20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed
_are_ ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed _are_
ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed _are_ ye that
weep now: for ye shall laugh. 22 Blessed are ye, when men shall
hate you, and when they shall separate you _from their company_,
and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of
man’s sake. 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap _for joy_: for
behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same manner did
their fathers unto the prophets. 24 But woe unto you that are
rich! for ye have received your consolation. 25 Woe unto you, ye
that are full now! for ye shall hunger. Woe _unto you_, ye that
laugh now for ye shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe _unto you_, when all
men shall speak well of you! for in the same manner did their
fathers to the false prophets.
27 But I say unto you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to
them that hate you, 28 bless them that curse you, pray for them
that despitefully use you. 29 To him that smiteth thee on the
_one_ cheek offer also the other; and from him that taketh away
thy cloak withhold not thy coat also. 30 Give to every one that
asketh thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not
again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to
them likewise. 32 And if ye love them that love you, what thank
have ye? for even sinners love those that love them. 33 And if ye
do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for even
sinners do the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to
receive, what thank have ye? even sinners lend to sinners, to
receive again as much. 35 But love your enemies, and do _them_
good, and lend, never despairing; and your reward shall be great,
and ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the
unthankful and evil. 36 Be ye merciful, even as your Father is
merciful. 37 And judge not, and ye shall not be judged: and
condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: release, and ye shall
be released: 38 give, and it shall be given unto you; good
measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they
give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be
measured to you again.
39 And he spake also a parable unto them, Can the blind guide the
blind? shall they not both fall into a pit? 40 The disciple is not
above his teacher: but every one when he is perfected shall be as
his teacher. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy
brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own
eye? 42 Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me cast
out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not
the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first
the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to
cast out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. 43 For there is no
good tree that bringeth forth corrupt fruit; nor again a corrupt
tree that bringeth forth good fruit. 44 For each tree is known by
its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a
bramble bush gather they grapes. 45 The good man out of the good
treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the
evil _man_ out of the evil _treasure_ bringeth forth that which is
evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I
say? 47 Every one that cometh unto me, and heareth my words, and
doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: 48 he is like a
man building a house, who digged and went deep, and laid a
foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake
against that house, and could not shake it: because it had been
well builded. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man
that built a house upon the earth without a foundation; against
which the stream brake, and straightway it fell in; and the ruin
of that house was great.
It might seem difficult to prove that the Sermon on the Mount is the same
as this discourse which has been called by some the Sermon on the Plain.
The exact relation between the sermon reported by Matthew and this great
address recorded by Luke has long been a subject of debate. It is quite
probable, however, that they are identical. After Jesus had chosen the
twelve apostles on the summit of the mountain where he had spent the
night, he descended to a level place on the mountain side and there met
the multitude and delivered the sermon which holds first place among all
the discourses in the world.
If this address is the same as the Sermon on the Mount, it is to be noted
that each account begins with beatitudes and closes with a warning, while
the main body of the discourse differs only in the aspect of truth
emphasized by the two writers. In Matthew the essence of the Christian
life is described as true righteousness in distinction from the formalism
of the Pharisees. In Luke the essence of righteousness is found in love.
Matthew was writing with Jewish Christians in mind. The Gospel of Luke was
for the world and many of his readers would not have appreciated the
distinction which Matthew was emphasizing. The word which would describe
the sermon as recorded by Matthew is spirituality, but the substance of
the Christian life as here indicated by Luke is charity.
The Beatitudes here recorded are four in number, while Matthew mentions
eight or nine; but Luke adds four woes, each one of which is in striking
contrast with the parallel Beatitude, vs. 20-26. The sermon begins,
therefore, by pronouncing blessings upon the followers of Christ and
contrasted woes upon those who reject him. Those who are declared to be
blessed are the poor, the hungry, the mourners, and the despised; while
woes are pronounced upon the rich, the satisfied, the joyous, and the
praised. It is, of course, understood that there are spiritual
implications in these different terms. Poverty, hunger, sorrow, reproach,
have no merit in themselves and issue in present and eternal blessedness
only when accompanied by humility, trust, and patience, and when endured
for the sake of Christ. So, too, there is no wrong in riches and
satisfaction and laughter and praise unless these are accompanied by the
selfishness and greed and frivolity and unworthiness with which they are
so often identified. By these blessings and woes the Master indicated the
real character as well as the abiding blessedness of those who are his
true disciples.
The burden of the discourse, vs. 27-45, sets forth the Christian life as
being in essence a life of love. This sermon on love might be accompanied
properly by the “hymn of love” composed by Paul, 1 Cor., ch. 13, and by
the “Scripture lesson” on love written by John, 1 John 4:7-21.
First then, in place of all revenge, vs. 27-30, Jesus established the
Golden Rule: “As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them
likewise.” V. 31. Then, in contrast with the self-interest and desire for
recompense which so often passes among men as charity, vs. 32-34, he
pointed to the perfect example of God and intimated that his mercy should
incline us to kindly judgments of our fellows, assuring us of the
boundless liberality with which our Father will reward our unselfish love.
Vs. 35-38.
The second portion of the main discussion, vs. 39-45, dwells still more
definitely upon the fault of unkindly judgments to which Jesus had just
referred and which constitutes such a common infraction of the law of
love. A man who is unkind in his criticisms and unconscious of his own
faults cannot help his fellow man; he is like a blind man trying to lead
the blind, like one in whose eye there is a beam trying to help one in
whose eye there is a mote. As good fruit is produced only by good trees,
only out of hearts full of love can real helpfulness come.
To warn men against calling themselves Christians while they do not
observe the law of love, and to encourage his disciples in faithfully
keeping his commandments, Jesus concluded this sermon with the familiar
figure of the two houses, founded one upon the sand and the other upon the
rock. Amid the storms and tempests and floods of the time of judgment,
only the latter will stand secure.