St. Matthew 5:1-9: "1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth 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 shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.'"
This morning reading is our Lord's teaching of the Beatitudes. This pericope from the Evangelist St. Matthew is a shortened form of the Gospel lesson appointed for the festival of All Saints. That festival is about the gifts bestowed upon the saints, and their work and labor done in faith to Him. Today's reading has a different theme being appointed in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany means "to manifest" or "to reveal." A good illustration to remember what Epiphany means, is to think of the cartoon characters who have a light bulb appear above their head when they come up with an idea, or think of something. The idea or thought has been manifested, they have had an epiphany.
The epiphany that takes place today is our Lord revealing His teaching to His disciples through the Sermon on the Mount. There is some debate, even among the Early Fathers, whether this sermon is given to just His disciples, or to the whole multitude, since it says after seeing the crowds He went up into the mountain, and after His disciples sat down, He began to teach them. St. Augustine and St. Chrysostom, the great Fathers of the West and East, respectively, seem to give warrant to the teaching that He was with His disciples alone. St. Augustine relating the reason for differences in this Gospel and St. Luke's Gospel, where our Lord stands for His sermon, is due to the fact that these are two separate sermons, one given solely to the disciples, the other given to the crowds. To whomever He was speaking, whether the crowds or just the disciples, is not as important a discussion as to what He was saying, and where He was saying it.
There are three places where our Lord Jesus takes His repose: the ship, or boat; the desert; and the mountain. These three things have much symbolism attached to them, and each reveal something about our Lord's person and work. Today we have the mountain. Now, our Lord doesn't go up into the mountain, as some would suppose, just for better acoustics. (They say the same thing about Him getting into a boat to preach, too.) The mountain hold more significance and it shows up often in our Lord's life. He is crucified on a mountain; He would often go to the Mount of Olives with His disciples to pray and sing hymns and psalms; The Temple was situated on a mountain; Jerusalem, the holy city, was situated on a mountain; He was transfigured on a mountain. From these brief examples we can see the importance of mountains in our Lord's life, but what do they signify about Him?
The Prophet Isaiah said, "Get thee up into a high mountain." (Isaiah 40:9) The Prophet Isaiah was talking about the preaching of good news, of glad tidings, that such good news should be shouted from the highest places, for they embodied the holiness and righteousness of our Lord God, on account of their proximity to Heaven. St. Chrysostom compares the Church to this mountain, for it is only within the Church that the mysteries of the truth are revealed and given out. St. Augustine carries this point even further by comparing our Lord Jesus to the mountain. For there are two important mountains in all of holy Scripture, Mt. Sinai, and Mt. Calvary. The one mountain represents the Law, the other represents the fulfiling of the Law, or the Gospel. Mt. Calvary is the mountain of our Lord, and the mountain where He wins the battle over sin, death, and the devil. This Mt. Calvary becomes the new mountain, replacing Mt. Sinai, for all of Christendom, the mountain of our Lord's righteousness, which He delivered through His love for us, by His very own death.
The Evangelist St. Matthew tells us that our Lord sat down, and opened His mouth, and taught them. Our Lord manifests Himself as the True Prophet, through His sitting down, which mystically speaking is a representation of His incarnation where He sits down into the flesh of mankind. If He had not taken on our flesh, we would not be able to come to Him, like His disciples come to Him on the mountain.
He also opens His mouth. He who had opened the mouth of the prophets, now opens His mouth to proclaim to His disciples His righteousness. The Beatitudes, as this section in holy Scripture is commonly called, is all about Jesus. He is the one who is poor in spirit, that is humble. He shows His humility by laying aside His glory to become a man in the flesh. He is the one who mourns for His lost people on account of their sins. He is the one who is truly meek. Meek people are those who suffer the trials and troubles of this life without seeking revenge, but rather, endure the punishment willingly, knowing they receive a greater crown in Heaven. Our Lord shows His meekness in enduring the cross and shame of our our guilt willingly and silently as a Lamb led to the slaughter. He is the one who hungers and thirsts after righteousness, desiring to learn all there is to learn about His Father in Heaven, and do what He commands Him to do. This is shown us by the Boy Jesus in the Temple, who spent three days, answering and asking questions of the teachers of the holy Scriptures. Truly He is merciful, for He doesn't treat us the way we deserve to be treated, that is, we deserve our punishment, as the malefactor on the cross next to our Lord Jesus rightly confessed about himself, that he was deserving of death. But our Lord shows His mercy by taking our punishment, and freeing us from ours.
He is the one who is pure in heart, that is, He is without sin. He is pure and clean. We are made pure and clean by grace, through the preaching of the Word of God, and the receiving of the Sacraments. We remain clean and pure in heart, when we continue in these things, and not disdaining them. Our Lord is also the true peacemaker. When our Lord refers to peacemakers, He is not just referring to those who make peace with their fellow man; those who live without dissension and discord amongst themselves; who do not have contentions and fighting amongst them and other people. He is the true peacemaker, for peace begins in the heart and the soul. One cannot have peace with his fellow man, where there is an inward struggle of the soul. Those who battle with sin, the devil, and the world, cannot have peace with his fellowman. Our Lord's heart is pure, and there is no struggle with sin and Satan and the world, for He has conquered them all, therefore He can make peace with mankind for there exists within His heart and Spirit peace.
Does that mean that there is no hope for us, that we can never find peace? Apart from our Lord Jesus Christ, the answer is a firm no. However, through the preaching of the holy Word and the administration of the Sacraments, our Lord gives us His Holy Spirit, who creates and sustains faith in us, replacing our sinful heart with the sacred and pure heart of our Lord Jesus. It is by putting on Christ, that we find peace in our souls, rest from the war with sin, death and the devil, and in receiving that peace, we can then live in peace with our fellow man.
These peacemakers, made by the Holy Spirit, are called sons of God. They have been given the title of their Saviour. Our Lord Jesus teaches His disciples these things in the Beatitudes, and by His person and work, He teaches us that He is the fulfillement and embodiment of these Beatitudes. He fulfills these Beatitudes for us, in order that we may be joined to Him and live as Him by the assistance of the Holy Ghost.
God be with you!
Deacon Dulas
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