Matthew 5:1-10
1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
One thing I noticed… it seems kind of obvious, but stood out this evening: Jesus sees the crowds, walks up the mountainside a bit, sits down (the sign for “class is about to start”), his disciples gather around him, and he teaches them. The disciples. I always had a picture of Jesus teaching the crowd, but that’s not what the text says. The crowd may be there, just past the row of disciples, listening, but Jesus is talking to his disciples. The crowd is overhearing the lesson.
So Jesus goes through the “blessed are…” and who is he talking about? Probably people in the crowd, people that the disciples can see – the meek, the poor in spirit, the mourning, those who yearn… they are the object lesson. Jesus could be telling his disciples, “Don’t ignore these people out here, because they will receive a reward.”