Matthew 5, a visual study of the Sermon on the Mount, including the Beatitudes, salt and light, and the six teachings, from The Lampstand Project.
On the mountain.
Jesus sits down. The disciples gather. What follows is the longest single teaching in the gospels, and it begins with eight surprising blessings, two short metaphors, and six teachings that go beneath every law.
"Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."Matthew 5:20 ESV
Matthew 5 begins the Sermon on the Mount, which runs through chapter 7. It is the most concentrated body of teaching in the gospels. Chapter 5 establishes the foundation: who the kingdom is for, how its citizens live in the world, and what righteousness means once you go beneath the surface.
One mountain, one sermon.
Unlike earlier chapters, Matthew 5 does not move. The whole chapter is one teaching in one place. Tap any numbered marker to read its section below.
Tap any numbered marker to read its section
The Beatitudes.
Eight blessings. Each names a kind of person the world overlooks, and tells them they belong to the kingdom. The blessings are not commands. They are a description of who the kingdom is for.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3-10 ESV
Salt and light.
Two short metaphors between the Beatitudes and the teaching that follows. Both describe what disciples are in the world: not separated from it, but present in it as preservation and illumination.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?"
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 5:13-16 ESV
The law and the prophets.
Before going into the six teachings that follow, Jesus pauses to frame what he is about to do. He is not abolishing what came before. He is fulfilling it. And the righteousness he will describe is not less rigorous than the law of the scribes; it is more.
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them... Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
What follows are six teachings that go deeper than the surface of the law. Each follows the same pattern: a known command, then what Jesus says lies underneath it. Together they form Jesus' answer to how righteousness can possibly exceed that of the most religious people of his day.
Six teachings, going deeper.
Each of the six follows the same pattern. You have heard a command. But the command was only the surface. The kingdom asks for what lies underneath.
"You shall not murder."
"Everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment."
"You shall not commit adultery."
"Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
"Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce."
"Everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery."
"You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn."
"Do not take an oath at all... let what you say be simply yes or no."
"An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."
"Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."
"You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy."
"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
Matthew 5:21-48 ESV
Looking inward.
The genealogy looked back. The geography looked out. The river looked up. The wilderness looked ahead. Chapter five looks inward. The kingdom is not satisfied with the surface, where the world is satisfied. It goes underneath, to the heart, where the law was always meant to land.
The Beatitudes describe who the kingdom is for: those the world overlooks. The metaphors describe what the kingdom looks like in the world: salt and light, neither hidden nor blended. And the six teachings describe what righteousness looks like once it goes below the surface: not less than the law, but more, beginning in the heart.
"You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."Matthew 5:48 ESV
All scripture quoted from the English Standard Version. A study from The Lampstand Project.