The Gospel Of Matthew 3

Next, a blessing is pronounced on those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness—they shall be satisfied. These people have a passion for
uprightness in their own lives first of all.

Men do not light a lamp and put it under a bushel. The bushel, of
course, is a unit of measure used in business. Christ’s followers should not
allow the claims of business to douse their witness for Him; better to put
the lamp on top of the bushel, that is, to use their business as a means of
sharing their Savior with others. Or, as Jesus suggested, put the lamp on a
stand so that it will give light to all in the house. He did not intend that we
should hoard the light of His matchless teaching to ourselves but that we
should share it with family and friends, that is, with everyone that comes
into the house. We should let our light shine before men so that as they see
our good works, they will glorify our Father in heaven

In terms of being
admitted into the kingdom, our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes
and Pharisees. They contented themselves with religious ceremonies that
gave them an outward, ritual cleanness, but never changed their hearts. This
external righteousness without inward reality will never do. God requires
truth in our inner person; the only righteousness which will satisfy Him
is the perfection which He imputes to those
who accept His Son as only Lord and Savior
(2 Cor. 5:21).

The sermon opens with the Beatitudes, that is, blessings. These set forth
the ideal man of Christ’s kingdom. As we will see, the qualities described
and approved are the very opposite of those which the world values

A blessing is pronounced on the peacemakers; they shall be called sons
of God. Notice that the Lord is not speaking about people with a peaceful
disposition or even those who love peace; He is referring to those who
actively intervene to make peace.

It is the way of most revolutionary leaders to sever all ties with the
past and completely repudiate the traditional order. Not so with the Lord
Jesus. He consistently upheld the law of Moses and insisted that it must
be fulfilled. The law was given by God and was holy, just, and good

Jesus likened His disciples to salt; they were to be to the world what
salt is to us in everyday life. Salt seasons food; it hinders the spread of
corruption; it creates thirst. So His followers were to add “flavor” to
human society, to serve as a preservative agent, and to make others long
for the type of righteousness described in the
preceding verses.

Most
people can find what they think is a valid cause for their anger. Actually
the only times when anger is justified is when God’s honor is at stake or
whenever someone else is being wronged—but never in retaliation for
personal wrongs.

But now a different day has dawned.
Jesus announces that we are to love our
enemies and pray for our persecutors. The
fact that love is commanded shows that it
is a matter of the will and not primarily of
the emotions. Obviously it is not the same
as natural affection, because it is not natural to love those who hate and
harm you. It is a supernatural grace and can be manifested only by those
who have divine life.

I
t is no accident that the so-called “Sermon on the Mount” is placed
at the beginning of the New Testament. Its position indicates its
importance. In it, the King summarizes the character and conduct which
He expects of His subjects.