It's very common to hear about this sermon, but not everyone really knows what Jesus' teachings were, or what he really wanted to show us through them.
This moment did in fact take place on the mountain, which already gives us a lot to think about. Just as in the Old Testament, God taught Moses on the same mountain, just as Jesus did in the New Testament. This symbolism shows us the importance of the Sermon on the Mount.
This sermon is mentioned in many passages of the Bible, including Matthew 5, verses 1 to 48. But in all of them, the teachings that are mentioned the most are the beatitudes.
The Beatitudes are related to a state of complete happiness. In other words, by talking about them, Jesus is showing us the way to happiness.
Many questions tend to arise when we reflect on who the blessed are according to Jesus.
This is because he says that they are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake.
In general, these people, from a material and social point of view, would not be happy people, which is why many don't understand the Beatitudes. However, we must understand that Jesus is speaking from the perspective of the kingdom of God.
So you have to interpret what he said well.
For example, when he talks about the poor in spirit, he's not talking about material issues, he's talking about people who are so attached to God that he is always put first. Unlike people who are proud in spirit, who don't recognize God and aren't humble enough to acknowledge their dependence on Him.
In this sense, Jesus shows us that Happiness is found in God and each beatitude is a step towards achieving it.
At that time, most people had ideals of happiness based on earthly ambitions.
To illustrate, the three largest known civilizations were the Egyptians, who had material goods as their ideal of happiness, the Greeks, who believed in total wisdom as happiness and the Romans, who believed that the more conquests and power they had, the happier they would be.
With this, Jesus came to teach that true happiness can only be achieved through God and not through earthly means. We are his children, and so our essence and happiness come from the kingdom of God. This truth is also reinforced in Psalms 62, when it is said that our souls thirst for God.
Reflecting on the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount
We have seen, then, that Jesus came to teach us how to live, to guide us to genuine happiness, which is God. To this end, the Sermon on the Mount shows us how we can follow this path.
Each of the beatitudes represents a step on the ladder to God. This is so true that the first beatitude is to be poor in spirit, that is, to turn to God and believe in him first, as Mark says in the first word of Jesus in the book.
As with the first beatitude, we need to reflect on all the other seven as well. The second one says that blessed are those who mourn.
In this context, we see that at times we will need to cry, not necessarily cry itself, but go through moments of sadness or suffering.
This is because there will be challenges to test us and make us grow. But at the same time, God will always be there to console and comfort us.
The third shows us that we need to be meek, gentle and patient, just as Jesus acted throughout his life, even in situations of extreme agony.
The fourth beatitude addresses the need to hunger and thirst for righteousness, in other words, the urgent need to seek righteousness, which, interpreting the Bible, means yearning for God's rule in our lives.
The fifth beatitude teaches us to be merciful, because in this way we will also obtain the mercy that is necessary for all of us. In line with this, the sixth beatitude tells us to be pure of heart, because only in this way will we see God, since then we will really be striving to be like him.
Finally, the seventh beatitude tells us to be peacemakers, to seek peace and to bring peace to people. We do this by loving everyone in order to live together in harmony.
The eighth shows us that suffering persecution for the sake of justice leads us to the kingdom of heaven. This is because we need to stand up for our God-given principles and live by them. In this way, God will bless us for all eternity.
With a lot of faith and positivity, she writes for Pray and Faith, bringing messages and Divine teachings to everyone.