I The Sermon on the Mount
How to Live I
By the Lake of Galilee there is rising ground, situated near several villages on the borders of the lake, where it is believed the Lord Jesus spoke those wonderful words which are called “The Sermon on the Mount.”
Travellers who have been to this spot tell us that the rising, rocky ground, which is called “The Horns of Hattin,” would be a most convenient place for any one who was speaking to large numbers of people. And it is here, it is thought, our Lord, “seeing the multitudes” who had followed Him from the villages beneath the mountain, spoke to them of the blessings which they might possess if they kept His words; and explained to them the duties which were laid upon those who loved Him, and the blessings in store for them.
In an earthly school, the children are told of the prizes which will be given for earnest endeavour; and each one on entering the school is able to read the list of these rewards, and the conditions which are attached to them.
We all understand more or less of this earthly competition—this great endeavour to do our best, to see some result of our hard work, to have the joy of receiving a prize or of earning the approbation of the master who helps us to the attainment of our ideal.
This is in an earthly school—now we are going to turn to the heavenly side of life.
So when our Lord Jesus Christ, from that rocky eminence raised above the multitude, spoke to them and said—
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven—”
It seems to me that there is hidden in His words a Promise; and also a Way made plain, to obtain the Prize.
So the first “Blessed” is:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit”; and the promise is: “For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“The poor in spirit” does not mean a weak man, but one who knows how likely he is to fail, and therefore does not trust in himself or his pride, but looks up into God’s face, instead of into his own faulty doings.
In a little country town in the West of England, about a hundred years ago, there lived a man who was spoken of as “half-witted.” He was a general favourite; but if, at any time, he was twitted by the boys, or good-humouredly questioned by older people, his invariable answer was—
“I’m a poor Sinner, and nothing at all;
But Jesus Christ is my All-in-All.”
Whatever else he had missed, he had learned the blessedness of being “poor in spirit,” and his reward has been, for many a long day, an entrance into “the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
And now comes the Second “Blessed.”
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
Ah! It is a sad thing to mourn! We know something about that in these sorrowful days. To lose the one whom we have loved so tenderly! To lose that which we have prized above any other earthly joy, and to know that it can never come back to us here!
And yet our Lord says: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
So the weary, sorrowful heart must turn to Jesus! “He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds.” “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.” In Jesus is infinite comfort, if we will go to Him.
The Third “Blessed.”
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
“Now the man Moses was very meek.” He was so ready to be taught, and to do God’s Will, that “the Lord spoke to him face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.”
“The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His Way,” we read in the twenty-fifth Psalm, and this was true of Moses; and in after years, he was allowed to come down from the glory of Heaven to talk with the Lord Jesus before His Crucifixion.
As to this “meekness,” we often find in life that it is not to the ones who strive and struggle to get their own way that the blessing comes, but to those who in meekness wait patiently for the Lord; for He, Himself, was meek and lowly in heart, and He will give rest to our souls if we learn of Him.
The Fourth “Blessed.”
“Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
If we turn to Jesus as the Bread of Life, and ask Him to fill us with the Water of Life, we shall find that “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.”
The Fifth “Blessed.”
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
Oh, let us pray for a merciful heart! To be generous to those in fault; to be kind to those who wrong us; to cultivate a fellow-feeling for all the suffering there is in the world, and to endeavour to do our little part in trying to alleviate it.
“The Lord God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in mercy.”