Matthew 5:1-2
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
Many were coming to see Jesus and hear his teaching. Can you imagine this? They were attending an outdoor sermon by the King of Kings himself! Jesus went up on a mountain, which one we do not know. What we do know is that God spoke on a mountain to Moses in Exodus 19 and 20, giving him the law and beginning a covenant relationship with his chosen people. Here on this mountain, Jesus, God the Son, gave the people an explanation of the law as found in the Torah. God brought the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt and gave them instructions on how to live as a covenant people. Jesus will bring his followers out of slavery to sin, but first will give them instructions on how to live as a New Covenant people. Oh how we wish we could witness this!
We can. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus is alive and believers will live forever with him, having our sins forgiven. He sent the Holy Spirit so we can experience his presence in our lives. We can sit on the mountain and open the Scriptures to Matthew 5, and the living word will speak to us. We can speak back in prayer and worship. Best of all, we will see him in his glory. He opened his mouth and taught. We need to open our ears and learn. The Beatitudes are ways to be blessed and happy. Happy are you… Can this be said of you? If you feel like there is a mountain in front of you, sit down at the foot and listen to Jesus.