Jesus · c. AD 28
Chapter 20
Blessed
“You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden.
For parents
In this chapter Jesus teaches about lust, adultery and divorce (Matthew 5:27–32), in plain words. He says it is better to pull out an eye or cut off a hand that makes a person stumble than to have the whole body thrown into Gehenna (5:29–30), and he speaks of murder, anger and the fire of Gehenna (5:21–22).
In those days went out to the mountain to pray, and he stayed there all night, praying to God.
When morning came, he called the he wanted over to him, and they came. From them he chose twelve, and he named them . He appointed the twelve so that they would be with him, and so that he could send them out to preach, with authority to heal sicknesses and to drive out .
These were the twelve: , whom Jesus named Peter, and , his brother; the son of Zebedee and his brother , the two Jesus called , which means Sons of Thunder; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , the one who betrayed him. Mark’s list has , and no Judas the son of James.
In Mark, Jesus went into a house after this. Luke says that he came down with them and stood on a level place. There was a crowd of his disciples with him, and a great many people had come from all over and and the sea coast of and to hear him and to have their diseases healed.
People troubled by spirits came too, and they were being healed. Everyone there tried to touch him, because power came out of him and healed them all.
Matthew says that Jesus saw the crowds and went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him there, and he taught them. Luke tells of him teaching on the level place: he looked up at his disciples and spoke.
As Matthew tells it, he began like this:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.Blessed are those who mourn,for they shall be comforted.Blessed are the gentle,for they shall inherit the earth.Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for ,for they shall be filled.Blessed are the merciful,for they shall obtain mercy.Blessed are the pure in heart,for they shall see God.Blessed are the peacemakers,for they shall be called children of God.Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the who were before you.”
As Luke tells it, these were his words:
“Blessed are you who are poor,for God’s Kingdom is yours.Blessed are you who hunger now,for you will be filled.Blessed are you who weep now,for you will laugh.Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the ’s sake.Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for look, your reward is great in heaven, for their ancestors did the same thing to the prophets.”
Then he said:
“But to you who are rich!For you have had your comfort.Woe to you, you who are full now,for you will be hungry.Woe to you who laugh now,for you will mourn and weep.Woe, when men speak well of you,for their ancestors did the same thing to the false prophets.”
In Matthew, Jesus went on teaching. “You are the salt of the earth,” he said. “But if the salt has lost its flavor, what can make it salty again? Then it is good for nothing, except to be tossed out and walked on.
“You are the light of the world. A city that sits on a hill can’t be hidden. And you don’t light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket. You put it on a stand, and it shines for everyone in the house. So let your light shine in front of people, so that they see your good works and praise your Father who is in heaven.
“Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. I tell you for certain: until heaven and earth pass away, not even the smallest letter or the tiniest pen stroke will ever pass away from the law, until all things have taken place.
“So whoever breaks one of the smallest of these commandments, and teaches others to do so, will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Anyone who keeps them and teaches others to keep them too will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness is greater than that of the and , there is no way you will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“You have heard that in the old days people were told, ‘You shall not murder,’ and, ‘Whoever murders will be in danger of judgment,’” Jesus said. “But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of judgment. Whoever says to his brother, ‘!’ will be in danger of the . Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of .
“So if you are bringing your gift to the , and you remember there that your brother is holding something against you, leave the gift where it is, in front of the altar, and go. First make things right with your brother. Then come and offer your gift.
“If someone has a case against you, come to an agreement with him quickly, while you are still on the way with him. Otherwise the one accusing you may hand you to the judge, the judge may hand you to the officer, and you could be locked in prison. I tell you for certain, you won’t get out of there until you have paid the last penny.”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit ,’” Jesus went on. “But I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has already, in his heart, committed adultery with her.
“If your right eye makes you stumble, pull it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you if one of your body’s parts is lost than if your whole body is thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you if one of your body’s parts is lost than if your whole body is thrown into Gehenna.
“It was also said, ‘Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,’ but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.
“Again, you have heard that in the old days people were told, ‘Don’t make false , but keep your vows to the Lord.’ But I tell you, don’t swear oaths at all: not by heaven, because it is the throne of God; not by the earth, because it is the footstool for his feet; and not by Jerusalem, because it is the great King’s city. Don’t swear by your own head either, because you can’t make one hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever you add to these comes from the evil one.”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,’” Jesus said. “But I tell you, don’t resist someone who is evil. If anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn your other cheek to him too.
“If anyone takes you to court to get your coat, let him have your cloak too. If someone makes you go one mile, go with him two. Give to anyone who asks you, and don’t turn away anyone who asks to borrow from you.”
In Luke, Jesus says, “If someone takes away your cloak, don’t keep your coat from him either. Give to everyone who asks you. If someone takes away your belongings, don’t ask him to give them back.
“As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them.”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,’” Jesus said. “But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, so that you will be children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes his sun come up on the evil and the good, and sends rain on those who do right and those who do wrong.
“If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the do the same? If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?
“So you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
In Luke, Jesus says, “If you love those who love you, what credit do you get for that? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit do you get for that? Even sinners do the same. If you lend to people you hope to get something back from, what credit do you get for that? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they can get as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing back. And your reward will be great, and you will be children of , since he is kind toward the unthankful and the evil.
“So be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”