Week 7: The Sermon on the Mount - Part 1

Series: A Year in the Life of Jesus | Matthew 5:1–12 | Teaching by Ben Crocker

This week we arrived at one of the most well-known teachings of Jesus: the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

After announcing that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, Jesus gathered His growing audience on a hillside in Galilee. Matthew paints a picture that echoes Moses ascending Mount Sinai. But instead of receiving the law, Jesus now speaks with authority about life under God’s rule. In Matthew 5–7, Jesus describes what life looks like in the kingdom of heaven.

And the sermon begins with what we call the Beatitudes. In many ways, the Beatitudes function like a preamble. Just as the preamble to the U.S. Constitution describes the hopes and promises of life in our nation, the Beatitudes describe what life looks like for citizens of God’s kingdom. They tell us what the “good life” truly is.

But Jesus’ definition of the good life is deeply surprising. The repeated word “blessed” carries the sense of flourishing—the state of a life that experiences the favor and providence of God. In our culture, the good life is often associated with influence, comfort, success, or security. But Jesus looks at an entirely different group of people and says, “The good life belongs to them.”

The kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit—those who recognize their need and have nothing to boast in.

The kingdom draws near to those who mourn—those who feel the weight of loss and grief in a broken world. Jesus promises that God sees their pain and that comfort will come. Even in grief, there is hope because death and loss will not have the final word in God’s kingdom.

The good life belongs to the gentle—the people who refuse to use strength or power to harm others or advance themselves by force. In a world that celebrates dominance and influence, Jesus says the earth will ultimately belong to those who walk in humility and restraint.

Already we begin to see something remarkable: the values of God’s kingdom run in the opposite direction of the values that dominate the world. Where Rome prized power, competition, victory, and comfort, Jesus describes a kingdom where the overlooked, the grieving, and the gentle are welcomed as citizens.

The Beatitudes continue by revealing that life in God’s kingdom is shaped by the very character of God Himself.

Citizens of this kingdom hunger and thirst for righteousness—not only personal morality, but a world where things are made right. They long for justice, mercy, and restoration for the vulnerable and the oppressed. Jesus promises that this hunger will one day be satisfied, because God Himself will set the world right.

They also embody mercy. The people of God reflect His own gracious character—extending forgiveness, choosing reconciliation over resentment, and showing kindness that mirrors the mercy they have received from Him.

They pursue purity of heart—not merely outward religious performance, but an inner transformation that only God can produce. And Jesus makes a breathtaking promise: those who are renewed from the inside out will see God.

Finally, the Beatitudes move outward into action.

Citizens of God’s kingdom become peacemakers. They step into places of conflict and brokenness to pursue restoration and reconciliation. In doing so, they reveal their identity as children of God. But Jesus is honest about the cost of living this way. Participating in the work of God’s kingdom will often place believers in tension with the kingdoms of this world. It may bring rejection, opposition, or persecution. Yet Jesus calls His followers to rejoice, because this path places them in the long story of the prophets and aligns them with the purposes of God.

The reason this life is worth it is because of the King Himself.

Jesus does not call His followers to a path He refuses to walk. The values of the kingdom—humility, mercy, self-giving love—are the very path Jesus Himself embodied. His coronation did not occur in a palace, but on a cross. Through humility and suffering, He became the King whose kingdom will ultimately prevail.

And so the Beatitudes are not merely ideals to admire. They are an invitation. If you recognize yourself among the poor in spirit, the grieving, the longing, the merciful, the peacemakers—Jesus says there is good news.

You have a home in His kingdom. You have a home with King Jesus.