be a daily effort and struggle for the poor, Jesus asks believers to trust fully and deeply in God’s care so that they might prioritize the kingdom. The coupling here of the language of “kingdom” and “righteousness” highlights the two primary themes of the Sermon on the Mount: God’s imminent reign (5:3, 10) and covenant loyalty and faithfulness. The latter theme has been used to describe the covenant loyalty expected of Jesus’ followers as they live in light of the coming kingdom (5:20; 6:1). In
Page 73