Seeds of Faith Podcast

The text for this lesson is Matthew 5:1–12

Key Points

• Jesus explains in His Word that He was poor, hungry, sorrowful, hated, and rejected for our sake so that God would grant us His gifts and blessings.
• Law: I deserve nothing but sorrow and trouble because of my sin. In this world, I will suffer and struggle because of my sin. In my sin, I am declared unrighteous before God.
• Gospel: Jesus, in His love, took my sorrow, trouble, and sin upon Himself that I might have a heavenly reward. God’s Word assures me that in Jesus, eternal life in heaven will be mine. A beatitude is a declaration of blessedness for those who believe in Jesus.

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Discussion Points

1. In light of what you have just read, in what way can the Beatitudes properly be called “the definition of a saint”?
2. If you work hard at your job, you often will get promoted. The world usually blesses diligence. How does Jesus’ description of blessedness in the Beatitudes differ from the world’s views? According to Matthew 16:16–17, what is the only source of blessing?
3. The first Beatitude is “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Jesus opens His first public sermon with these words, so they must be important. In this case, being poor in spirit refers to how a person stands before God. The poor in spirit do not make any claims on God but stand before Him as beggars who expect no rewards. The kingdom of heaven cannot be a reward for works but is God’s work in Jesus to save the world. According to 2 Corinthians 8:9 and Matthew 20:25–28, how does Jesus live out this Beatitude?
4. The second Beatitude is “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). For whom does Jesus mourn in Matthew 23:37 and Isaiah 53:4? According to Isaiah 61:1–2, why did Jesus receive the Spirit? According to Revelation 21:4, what promise does Jesus make?
5. The third Beatitude is “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). In Genesis 12:1, the Lord promised Abram a land for possession, which was never retained by Israel. Jesus merited the true Promised Land for His people through His impoverishment on the cross. According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, how do Christians inherit the earth? According to Matthew 25:34, when will the full inheritance occur?
6. The fourth Beatitude is “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). Jesus’ great love for us manifested itself in a hunger and thirst to acquire righteousness for us. When He was baptized, He identified Himself with sinners to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Righteousness is what God has done for us in Christ. He has justified us, that is, declared us righteous. See Romans 4:24–25. When was that hunger and thirst for righteousness fulfilled?
7. The fifth Beatitude is “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Jesus bore the sins of the world on the cross, and when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46), He was asking for His Father’s mercy. The Father was merciful by raising His Son from the dead. According to Matthew 18:23–27, how does Jesus act mercifully to us?
8. The sixth Beatitude is “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Pure in heart means completely committed to God with complete integrity. Jesus is truly the only one who loved the Lord with all His heart and mind and strength. He also is the only one who can see God face-to-face, as John 1:18 says. According to 1 John 1:5–10, how does Jesus make us pure in heart? According to John 14:9, how can we see God’s face?
9. The seventh Beatitude is “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Jesus is identified as a peacemaker in the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 9:6, when He is called “Prince of Peace.” In His Baptism, Jesus fulfilled all righteousness and was called “Son of God.” According to Romans 5:1 and Colossians 1:19–20, how does God make peace with us? When are we made sons of God?
10. The eighth Beatitude is “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). Jesus exemplifies suffering for righteousness’ sake. His work is what merited the kingdom of heaven for us. Who identifies Jesus as the “Righteous One” in Matthew 27:15–20? Who should have died instead of Jesus? According to 1 Peter 2:21–25, in what manner did Jesus endure this persecution? According to 1 Peter 3:18, what was His purpose for enduring this?
11. What kinds of things do you normally think of as blessings? What are typical emotions and experiences brought about by persecution? How does Jesus turn everything upside down (or right side up) in the ninth Beatitude? How did the apostles in Acts 5:40–42 live out this Beatitude? Should the absence of persecution in the life of a Christian be cause for alarm? When we are given the opportunity to suffer for the name of Jesus, how should we receive it, according to 1 Peter 4:13?

The text for this lesson is Mark 12:41–44.

Key Points

• Just as the widow gave all she had to God, trusting Him to provide and care for her, so Jesus gave His all for us, who fail to trust in God for all things.
• Law: God demands that I love Him with all my heart, all my soul, and all my might and that I be willing to hand over to Him all that I am and have.
• Gospel: Christ loves me with all His heart, all His soul, and all His might, and willingly gave up His life and poured out His blood for me to ransom me and make me His own.

Context

Preceding this story are several incidents that involve Jesus’ face-offs with the religious leaders of the day—the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes. The Pharisees challenge Him about taxes (Mark 12:13–17), the Sadducees about the resurrection (Mark 12:18–27), and the scribes about the priority of the commandments (Mark 12:28–34). Right before spotting the widow, Jesus dresses down the scribes for strutting peacockishly about in their “long robes” (Mark 12:38), their narcissistic addiction to public praise, and the heartless way they “devour widows’ houses” (Mark 12:40). Presumably, Jesus means the way these teachers swindle widows out of their savings, all supposedly in the service of God.

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