Matthew 5–7

5TH CHAPTER

The Sermon on a Mountain:

the Beatitudes

¹When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them: 

³“Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless. 

The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 

⁴Blessed are those who mourn. 

They will be comforted. 

⁵Blessed are those who are gentle. 

They will inherit the earth. 

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God’s approval. 

They will be satisfied. 

⁷Blessed are those who show mercy. 

They will be treated mercifully. 

⁸Blessed are those whose thoughts are pure. 

They will see God. 

⁹Blessed are those who make peace. 

They will be called God’s children. 

¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing what God approves of. 

The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 

¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you, 

persecute you, 

lie, and say all kinds of evil things about you because of me. 

¹²Rejoice and be glad because you have a great reward in heaven! 

The prophets who lived before you were persecuted in these ways. 

God’s People Make a Difference in the World—Mark 4:21–23; Luke 11:33

¹³“You are salt for the earth. But if salt loses its taste, how will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people. 

¹⁴“You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill. ¹⁵No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven. 

Jesus Fulfills the Old Testament Scriptures

¹⁷“Don’t ever think that I came to set aside Moses’ Teachings or the Prophets. I didn’t come to set them aside but to make them come true. ¹⁸I can guarantee this truth: Until the earth and the heavens disappear, neither a period nor a comma will disappear from the Scriptures before everything has come true. ¹⁹So whoever sets aside any command that seems unimportant and teaches others to do the same will be unimportant in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches what the commands say will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰I can guarantee that unless you live a life that has God’s approval and do it more faithfully than the experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Jesus Talks about Anger

²¹“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Never murder. Whoever murders will answer for it in court.’ ²²But I can guarantee that whoever is angry with another believer^awill answer for it in court. Whoever calls another believer an insulting name will answer for it in the highest court. Whoever calls another believer a fool will answer for it in hellfire. 

²³“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember there that another believer has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift at the altar. First go away and make peace with that person. Then come back and offer your gift. 

²⁵“Make peace quickly with your opponent while you are on the way to court with him. Otherwise, he will hand you over to the judge. Then the judge will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. ²⁶I can guarantee this truth: You will never get out until you pay every penny of your fine. 

About Sexual Sin

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘Never commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I can guarantee that whoever looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery in his heart. 

²⁹“So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it go into hell. 

³¹“It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice.’ ³²But I can guarantee that any man who divorces his wife for any reason other than unfaithfulness makes her look as though she has committed adultery. Whoever marries a woman divorced in this way makes himself look as though he has committed adultery. 

About Oaths

³³“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Never break your oath, but give to the Lord what you swore in an oath to give him.’ ³⁴But I tell you don’t swear an oath at all. Don’t swear an oath by heaven, which is God’s throne, ³⁵or by the earth, which is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, which is the city of the great King. ³⁶And don’t swear an oath by your head. After all, you cannot make one hair black or white. ³⁷Simply say yes or no. Anything more than that comes from the evil one. 

Love Your Enemies—Luke 6:27–36

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹But I tell you not to oppose an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn your other cheek to him as well. ⁴⁰If someone wants to sue you in order to take your shirt, let him have your coat too. ⁴¹If someone forces you to go one mile, go two miles with him. ⁴²Give to everyone who asks you for something. Don’t turn anyone away who wants to borrow something from you. 

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. ⁴⁵In this way you show that you are children of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun rise on people whether they are good or evil. He lets rain fall on them whether they are just or unjust. ⁴⁶If you love those who love you, do you deserve a reward? Even the tax collectors do that! ⁴⁷Are you doing anything remarkable if you welcome only your friends? Everyone does that! ⁴⁸That is why you must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. 

6TH CHAPTER

The Sermon on a Mountain Continues:

Don’t Do Good Works to Be Praised by People

¹“Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you. ²So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it with trumpet fanfare. This is what hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets in order to be praised by people. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. ³When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. ⁴Give your contributions privately. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you. 

The Lord’s Prayer—Luke 11:1–4

⁵“When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They like to stand in synagogues and on street corners to pray so that everyone can see them. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. ⁶When you pray, go to your room and close the door. Pray privately to your Father who is with you. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you. 

⁷“When you pray, don’t ramble like heathens who think they’ll be heard if they talk a lot. ⁸Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

⁹“This is how you should pray: 

Our Father in heaven, 

let your name be kept holy. 

¹⁰Let your kingdom come. 

Let your will be done on earth 

as it is done in heaven. 

¹¹Give us our daily bread today. 

¹²Forgive us as we forgive others. 

¹³Don’t allow us to be tempted. 

Instead, rescue us from the evil one.^a

¹⁴“If you forgive the failures of others, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failures. 

Fasting

¹⁶“When you fast, stop looking sad like hypocrites. They put on sad faces to make it obvious that they’re fasting. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. ¹⁷When you fast, wash your face and comb your hair. ¹⁸Then your fasting won’t be obvious. Instead, it will be obvious to your Father who is with you in private. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you. 

True Riches

¹⁹“Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. ²⁰Instead, store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust don’t destroy and thieves don’t break in and steal. ²¹Your heart will be where your treasure is. 

²²“The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is unclouded, your whole body will be full of light. ²³But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light in you is darkness, how dark it will be! 

²⁴“No one can serve two masters. He will hate the first master and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and despise the second. You cannot serve God and wealth. 

Stop Worrying—Luke 12:22–34

²⁵“So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? 

²⁶“Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 

²⁷“Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying? 

²⁸“And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. ²⁹But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. ³⁰That’s the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it’s alive, and tomorrow it’s thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith? 

³¹“Don’t ever worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ ³²Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. ³³But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you. 

³⁴“So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

7TH CHAPTER

The Sermon on a Mountain Continues:

Stop Judging—Luke 6:37–42

¹“Stop…