1285. Chapter 3, on the New Testament -- Matthew chapters 5 through 8, the Sermon on the Mount.

 Today, after an enjoyable week in which I got to see 2 small great granddaughters I had never seen before -- I will write on the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5 -- 7.  In April of 2018 I had the privilege of being on a tour group to Israel, and the surrounding areas.  I took a picture of the grassy area thought to be the place where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, close to the sea of Galilee.  

A beautiful meadow thought to be where the Sermon on the Mount was given.

This was taken of me, as we were on a boat on the Sea of Galilee.

Chapter 3, in the New Testament Student Manual:

President Thomas S. Monson spoke of the Sermon on the Mount and the Galilean hillside where it took place: “Here it was that the greatest person who ever lived delivered the greatest sermon ever given—the Sermon on the Mount”.  I had the privilege of going to Israel and being on a hillside where they think the Sermon took place.  

The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes.  Pres. Harold B. Lee said that in that sermon the Master has given us somewhat of a revelation of his own character....  “The beatitudes are the constitution for a perfect life”.

Blessed are the poor in Spirit; – and in the Sermon at the Temple, in 3 Nephi 12:3, he added “who come unto me.” -  for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Those who reach out with great yearning for help.

Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.  Pres. Lee explained that “they that mourn” relates to those who mourn over their sins, and repent.  Another meaning is in Mosiah 18:9, which says “willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort.”

Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.  Being meek means to be “Godfearing, righteous, humble, teachable, and patient under suffering.  Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “Meekness is kindness and gentleness.  It reflects certitude, strength, serenity; it reflects a healthy self-esteem and a genuine self-control”.  

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.  He will feed them spiritually until they are completely satisfied.  In 3 Nephi 12:6, it adds “They shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.”

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. This is one of the many times the Savior taught that the way we treat others affects how God will treat us.  Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley said: “It is impressive to watch those who with a compelling spirit of kindness reach out to those in distress, to help and assist, to feed and provide for, to nurture and to bless.”  The Prophet Joseph Smith taught to be merciful is to be ready to forgive our brother on the first intimations of repentance, and asking forgiveness; and should we even forgive our brother, or even our enemy, before he repent or ask forgiveness, our Heavenly Father would be equally as merciful unto us.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.  Elder Gerald N. Lund explained that "A pure heart is free from contamination and open to the Holy Spirit.  The more diligently we strive to eliminate impurity, or push out things which do not belong there, the more we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit.”  Elder Bruce R. McConkie said “Purity of heart is a figure for purity of soul.  They are God-fearing and righteous souls.”

Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness; sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 

Ye are the salt of the earth.  Salt can lose its savor by contamination, and we keep our “savor” by avoiding spiritual contamination, by unclean thoughts, lies, or profanity, or become involved with immoral acts and the use of drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and other injurious substances.  

Let your light so shine – Elder Robert D. Hales encouraged us to think about how our lives can lead others to glorify our Father in Heaven: “Wouldn’t it be pleasing to Jesus if we could let our light so shine that those who followed us would be following the Savior ?”

Whosoever is angry – Elder Lynn G. Robbins said that “A cunning part of ‘Satan’s’ strategy is to dissociate anger from agency, making us believe that we are victims of an emotion that we cannot control.  Anger is a yielding to Satan’s influence by surrendering our self-control.  Understanding the connection between agency and anger is the first step in eliminating it from our lives.”  Pres. Monson said: "To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan.  No one can make us angry. It is our choice. – and – Often it is members of our own families – the people we really love the most . . .”  

In speaking of “Agree with thine adversary quickly,” Elder David E. Sorensen explained that agreeing with one’s adversary means working out disagreements before they lead to a worse situation.”   — Advising us to "resolve our differences early on, lest the passions of the moment escalate into physical or emotional cruelty, and we fall captive to our anger.  Nowhere does this principle apply more than in our families.”

Jesus counseled to “Love your enemies”.  President James E. Faust taught about the healing power of forgiveness.  He said “Our natural response to injuries inflicted by others is anger.  We may even feel justified in wanting to ‘get even’ with anyone who inflicts injury on us or our family. . . . It is not easy to let go and empty our hearts of festering resentment.  The Savior has offered to all of us a precious peace through His Atonement, but this can come only as we are willing to cast out negative feelings of anger, spite, or revenge."  

In the teaching of “Be ye therefore perfect”, Elder Russell M. Nelson (before he was Pres. Nelson)  explained the meaning of the word perfect as used in Matthew 5:48: “The term perfect was translated from the Greek teleios, which means ‘complete’. . . and means to reach a distant end, to be fully developed, to consummate, or to finish. . . Perfection is pending.  It can come in full only after the Resurrection and only through the Lord."  

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step . .and so it is with the principles of the gospel – you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. . . It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave.”

Do not your alms before men, to be seen of them.  This talks of doing acts of righteousness, service or charity to achieve prominence or trying to obtain worldly honors, prominence, or power.  Elder Oakes tells us : "I know that God expects us to work to purify our hearts and our thoughts so that we may serve one another for the highest and best reason, the pure love of Christ.”  It was popular in Jesus’ time to attract attention by saying one’s own prayers aloud in the synagogue.  Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin talked about using ‘vain repetitions’, saying a prayer mechanically, and in a routine, using the same words a lot.  

In our prayers, our Heavenly Father already knows what we need, but through prayer we acknowledge our dependence on the Lord.  Prayer helps us evaluate our lives and align with the will of God.  Elder David E. Sorensen taught that one reason we pray is that the process of prayer changes us; “He knows our cares, our worries, our joys, our struggles without our informing Him.  But in praying we are learning to communicate effectively with him, which will shape and change our lives.”  Prayer isn’t to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them.  The Lord’s prayer is a pattern to follow, but not to memorize and recite. 

We should seek first the Kingdom of God.  Pres. Benson said “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.  Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.”  I believe it was Elder Neal A. Maxwell who said if we do not choose the kingdom of God first, it will make little difference in the long run what we have chosen instead of it.

The Joseph Smith Translation clarifies the Savior’s words “Judge not un-righteously, that ye be not judged; but judge righteous judgment.”  Elder Dallin H. Oaks said that a righteous judgment will be guided by the Spirit of the Lord, not by anger, revenge, jealousy, or self-interest.  It must be within our stewardship, and we should refrain from judging until we have adequate knowledge of the facts.  We should refrain from judging people, and only judge situations, and that we be forgiving.  

President Monson reminded us “There is really no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize.”

There are many other inspiring thoughts in the Sermon on the Mount.  It is important as we read in the New Testament to look carefully at the footnotes, and notice any statements from the Joseph Smith Translation.   Some groups of verses are long enough to take the time to go to the section behind the Bible Dictionary, where you find the verses and passages in the Joseph Smith Translation.  There are many clarifications and insights there for us.

Next week I will write on Chapter 4, Matthew chapters 8 through 12.  Read it if you wish.   

This is looking inward from the Sea of Galilee, and the one below is of me, standing in the area where the sermon was given.