First Mennonite Church
August 17, 2025
The Sermon on the Mount II
Text: Matthew 5:1-8
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.
Today, we will continue our consideration of the Beatitudes. As we can see, the Sermon on the Mount is given an important place within the sayings of Jesus. Matthew highlights the solemnity of this particular section of Jesus’ teaching by simply indicating that “He opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, ‘Blessed are . . . . . .” (v2). This is unlike the many other times Matthew introduces Jesus’ teaching moments in the rest of the gospel. For instance, there are places where Matthew writes: “He said to them . . . . .” (16:6. 17:22, and others)
After Jesus had sat down, he made his disciples draw near to him, and he opened his mouth to teach them.
There is something we should never forget about the Sermon on the Mount as a whole. This was addressed to the disciples who had already committed to follow Jesus, regardless of their success or lack thereof in doing so. (I will say a bit more a little later.) Nothing in the Sermon on the Mount, either descriptive, as are the Beatitudes, nor prescriptive, as are the commandments to love, to pray, to give alms, and many other exhortations, is given to the non-committed. On the one hand, that is because the very things and conditions the beatitudes promise to reverse are caused by the forces opposite to the kingdom of God. On the other it is through those who hunger and thirst for a just world, through those who show mercy, and through those who are pure in heart, that God’s presence and work are made evident in the world.
We should also be comforted to know that despite the disciples’ literal following of Jesus, their life of faith was very much like ours today. They struggled not only to understand Jesus’ words, but also to fully embody his teachings. The disciples followed Jesus even when they could not fully figure out who he was. This lack of fully understanding the identity of Jesus went on even to the day of Jesus’ arrest, crucified, and resurrection. However, they followed him and were his associates, going from town to town depending on the generosity of others, like Jesus did. The disciples shared with Jesus the scorn and rejection he suffered. But they also, like we today, rejoiced in the grace of their beloved Master. When they stumbled and failed to measure up to the standard of their Lord, Jesus endured them and corrected them patiently. Jesus even went after them to restore them, as he did with Peter by the sea and the two on the road to Damascus. The disciples, despite their ups and downs, clung to Jesus, his words, and promise that the kingdom of God belonged to them.
In that respect, we must understand that The Sermon on the Mount, including the Beatitudes, can only speak and be applied by those who have already made a personal commitment to follow Jesus, as well.
The underlying force of the Beatitudes, the pronouncement of being “blessed,” is that it is a gift conferred upon the disciples. The honorable status pronounced transforms Jesus’ followers from absolute emptiness into being recipients of God’s abundant grace. Jesus’ disciples are meek; they are poor. They are the ones who mourn; they are the ones who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, and so on. Yet, upon God’s bestowing them the blessedness for their being in the fellowship of his Son, their emptiness, poverty, and so on, will be transformed into fullness, abundance, and comfort, and in the end, they will see God.
The first beatitude for our consideration today is:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
This Beatitude not only indicates the foremost goal of Jesus’ followers, which is their quest for righteousness, but also their passion, restlessness, and the unquenchable desire for what is right and just. Their prayer is for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Those who are desperately searching for righteousness are blessed, says Jesus.
Blessed are those who are not only fully aware that God desires justice, truth, and peace to prevail, but are also striving to make these conditions become real in the world. Unfortunately, oftentimes we Christians avoid engaging in this area of life because it confronts the powers that be. Oftentimes, we avoid speaking about justice because we are afraid to be judged as social activists or that we are taking sides with certain groups of people. The Gospels make it obvious that Jesus took the side of the oppressed and marginalized. He was not afraid to be called “a friend of sinners and tax collectors.”
Have you heard about the work of Mennonite Action or The Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery? The people involved in these groups are actively advocating for Palestinians and the Native Peoples of the US and around the world, respectively. One might wonder, what can they achieve through advocacy? I tell you, from what I have heard from them, not very much. Advocacy of this kind is very difficult work. The Palestinian people continue to suffer. Oak Flat, a sacred site of one of the Native American Tribes, was given to a mining company. However, when you listen to those leading these groups, you feel their hunger and thirst for the well-being and life of those they advocate for. For one, they know that their work is God’s work, and secondly, although very little can be accomplished through their work, they find satisfaction in doing God’s work.
- “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
The world teaches us to look out for ourselves because no one else will do. In this “dog-eat-dog” world, to have a soft heart is often considered as being naïve. To be merciful is not only to feel pity for someone in an unfavorable situation. When the Bible speaks about mercy, it is always to “show mercy” (Exodus 33:19; Isaiah 30:18; Luke 10:37; Romans 11:31, among others). The objects of mercy are always those who are helpless about their situation. Remember the story of the Good Samaritan or about God towards us, according to Paul in Romans. If we bring to mind the story of the Good Samaritan, we know that he had no legal obligation towards the one who was half dead and naked on the road. Yet, upon seeing the injured man, the Good Samaritan went off his way and beyond the call of duty, and without expecting anything in return, to help him.
Today, God gives us situations and opportunities in which we can show mercy to others. Who do you know is in a helpless situation that you can show mercy to? A sick neighbor? A mother struggling to get school supplies for her school-age children? A friend who recently lost a loved one? A homebound person? If you know someone who simply cannot help him or herself, take the opportunity to show mercy to that person. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
3. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Jesus says, “For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander (Matthew 15:19). It is interesting that Jesus spoke these words when the Jews were questioning his “kosher” practices. They were accusing Jesus and his disciples of not keeping the rule regarding clean foods. But Jesus reminded them that God desires not only kosher dietary practices, but kosher hearts.
We know so well that often the human heart beats out of selfish impulses and motivations. However, those who have determined to be Jesus’ disciples have pure hearts. Our world judges pure intentions as being childish and naïveté. The one with a pure heart is kind, not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. The one with a pure heart does not insist on his or her own way; it is not irritable nor resentful. The one with a pure heart does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. The one with a pure heart bears all things, patiently and believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. To those who are pure heart is the promise that they will see God.
The three beatitudes we considered today: hungering and thirsting for a right world, being merciful, and pure in heart, have to do with moral qualities in us as followers of the Lord. It is a morality superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees, as Jesus says. These beatitudes portray a morality that contrasts with the immorality, injustice, and hate that prevail among those who have no commitments to the Lord. It truly is the light of God’s kingdom revealed by those who follow Jesus, you and me.
Once again, we are Jesus’ disciples. So, let us seek to live each day and every moment in the full awareness of God’s presence. Let us shine the light of God’s kingdom that has dawned upon us through Jesus’ pronouncement that we are blessed because we pursue righteousness, show mercy, and have an undivided heart for God. “Blessed are you,” declares the Lord.
Pastor Romero