Who Is This Jesus? Part 2 (Matthew Chapters 5-7)

Who is this Jesus? That is the question we are asking as we explore the Gospel of Matthew. By meditating on His words and actions as recorded by the apostles, we can come to know the one we call Savior a little bit better.

Matthew 5-7 are some of my favorite chapters. This is Jesus' first real meaty sermon. In this one section we have the encouragement of the beatitudes, the challenge to be a light, the heart of the Torah, the exhortation to seek God's Kingdom, the example of the Lord's prayer, the giving of the golden rule, and the parable of the house on the rock. That's quite a bit of material to unpack found in these 3 chapters. Far too much for a single blog post. So we will focus our attention by remembering our question: Who is this Jesus that speaks with such authority?

The King and His Kingdom

The answer we have already said. He is the King. And He has come preaching His Kingdom. These words are not merely the wisdom of a sage or the commentary of a scholar. They are authoritative. Jesus is laying out the vision for His Kingdom. He is telling us how He will run things on this earth. When we read the sermon on the mount, we are hearing the Law from the Lawgiver Himself.

So, what does this Kingdom look like? And what does that tell us about its King?

Upside Down

The sermon on the mount opens up not with a traditional introduction, but with a series of blessings[1]. The format almost has a liturgical feel to it. At first, it may seem out of place. But, these blessings can be read as an invitation. Come, taste and see that the LORD is good. You who are poor--the Kingdom is yours, and in God's Kingdom you are rich. You who are sad--come, be comforted. You who are hungry--taste of the Living Waters and the Bread of Life. You who are powerless--discover that power is not what people think it is.

This Kingdom is upside down. It wasn't built for the rich, the powerful, the happy. It was built for the poor, the downtrodden, the grieving. The only way in is to become poor in spirit. To give up vengeance (become merciful), violence (become a peacemaker), and every facade (become pure in heart). If you want to be a part of this Kingdom, you must hunger for it, more than anything the world has to offer.

The Jesus who reigns over this Kingdom sees the outcast and the forgotten. He sees you. And He is inviting you to be a part of what He is building. To experience acceptance and love. To the poor in Spirit He says, This Kingdom is yours.

Inside Out

The next several sections take the second tablet of the Ten Commandments and reveal the heart of those commandments. The law of Moses was written for a nation. It was written with laws that could be enforced. Jesus tells us that He has not come to do away with that law, but that the point of the Torah has been missed. Jesus isn't interested in legalistic obedience. He wants your heart.

To drive the point further, Jesus talks about righteousness performed before men vs. righteousness before God. Again, the act in and of itself is not enough. Motive matters. If we are only practicing our righteousness to please men, then the truth of Jesus teaching has not penetrated to our heart. Jesus sees through our facades. He is building a Kingdom that is here not only in name and structure, but in actuality because the Kingdom is active in the hearts of His people.

The heart of the matter is not adherence to rules, but a change of character. We are not simply to refrain from hurting others, but to become loving people. We do not just refrain from committing adultery, but we become faithful people. Truthful people. Compassionate and merciful people. We become like our Father in heaven. We become like Jesus, transformed from the inside out into His image.

End before the Beginning

The passages about practicing our righteousness in secret flow right into the next section about storing up our treasure in heaven. Here, Jesus teaching begins to take a sharp crescendo. Where is our vision? Is it on our present circumstances? Is it on outward appearance and pleasing others? Is it on legalistic observance? Are we looking to please ourselves, or men,...or God?

Jesus invites us to see a reality beyond what our present circumstances appear to be. To hope in something greater than money or power. To see the end of all things (when our kingdoms fall and God alone remains) and to lean into that truth today. He is inviting us to make God our treasure, to seek Him above all else, and to trust in His love and provision.

This is the essence of the Kingdom of God--relationship with God. A relationship in which Jesus invites us into His abundance with love. Where He reigns over our hearts as King. In which all of our affections are captivated by our Messiah. And where all of our needs are met by our Creator's provision.

Others before Self

As Jesus brings His exposition of the law around to a close, He again extends to us an invitation. Ask. Seek. Knock. Believe that your Father in heaven is good and that He loves you. The scribes and the pharisees had made a mess of things with their legalistic traditions and their hunt for power and acclaim. But, the simple reality is that God is love.

Again, Jesus invites us to lean into God's love. Nay, to fall into His love with abandon. To ask of Him anything. To seek Him out. To knock on His door and be invited in to His table.

It is here that we come to the "golden rule." There's a little word here that is easily missed: "So." This connects the golden rule to the previous passages in two ways. First it connects to Matthew 5-7 as a whole, bringing to a conclusion what Jesus started when He said, "Think not that I have come to do away with the Law and the prophets"--indeed, here we see that Jesus has brought us to the heart of the Torah and the prophets[2]: Love.

Secondly, it ties this command back to verses 7-11. It is on the basis of God's love and generosity that we can extend the same love and generosity to others. The invitation to God's table is open. We can come partake of His goodness freely, and in turn, invite others to the table as well.

City built on the Rock

Jesus came proclaiming a Kingdom built upon the solid foundation of His Father's love. A Kingdom of light, where all are invited to come and be seen, known, accepted, and loved by the one who Created us. Where we can become transformed, molded into vision that God has for each of us. Where we can be satisfied by God's unending goodness and generosity. And where the love of Jesus can bubble up in us and spill over into the lives of those around us so that they too can experience God's love.

Take a moment to reflect on this invitation. I'd encourage a written prayer.

Imagine Jesus speaking to you directly. How does He invite you personally into His Kingdom? How does He speak to your needs, your concerns, your desires? Write down what Jesus might say to you (don't worry to much about getting it "right").

Take a moment to reflect on the thoughts and feelings this brings up in you. What excites you about this Kingdom? What scares you? How will you answer Jesus' call? Write a prayer sharing your heart with God. Be open and honest. And don't be afraid to ask for His help.

This is the vision. In the next chapters, we will begin to see how this Kingdom invades our reality.

The parallel for the beatitudes can be found in Luke 6:20-26. It is worth comparing the two, as their differences both inform the meaning of the passage as a whole and point to Matthew and Luke's distinctive foci.

The Expositor's Greek Testament contrasts this with the similar (but negatively framed) rabbinical summary stating: "The negative confines us to the region of justice; the positive takes us into the region of generosity or grace, and so embraces both law and prophets."

(This article can also be found on Ordinary Disciple)