Having declared Himself as the Foremost Teacher of the Law, Jesus launches into a part of the Sermon on the Mount referred to as the antitheses, a series of contrasts in which Jesus begins each new point by drawing a difference between what the people have heard, and what Jesus has come to teach them. Each unit begins with the startling declaration: “You have heard it said …, But I say to you …”

According to Jesus, preventing murder is not the original intent of the Sixth Commandment. On the contrary, the original intent of the commandment is to encourage people to deal properly with their anger so that they don’t commit murder. In other words, anger is a heart issue. The aim of the commandment is to encourage proper conduct before God which results in proper treatment of one’s neighbor. Outward obedience to the Sixth Commandment will not produce righteousness in the heart of those who keep it. Since anger is a heart issue, the absence of a corpse does not mean a murder has not been committed. If righteousness is proper conduct before God then proper conduct before God means dealing with anger properly.

In telling us we are salt and light, Jesus says we have the opportunity to introduce civilization where there is none. We have received a character different from the surrounding culture. This different character will produce a different lifestyle; one guided by a different set of values (e.g., the Beatitudes). This difference in our character also leads to a difference in how we relate to God and to our neighbor. However, whereas being salt and light brings joy to God, it can have the opposite effect on our neighbor. At the same time our good works will encourage people to give glory to God, Jesus warns us that being salt and light will also invite opposition.

The Beatitudes challenge us to live like people in whom the Spirit of God is at work. Since none of us possesses any of the beatitudes at birth, we must receive them by trust in Christ and practice them in obedience to His instructions. The beatitudes describe men and women in whom the Holy Spirit has brought about a change of heart leading to a change in character. A change in character should produce a change in conduct. The more our character is shaped by trust in Christ, the more our conduct will reflect obedience to His instruction.

Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes because they are the fundamental qualities one must have in order to practice what Jesus preaches. The Beatitudes paint a picture of what life as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven looks like. The Beatitudes describe what a Christian is before describing what a Christian does. They define Christian character before they define Christian conduct – for all Christians. It would be wrong to interpret the Beatitudes as Jesus saying, “There are some Christians are pure in heart while others mourn,” or “There are some Christians are meek while others hunger and thirst for righteousness,” or “There are some Christians are merciful while others are pure in heart,” or “There are some Christians are peacemakers while others are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” No. ALL Christians are to have and to practice ALL the qualities listed in the Beatitudes.

This text is a prelude to the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 4 begins with Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. After thwarting Satan, Jesus emerges from the wilderness only to learn His cousin, John the Baptizing Prophet, has been arrested. He withdraws to Galilee. Eventually, He leaves Nazareth, and goes to live in Capernaum where He begins His public ministry; a ministry which is the fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah; a ministry which begins with the now familiar words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Scholars describe Psalm 97 as an enthronement psalm. Normally, such psalms were sung at the coronation of a new king. But there is no king in Israel or in Judah when Psalm 97 is written. Nevertheless, Israel is not without a king to watch over and protect them. There is reason to rejoice. There is reason to make plans for the future. There is reason to hope. This is why the psalm begins with the joyously defiant declaration: the LORD reigns!

Some years ago, the Clarica Insurance Company produced a commericial featuring a man frantically waving his arms in an attempt to get the attention of a woman sitting on a bench across a busy city street. The woman sees the man, but has no idea why he is trying to get her attention. Sensing her confusion, a young woman standing next the man takes out a sketch pad, writes something on it and shows it to the woman.

It is an arrow pointing up. When the woman on the bench looks up she springs to her feet and runs to her right. A second later a piano falls on the spot where she sat just moments before.

As the commercial ends a narrator says, “There's a lot to be said for clarity.”

That phrase sums up the content of Psalm 27