Matthew 5

1 – 2

Jesus saw the crowds who were there. He went up on a hill and sat down. His followers came to him. Jesus taught the people and said:

Jesus was now building the foundation of what we believe. We build what we believe on the Words of Jesus! See 1 Timothy 6:3.

3. Those people who know they are empty in their spirit will be happy. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

This means that you understand that you are empty without God in your spirit and you need Him to fill you. The devil told Adam and Eve that they could become gods and they would not need God anymore. We need to get rid of any ideas that tell us that we do not need God and confess that we do need Him.

You cannot be filled if you are already full of something else. What kind of things do you need to get rid of so that you can make room for the things of God? This is the beginning of living God’s way. First, you need to be empty of anything that is making you trust yourself instead of trusting God.

4. Those who are crying now will be happy. God will comfort them.

We need to also cry over our sin. We do not just pray a little prayer and say, “Now I will start going to church.” Crying over your sin means that you were going a certain way and you turn and go the opposite way.

Only after you see that your sins have hurt God and other people will you understand how serious it is. Think about the things you have done that hurt other people. Think of how they must have felt when you did these things.

You can only be born again, if you first die to your old life and allow God to change you into a new person. Following Christ is not a religion where you just have to find out what the rules are, and follow the rules to get to heaven. If you did that, then you could say that you deserve to go to heaven because you are such a good person.

5. Those who are humble will be happy. The earth will belong to them.

When you are humble, it means that you have stopped wanting everything to be your way. People who do not want to be humble are angry. Angry people think that they deserve something.

Do you need God’s help in making decisions? Psalm 25:9 says that God will show you what to do if you will humble yourself.

6. Those who are hungry for what is right will be happy. God will fully satisfy them.

Ask yourself what you really want out of life. If you think that something else besides the Lord will make you happy then you are not hungry for God. When a baby does not want to eat the mother put some food on her finger and puts it in the baby’s mouth so they can see how good it tastes.

The reason some people are not hungry for the Lord is because they are already full of something else. We can fill our mind with other things while we let our spirit go without food. God will allow us to have some hard times so that we would look for answers. We will find the answers in the Bible when we are hungry enough.

7. Those who give mercy to others will be happy. Mercy will be given to them.

Showing mercy is when you forgive people who do not deserve to be forgiven! We also do not deserve to be forgiven. When we do not forgive people we are judging them. We need to see that we are not the one who judges but God is the judge. If we do not forgive, then we will not be forgiven. God cares more about this than our sacrifices . Matthew 6:15 , Matthew 12:7

8. Those who are pure in their thinking will be happy. They will be with God.
People who are pure in their mind have their focus completely on God. If there is something else that is more important in your mind then your thinking is mixed with the world’s thinking. When you are talking to your friends, do your words show what is the most important thing in life to you?

9. Those who work to bring peace will be happy. God will call them his children.

Do you have the kind of peace that there is nobody in the world who can say that you hurt them and you never asked forgiveness? If you think that nobody can say this, then why does this keep coming back to your mind? Most of the people in the world will tell you that they are not interested in Jesus because they have been hurt by Christians.

We can help people have peace between themselves and God by being humble and watching God work this way in our lives.

10 – 12

Those who are treated badly for doing good will be happy. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
People will say bad things about you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me.

But when they do these things to you, you are happy. Rejoice and be glad. You have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you.

There is a saying, “Only if the tree has fruit, then people will throw stones!” When we bring Jesus with us we are touching something in people’s lives. This will sometimes make them angry or feel guilty. The more clear your message is, the more they will feel bad. They are really doing these things to Jesus and not to us because life is a spiritual battle!

13. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its salty taste, it cannot be made salty again. It is good for nothing. It must be thrown out for people to walk on.

Salt stops things from becoming rotten. Jesus said that we are like salt to the people on the earth. In places where there are no Christians there are many evil things out of control.

14 – 16

You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden. And people don’t hide a light under a bowl. They put the light on a lampstand. Then the light shines for all the people in the house. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do. Live so that they will praise your Father in heaven.

If we have something of darkness in us then our light cannot shine. Is it so important to hide the light from the world? What else are we still on this earth for?

17 – 18

Do not think that I have come to destroy the law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. I have not come to destroy their teachings but to do what they said. I tell you the truth. Nothing will disappear from the law until heaven and earth are gone. The law will not lose even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter until all has happened.

There is not one thing that has not come true of what the Bible said would happen. The world will ask, “What about “mistakes” in the Bible?” There are thousands of scrolls and copies of the Bible in many languages. People who do not know what they are talking about will find some copy that added or left out something and they try to say that this shows that the Bible is full of mistakes.

There are no copying mistakes that have changed the message of the Bible. The message of the Bible has been protected by God for thousands of years and people have given their lives to make sure that it was passed down exactly as it was written. Nobody would give their lives for a book that was just a story that was changed by men.

19 – 20

Whoever refuses to obey any command and teaches other people not to obey that command will be the least important in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys the law and teaches other people to obey the law will be great in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you that you must do better than the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. If you are not better than they are, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

It is a very serious thing to bring sin into the life of a little child. Be very careful how you act and how you talk to a child. Do not plant your anger or other weak areas into a child.

Fathers, do not lead your children your children into anger. Ephesians 6:4

21 – 22

You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘You must not murder anyone. Anyone who murders another will be judged.’ But I tell you, if you are angry with your brother, you will be judged. And if you say bad things to your brother, you will be judged by the Jewish council. And if you call your brother a fool, then you will be in danger of the fire of hell.

People will say that they have never killed anyone but they know that they have done this in their heart.

23 – 24

So when you offer your gift to God at the altar, and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there at the altar. Go and make peace with him. Then come and offer your gift.

God is not interested in our gifts If we have something against another person.

25 – 26

If your enemy is taking you to court, become friends with him quickly. You should do that before you go to court. If you do not become his friend, he might turn you over to the judge. And the judge might give you to a guard to put you in jail. I tell you that you will not leave that jail until you have paid everything you owe.

Is it worth it to win a court case and lose your testimony for Christ?

27 – 30

You have heard that it was said, ‘You must not be guilty of adultery.’ But I tell you that if anyone looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery with her in his mind. If your right eye causes you to sin, then take it out and throw it away.

It is better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, then cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

You can confess your sin instead of cutting your hand off. Cut the sin off by not using this part of your body! Turn your eye away from seeing things that will destroy you. Take your hand away from touching things that will pull you away from Jesus! Do not use your feet to go to places that make you weak!

31 – 32

It was also said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written divorce paper.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife is causing his wife to be guilty of adultery. The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if she has been unfaithful to him. And anyone who marries that divorced woman is guilty of adultery.

God hates divorce and there is nothing good about it. Bible teachers do not agree about divorce but nobody can say that the things it does to children and the idea of living in adultery is good.

All sin can be forgiven except the sin of turning away from Jesus. The Jews see a couple who are engaged to be married as if they were already married. Jesus said that the only way this could be broken was if one of them was unfaithful during the engagement. Matthew 19:9

33 – 37

You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘When you make a promise, do not break your promise. Keep the promises that you make to the Lord.’ But I tell you, never make an oath. Do not make an oath using the name of heaven, because heaven is God’s throne.

Do not make an oath using the name of the earth, because the earth belongs to God.

Do not make an oath using the name of Jerusalem, because that is the city of the great King. And don’t even say that your own head is proof that you will keep your oath. You cannot make one hair on your head become white or black.

Say only ‘yes’ if you mean ‘yes,’ and say only ‘no’ if you mean ‘no.’ If you must say more than ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ it is from the Evil One.

If what you say is true then you do not need to make a vow to prove that it is true!
Never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned. James 5:12

38 – 42

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not stand up against an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, then turn and let him slap the other cheek too. If someone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, then let him have your coat too.

If a soldier forces you to go with him one mile, then go with him two miles. If a person asks you for something, then give it to him. Do not refuse to give to a person who wants to borrow from you.

If you are living with the Lord then you will have enemies. The original language shows that Jesus is talking about someone slapping you in a way that is making fun of you.

A man threw mud in David’s face and his guards asked if they should kill this man. David said. “No, leave him alone. Maybe God will see that I am doing nothing to this man and will bless me.” 2 Samuel 16:5

People want to see the way that Jesus lived when He was on the earth. If you want to show Christ to the world then do more than you are have to do!

43 – 45

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and [hate] your enemies.’ But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. If you do this, then you will be true sons of your Father in heaven.

Your Father causes the sun to rise on good people and on bad people. Your Father sends rain to those who do good and to those who do wrong.

The Jewish teachers twisted Leviticus 19:18 to add the idea of hating your enemies. That is why Jesus said you have heard this!

46 – 48

If you love only the people who love you, then you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, then you are no better than other people.

Even people without God are nice to their friends. So you must be complete, just as your Father in heaven is complete.

God is looking for people who will do the opposite of what the world does. Jesus was an example to us of how we should not fight back against our enemies. When somebody sins against us, we should say, “Except for God’s grace that could be me going around hurting other people.”