to God or to go one's own way. Moses spoke of the two ways in his last homily to the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 30:15-20 in choosing the path of life in obedience to the commandments of the Lord or the path that leads to death, and the Psalmist wrote: The LORD watches over the Way of the Just, but the Way of the wicked leads to ruin (Ps 1:6). In fact, in the early Church, before the name "Christian" was applied to believers at the Church of Antioch in Syria, the followers of Jesus were referred to as the followers of "The Way" (Acts 9:2) and the same name was applied to Christians in the Church's early Catechism, called the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, also known as the Didache (see articles 1-6).
In this teaching there are 3 definite, inescapable choices each of us must make. The choice between:
- Two ways or paths: The hard, less traveled way/path which is entered through the narrow gate, and the easier, more popular wide way/path.
- Two gates: The wide gate leading to the more popular and seemingly easy way/path and the narrow gate leading to the harder and less traveled way/path.
- Two destinations: Eternal damnation or eternal life.
Question: What key word is given as a command as well as an invitation?
Answer: "Enter!"
Question: Who or what is the gate and the path [or way]? See John 10:7-9 and John 14:6.
Answer: Jesus the Messiah.
Matthew 7:15-20 ~ The False Prophet versus the True Disciple
Jesus said: "15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So by their fruits you will know them."
The reference to thorns and thistles call to mind the judgment against Adam and the curse of the ground after the Fall: Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you, as you eat of the plants of the field, by the sweat of your face ... (Gen 3:18).
False prophets pose a threat through their false teachings. They distort the true teaching of the message of the Gospel of salvation and make it difficult to find the entrance to the narrow gate. Therefore, it is logical that Jesus should warn the faithful about the danger of believing false prophets immediately following His teaching about the two gates, ways and destinations. False prophets are dangerous because they are deceptive. Posing as legitimate prophets and teachers they are harder to detect than the "dogs" and "pigs" of verse 6 who are outwardly hostile to the message of salvation. The false prophet puts on the guise of the righteous but is in fact a "wolf" with an agenda among the sheep of the Shepherd.
Matthew 7:21-23 ~ The True Disciple.
Jesus said: "21 Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?' 23 Then I will declare to them solemnly, I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'
In Scripture "to know" someone refers to either intimate sexual knowledge or to covenant family relationships. It is not that God/Jesus did not know that person existed, but that person did not live in obedience to the covenant union that he/she was invited to share in the life of Christ.
Question: What is Jesus' message in 7:21-23 concerning those hypocrites who only play at piety? Who is it that will enter the gates of heaven? Also see Jesus' teaching on the subject of the Last Judgment in Mt 25:31-45.
Answer: On Judgment Day the morally corrupt and false teachers will hear Jesus say: "I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers." Entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven is only for those who obediently do the will of the Father.
At the end our lives each of us will face an individual (also called the "particular") judgment. At that time whether our lives were a success or a failure will be judged as we stand before the great white judgment throne of God with Jesus as our advocate. At this judgment each of us will be rewarded according to our faith and works (see CCC# 1021-22; 1 Cor 3:12-15).
The conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 7:24-28 ~ The Contrast of the Two Foundations and the Importance of Works of Faith
Jesus said: "24 Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. 26 And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined." 28 When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
Question: In Matthew 7:15-23 the emphasis was on "saying" and "doing" but what is the contrast now?
Answer: In verse 24 the emphasis is on "listening/hearing and doing."
The true Christian is the one who listens to the words of Jesus and does what He tells them as in the prophecy God gave Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18-19: I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him. If any man will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it. The True prophet/disciple is one who listens to the words Jesus speaks and obeys them. Jesus told his disciples: "The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from my hand" (Jn 10:27-28, New Jerusalem; also see Mt 17:5; Mk 9:7; Lk 9:35).
| The Faithful Disciple | The False Disciple |
| Listens and hears = does the will of God | Does not listen = does not fulfill God's will |
| Builds on Rock which lasts forever | Builds on sand which collapses |
CONCLUSION:
Question: What verse would you identify as the central theme of the Sermon on the Mount?
Answer: The central theme of the Sermon on the Mount is summarized in Matthew 5:48: So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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