In the Gospel of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, recounted in the Gospel passage for this Sunday, can be seen as the opening statement of the ministry of Jesus. In this speech, Jesus expounds on key concepts that he will build on in his preaching and actions throughout the rest of his public ministry. The principles outlined in the Sermon on the Mount have come to be known as the Beatitudes, from the Latin word for blessed. The Beatitudes are among the most commented on statements from the Bible, and therefore I cannot possibly provide and exhaustive interpretation of this pivotal text in a brief article. But let us look at some key thoughts regarding these teachings.
At their core, the Beatitudes are characterized by the inversion of the values of the world. Historically, the world values temporal satisfaction obtained through temporal things and experiences. The quest for such fleeting satisfaction often leads to disordered behaviors, which bring about an ever-spiraling sense of disorder in the world.
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Photo Credit: Mount of Beatitudes by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.