JESUS' SERMON ON THE MOUNT SERMON SERIES3. The New Kingdom |
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Luke 6:12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
The date is probably 29 A.D. The season was late summer. For one and a half years, Jesus has been travelling around preaching. Now He is on the mountain in quietness; the weather is cool and damp. Jesus had been praying all night. Why had He been praying for such a long time? After you do your fifth prayer don't you sleep? Jesus was doing something completely different. Jesus was getting instruction from God. Have you ever done that? Have you ever asked God for instruction? Is your prayer an event of interaction or is it just a duty? If your prayers seem to you like a task, what do you need to do to change the situation? Because Jesus was about to do great things, He was getting instruction from God.
Jesus' disciples had been loosely connected to Jesus for this one and a half years. The disciples had heard Jesus' sermons and had been influenced. They loved this new Teacher and they tried to apply His teachings to their lives. But Jesus was not about to call them to a special work. They would travel continuously with Jesus and work with Him side by side.
Luke 6:13-16 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.
Jesus' disciples were very excited. At that time the Romans were occupying Israel. Caesar Augustus was trying to unify the Roman World by spreading Greek culture.[1] Pagan temples were set up all over the country. The Greek games involving naked competitors came to Jerusalem. The Romans oppressed religious Jews who rebelled against such things and many were killed. Building projects multiplied. The people's taxes increased. The Jews hated the Romans and they wanted a hero to appear who would throw off the Roman yoke.
The disciples who believed that Jesus was the Messiah thought that the time of rebellion had come. Yet for one and a half years Jesus had not mentioned any such thing. The disciples of Jesus were expecting and worldly kingdom. They were expecting Jesus to get the support of the priests and rabbis to strengthen His cause but Jesus made no such effort. They could not understand Jesus' movements. Jesus did not attempt to use any power or authority to set up a worldly kingdom for Himself. Jesus' disciples waited impatiently.
14Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." Mark 1:14-15.
When the disciples heard these words, they thought, "The day has come at last, the new kingdom is about to come."
Jesus chose his disciples and they hoped that they would hold high places in Jesus' kingdom.
Luke 6:17-19 17And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
Jesus was so powerful! Jesus could heal those wounded in battle. Certainly this man could defeat the Romans. The hero they were expecting had come at last! The time had come! Jesus was about to announce it. Perhaps Jesus would prepare the people for rebellion. The people would be powerful at last. Poverty would be finished! They would be as rich as the Romans. Perhaps even more so! Money, money, money!
Jesus was about to announce the principles of His kingdom and the conditions of being a member. The lakeside was too narrow for the large crowds and Jesus directed them to the slope of a mountain. While the crowd was moving that way they became very excited. What would Jesus say? The people's expectation was very high.
Matthew 5:1-3 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Blessed are the poor in spirit! For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. These words were very strange to the people. The rabbis and priests never spoke like that. The people had always thought of Israel as God's chosen people. The priests and rabbis repeatedly said that Israel would be honored before all peoples. But Jesus did not say anything that would stroke people's pride.
In Jesus' day the religious leaders thought they were very rich when it came to spiritual things. They thought they were very good and were in need of nothing. They were very pleased with themselves. Pride feels no need and closes the heart's door to wisdom. It brings to my mind the words of a song:
It comes before everything
It doesn't hide itself ever
It is the only one who knows what is right
Ego doesn't think beyond that
Damage and waste are its gifts
It doesn't think about what will result
It ignores the past
Ego learns nothing...
Ego learns nothing. That is correct. This is the reason that people turned away from Jesus' teachings. It was true then. It is true now.
How about you? When it comes to religion do you already know everything? Do you feel no lack before God? Are you good in God's eyes? Are you pleased with yourself? Do you feel that you are ready to enter that kingdom of heaven and that you have a right to enter?
Lots of people come here and they say to me, "I don't need to read anything. I know."
Oh really?
Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Those who are good and honorable in their own eyes do not want God's blessings by faith and therefore they do not receive them. They think they are full and thus they go away empty.
But those that know they cannot save themselves and that in themselves they cannot do anything good are the poor in spirit. They are the ones that are blessed. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Those who have their sins forgiven are not the proud, they first repent. But this work of repentance does not come from themselves. They are convinced that they are sinners by the influence of the Holy Spirit and see that they cannot do anything good of themselves. They are aware that all that they have ever done is mixed with selfishness and sin.
Proverbs 28:13 13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit! For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
The kingdom that Jesus is talking about is a spiritual kingdom. This kingdom is not a passing worldly kingdom. One of the characteristics of this kingdom is this: The subjects of the kingdom are poor in spirit. In this kingdom there is no place for conceit and pride.
But even today many people are expecting a worldly kingdom that God will set up. According to them if a religion has the most members, it has God's blessings. Because they have many members they are filled with pride and they feel they are good and lack nothing. But actually, the thing that God expects from us is exactly the opposite.
First of all, you have probably heard that Jesus is a prophet and you believe that. But to believe in Jesus is to understand the message that God gave to Him and that He shared with us and to apply this to our lives.
God passes by the proud, strong and the ones who think they are good and honorable.
He passes by the ones that think they are good enough to enter heaven.
He passes by the ones that feel no lack in themselves.
O.K. who will God accept? Jesus who spent the whole night in prayer and received this message from God will answer:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
[1] SDA Commentary Vol 5 p 41
The date is probably 29 A.D. The season was late summer. For one and a half years, Jesus has been travelling around preaching. Now He is on the mountain in quietness; the weather is cool and damp. Jesus had been praying all night. Why had He been praying for such a long time? After you do your fifth prayer don't you sleep? Jesus was doing something completely different. Jesus was getting instruction from God. Have you ever done that? Have you ever asked God for instruction? Is your prayer an event of interaction or is it just a duty? If your prayers seem to you like a task, what do you need to do to change the situation? Because Jesus was about to do great things, He was getting instruction from God.
Jesus' disciples had been loosely connected to Jesus for this one and a half years. The disciples had heard Jesus' sermons and had been influenced. They loved this new Teacher and they tried to apply His teachings to their lives. But Jesus was not about to call them to a special work. They would travel continuously with Jesus and work with Him side by side.
Luke 6:13-16 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.
Jesus' disciples were very excited. At that time the Romans were occupying Israel. Caesar Augustus was trying to unify the Roman World by spreading Greek culture.[1] Pagan temples were set up all over the country. The Greek games involving naked competitors came to Jerusalem. The Romans oppressed religious Jews who rebelled against such things and many were killed. Building projects multiplied. The people's taxes increased. The Jews hated the Romans and they wanted a hero to appear who would throw off the Roman yoke.
The disciples who believed that Jesus was the Messiah thought that the time of rebellion had come. Yet for one and a half years Jesus had not mentioned any such thing. The disciples of Jesus were expecting and worldly kingdom. They were expecting Jesus to get the support of the priests and rabbis to strengthen His cause but Jesus made no such effort. They could not understand Jesus' movements. Jesus did not attempt to use any power or authority to set up a worldly kingdom for Himself. Jesus' disciples waited impatiently.
14Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." Mark 1:14-15.
When the disciples heard these words, they thought, "The day has come at last, the new kingdom is about to come."
Jesus chose his disciples and they hoped that they would hold high places in Jesus' kingdom.
Luke 6:17-19 17And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
Jesus was so powerful! Jesus could heal those wounded in battle. Certainly this man could defeat the Romans. The hero they were expecting had come at last! The time had come! Jesus was about to announce it. Perhaps Jesus would prepare the people for rebellion. The people would be powerful at last. Poverty would be finished! They would be as rich as the Romans. Perhaps even more so! Money, money, money!
Jesus was about to announce the principles of His kingdom and the conditions of being a member. The lakeside was too narrow for the large crowds and Jesus directed them to the slope of a mountain. While the crowd was moving that way they became very excited. What would Jesus say? The people's expectation was very high.
Matthew 5:1-3 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Blessed are the poor in spirit! For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. These words were very strange to the people. The rabbis and priests never spoke like that. The people had always thought of Israel as God's chosen people. The priests and rabbis repeatedly said that Israel would be honored before all peoples. But Jesus did not say anything that would stroke people's pride.
In Jesus' day the religious leaders thought they were very rich when it came to spiritual things. They thought they were very good and were in need of nothing. They were very pleased with themselves. Pride feels no need and closes the heart's door to wisdom. It brings to my mind the words of a song:
It comes before everything
It doesn't hide itself ever
It is the only one who knows what is right
Ego doesn't think beyond that
Damage and waste are its gifts
It doesn't think about what will result
It ignores the past
Ego learns nothing...
Ego learns nothing. That is correct. This is the reason that people turned away from Jesus' teachings. It was true then. It is true now.
How about you? When it comes to religion do you already know everything? Do you feel no lack before God? Are you good in God's eyes? Are you pleased with yourself? Do you feel that you are ready to enter that kingdom of heaven and that you have a right to enter?
Lots of people come here and they say to me, "I don't need to read anything. I know."
Oh really?
Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Those who are good and honorable in their own eyes do not want God's blessings by faith and therefore they do not receive them. They think they are full and thus they go away empty.
But those that know they cannot save themselves and that in themselves they cannot do anything good are the poor in spirit. They are the ones that are blessed. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Those who have their sins forgiven are not the proud, they first repent. But this work of repentance does not come from themselves. They are convinced that they are sinners by the influence of the Holy Spirit and see that they cannot do anything good of themselves. They are aware that all that they have ever done is mixed with selfishness and sin.
Proverbs 28:13 13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit! For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
The kingdom that Jesus is talking about is a spiritual kingdom. This kingdom is not a passing worldly kingdom. One of the characteristics of this kingdom is this: The subjects of the kingdom are poor in spirit. In this kingdom there is no place for conceit and pride.
But even today many people are expecting a worldly kingdom that God will set up. According to them if a religion has the most members, it has God's blessings. Because they have many members they are filled with pride and they feel they are good and lack nothing. But actually, the thing that God expects from us is exactly the opposite.
First of all, you have probably heard that Jesus is a prophet and you believe that. But to believe in Jesus is to understand the message that God gave to Him and that He shared with us and to apply this to our lives.
God passes by the proud, strong and the ones who think they are good and honorable.
He passes by the ones that think they are good enough to enter heaven.
He passes by the ones that feel no lack in themselves.
O.K. who will God accept? Jesus who spent the whole night in prayer and received this message from God will answer:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
[1] SDA Commentary Vol 5 p 41