Scripture: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6 ESV Observation: This fourth beatitude addresses a passion for righteousness (dikaiosynē in biblical Greek). As most evangelical commentators agree, there are three elements in view here: And while we yearn for these three elements of righteousness, we understand that our Triune […]
Blessed Are the Meek
Scripture: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 ESV Observation: The Greek word praus, translated as “meek,” is not easily understood. More often, we hear it coupled with “mild.” But it means much more than that. Its use in the Roman Empire developed from training war horses: its trainer would teach the horse to […]
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Scripture: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 ESV Observation: Luke includes four of Matthew’s eight beatitudes in his Sermon on the Plain: the above second, the first, the fourth, and the eighth. Regarding the second beatitude, both accounts remain silent on the object of one’s mourning. Hence, scholars debate whether it […]
Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
Scripture: Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:1-3 ESV Observation: The Sermon on the Mount, as the early church fathers coined […]
Ordering Our Lives Around Christ
Scripture: And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. Matthew 4:19-20, 23 ESV Observation: The […]
Repenting and Reengaging
Scripture: Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way […]
