Matthew 5:1-12
Epiphany 4 A | 01. Februar 2026 | Matthew 5:1-12 | Luther H. Thoresen |
5 1When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2And he began to speak and taught them, saying:
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Scripture quotations from: New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Note: The initial paragraphs in italics of this sermon might be used as the basis for a Children’s message. The preacher could substitute anecdotes from their youth that would be similar to the current author’s; or share what is below in the third person. If not used that way, one might adapt it as the beginning of the “usual” sermon or insert part of it later in the sermon…or elsewhere in the service.
Good morning. I have a pair of binoculars here. Would you like to look through them? [Allow time for 2-3 children to look through them, maybe asking something like “What do you see?”] Things look different with them than with our eyes alone, right? Also, have you ever looked at something with a magnifying glass or through a telescope or microscope? [Allow time for 2-3 children to describe their experiences] Have you ever hung upside down on the playground? [Allow time for 2-3 children to describe their experiences]. I also watch birds, and one of the birds in our area is the white-breasted nuthatch. These birds can climb up a tree trunk, and down the same tree trunk headfirst. That’s upside down, right? I wonder if the world looks different when they are climbing down compared to climbing up.
Today’s gospel reading includes a series of 9 statements by Jesus we call the “Beatitudes.” That’s because that English word is based on the Latin word “Beate”. Latin was the language used in the Roman churches for many years. That Latin word, “Beate” means “Blessed are”. With each of the 9 Beatitudes Jesus says something like “Blessed are the poor, those who mourn, and so forth. That is something like “God blesses” those people. I’ll talk more about Jesus’ words in the regular sermon.
This week you might look through some binoculars or a magnifying glass. You might hang upside down or stand on your head. You might just watch a nuthatch. With any of these you might remember that Jesus looks at the world differently; and as those who follow Jesus, we might look at the world differently, too. I’ll talk about this more in the regular sermon. But for now, would you pray with me? God, thank you for binoculars to see up close parts of your world that are far away. Thank you for magnifying glasses to see small things better. Thank you for the fun of hanging upside down, and for the chance to watch some bird like a nuthatch. Thank you for Jesus who looked at your people with great love, and that he looks at us with great love. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have you seen the bracelets with the letters WWJD on them? You might recall that this is an acronym for “What would Jesus do?” Over the years these have been created as craft projects at many Bible camps and during congregational events like Vacation Bible School…and of course these have also been mass produced and marketed by various companies in the last 25 or more years. You can now see WWJD on mugs, plaques, jewelry, bumper stickers and more. The intent is for people to ask themselves the moral or ethical question, “What would Jesus do?”
Someone suggested an alternative, WWJHMD…which seems a little long, but it stands for “What would Jesus have me do?” That’s a good question. Let’s keep this question in the background as we move to today’s scripture.
With today’s Gospel text, we might note “when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain.” How we look at people matters. How we see the world matters. A simple example. You might see a bird with a broken wing. You might say to yourself, “I see supper for my cat,” or “I see a candidate for the wildlife rehabilitation center,” Or “I see a helpless bird and nature will take it’s course.” The way we look at the bird determines how we act – bring my cat outside, or take the bird to the rehab, or leave it and go inside. I’m not saying here that any particular action is right or wrong. But it does illustrate that how we see is connected to how we act. We’ll come back to this a bit later.
As the text continues, the people are not gone but probably follow Jesus up the mountain. We are told that Jesus sat down and taught the disciples. However, I think Jesus was looking beyond the disciples to the crowd. It seems as if Jesus teaches the disciples looking at the crowd. Jesus speaks to the disciples, but what he says is not immediately about the disciples.
We hear that Jesus begins with “The Beatitudes,” but these are not a “to do list” so that the disciples can be blessed. These are not even a list of attitudes or virtues so that the disciples can be blessed. It is almost as if Jesus looks at the crowd and invites the disciples to look at the crowd and the world as Jesus does. Is that a bit upside down? With the beatitudes we hear that Jesus values things, values people differently than was common. We hear that Jesus values things, values people differently than the dominant culture.
I would note some quick notes about the beatitudes as a whole. The beatitudes are structured as poetry. There are 2 stanzas of 4 lines or 4 beatitudes each, plus a 9th beatitude. In the first stanza we hear “Blessed are the poor in spirit…those who mourn…the meek…(and) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” In the second stanza we hear “Blessed are the merciful…the pure in heart…the peacemakers…(and) those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.” Each of these stanzas has 36 words in Greek – the language in which all of the New Testament was written. I think it is awesome that Matthew (or someone) took whatever Jesus said in his Aramaic language and formed it into such tight Greek poetry.
Then, after the two stanzas of 4 lines in the 3rd person (“Blessed are those”), Jesus adds a single beatitude in the 2nd person – “Blessed are you.” It seems to me that Jesus had been looking at the crowd and says those two stanzas to the disciples and then adds the last one looking at the disciples and speaking to them. Today, we will focus on the 2 stanzas, each with 4 beatitudes. I’ll not speak at length about any of them, but I will note each briefly.
The first stanza begins with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” The word for spirit is also used for breath or wind in Greek and in Hebrew (the language of the Older Testament). To be poor in spirit is to be without spirit, without breath. It is to be breathless or to have the wind knocked out of you, to have the wind taken from your sails. Next, “Those who mourn” have had their joy taken because of some loss. “The meek” have had their power or influence taken away. They are powerless. “Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” may feel empty. They desire or need what is righteous or what is just.
We could say that all the people described in the first four beatitudes are in situations that are NOT to be desired. These are people with their backs against the wall. Someone said that these are people who have lost hope. These are people with no reason for hope in this world, yet Jesus says, “God blesses them.” That is to say that God is present and at work in these dark places. God is present and at work in these difficult places.
Once we look at the world in this way, we can ask, “What would Jesus have me do?” Will I watch at a distance or step in to assist? Maybe Jesus calls disciples to “Be where the action is.” Maybe Jesus calls us to be where God’s action is, to be where God is active, blessing those that the world casts aside.
So now, what about the 2nd stanza? It is similar, yet different from the 1st. Before we turn directly to them…someone asked, “Where was God on 9/11?” Many of us remember that day when 2 planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, 1 plane crashed into the Pentagon in D.C., and 1 plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field. Where was God? The answer many people give is “Look at the people headed into the twin towers” or “Look at the people going up the steps when everyone else was running down. There God was at work.
Maybe you have heard the quote from Fred Rogers of the children’s TV show, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. He is quoted as saying, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
It is similar with the second stanza of 4 beatitudes, “Blessed are the merciful…the pure in heart…the peacemakers…those persecuted for the sake of righteousness.” These are among the helpers. I would say that God is at wok among and through the merciful – those who show mercy to others in need. God is at work among and through the pure in heart – those who act and live with integrity for the sake of others and a primary goal. God is at work among and through the peacemakers, bringing understanding or listening in tense relationships. God is at work among and through those persecuted for the sake of righteousness; persecuted because they are at work on behalf of justice for all people.
We might say that the 1st stanza is about God’s activity among and on behalf of people who are without hope. We might say that the 2nd stanza is about God’s activity through helpers. I think it is possible to agree with what Julian of Norwich said almost 700 years ago. She said, “The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything.” Let me repeat that, “The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything.” Is she right? God is present in beauty and good events. God is also present in places unexpected. We can look at the darkness in this world and see God’s light. Why? In and through his life, death and
resurrection Jesus brought light – God’s light- into a dark world.
You may know that Mother Teresa spent much of her life in Calcutta, India. You may know that Mother Theresa spent much of her life serving among the poorest of the poor on earth; often tending those dying on the streets of Calcutta. Of course, no one except Jesus was perfect, so of course Teresa wasn’t perfect. However, she was an inspiration to many. Once Rev Dr David Vestal[1] went to visit India and happened to meet Mother Teresa. They had a brief conversation, then she handed him her business card. On it were these words,
“The fruit of silence is prayer
The fruit of prayer is faith
The fruit of faith is love
The fruit of love is service
The fruit of service is peace”
(Let me read that again)
Mother Teresa had learned from Jesus to look at the world in a different way. Mother Teresa had learned to ask, “What would Jesus have me do?”
As we answer that question, we do so knowing that however we answer, however we act, whether we are one of the hopeless or one of helpers, what we do does not make God love us more or love us less. For indeed, God in Christ is the one who acts in response to the hopeless and the helpers. In Christ, God speaks about the presence of the Kingdom now for those who have had the wind knocked out of them. In Christ God is active to offer comfort to those who mourn, a place on earth for the meek, and things put right for those who hunger and thirst for it. Likewise, in Christ God is active to bring mercy to the merciful, a face-to-face vision for the pure, and the words “my child” spoken to peacemakers. In Christ God is active to bring the presence of the Kingdom now for those who are persecuted. For the hopeless and the helper God is active now.
The action of God now on behalf of the hopeless and the helpers is rooted in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. God is active in our lives when the life, death and resurrection of Jesus become present to you. God is active as the scriptures are read and heard at home and in worship together. You are connected to this Jesus in the water and word of Holy Baptism and in the Bread, Wine and word of Holy Communion. You are embraced by this Jesus in the mutual conversation among God’s people. You are served by this Jesus as you with others serve those in need in this world. God acts now for each of us as we answer the question, “What would Jesus have me do?”
Have you ever seen or had a bookmark with The Beatitudes on it? Things like that are nice to have, but sometimes these may only remain words on paper. We want the beatitudes to come off the page, off the bookmark. As someone put it, “We want to turn ink into flesh and blood.” We want the words of Jesus to mark our lives and not just mark a page in a book.
So, I have a challenge for you. You could read Matthew 5:1-12 each day this week. Remember that everything looks different through a pair of binoculars or through a magnifying glass or upside down? So also, through the words of Jesus, you might see people and the world differently…at a distance, up close or upside down. Then you might ask yourself, Today, “What would Jesus have me do?” Amen
In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
©Pr. Luther H. Thoresen, ELCA, STS, retired; thoresenluther54@gmail.com; Grundy Center, IA, USA
[1] Vestal related this encounter with Mother Teresa in an online sermon connected to Micah 6:8. That sermon can be accessed at https://day1.org/weekly-broadcast/5d9b820ef71918cdf200242c/a_rediscovery_of_biblical_religion