Chapter 5 - Questions for Understanding

**NotWorthy** · #1 Sep 21, '10, 4:59 pm

Verses 5:3-12 - 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. 6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

How do the first seven beatitudes correspond to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2 - The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,), according to St. Augustine? What about the 8th beatitude?

**NotWorthy** · #2 Sep 21, '10, 5:01 pm

Verse 5:17 - "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

If the Old Covenant has not been abolished, what does the New Covenant do? Why are the laws of animal sacrifice no longer followed? What happened to the Old Covenant version of the moral law?

**NotWorthy** · #3 Sep 21, '10, 5:03 pm

Verse 5:21-30 - 21 "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. 23 Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, 24 leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny. 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

What new dimension does Jesus add to the commands not to kill and not to commit adultery?

**NotWorthy** · #4 Sep 21, '10, 5:06 pm

Verses - 5:38-42 - 38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. 40 If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. 41 Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

What point does Jesus make about the law of retaliation ("an eye for an eye")? What was the purpose of that law? What is Jesus' response to it?

Ceil-1 · #5 Sep 21, '10, 6:40 pm

I have heard it said that an eye for an eye was an improvement over the customs of the day where blood revenge was common. In other words, if you stole a cow, you gave a cow back. You didn't get killed, or lose a hand, etc.

Apparently, they were not ready for the complete detachment and humility it takes to not return evil for evil.

**NotWorthy** · #6 Sep 21, '10, 7:43 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ceil-1

I have heard it said that an eye for an eye was an improvement over the customs of the day where blood revenge was common. In other words, if you stole a cow, you gave a cow back. You didn't get killed, or lose a hand, etc.

Apparently, they were not ready for the complete detachment and humility it takes to not return evil for evil.

Yes. And "Eye for an Eye" or "Lex Talionis" was a deterrent to injuring or wronging from someone. Why would I want to kill someone if I knew I would be killed if caught.

Jesus' response seems to be "Kill them with kindness".

**NotWorthy** · #7 Sep 21, '10, 7:48 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotWorthy

41 Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.

According to Roman Law, a Roman soldier could make a Judean citizen carry his gear for up to one mile.

Jesus steps up this and tells you to go twice as far.

There's actually a little genius in this maneuver. The Roman tactic was meant to humiliate the Jew, indicating that they were little more than a pack mule for the Roman soldier. In addition to the relief for the soldier, he got the added pleasure from seeing the Jew humbled in his anger and helplessness. Jesus' method would eliminate this pleasure for the Roman. Nothing stops someone from picking on you faster than finding out that it doesn't bother you.

rcjones · #8 Sep 27, '10, 6:54 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotWorthy

Verse 5:17 - "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

If the Old Covenant has not been abolished, what does the New Covenant do? Why are the laws of animal sacrifice no longer followed? What happened to the Old Covenant version of the moral law?

It was rolled up into the law of Love. If yo love God, you don't take hi s name in vain... If you love your neighbor, you don't steal from him... But the love of love goes beyond encompassing the negatives. It fills the gap created by sin.

The poor are hungry because of sin, sometimes their own, sometimes some one else's and sometimes just sin at large, but love feeds the poor.

Love places the welfare of even your enemy before your own.

The law was fulfilled not only in the satisfaction of shed blood, but also in it's shadows. The law of the leper was fulfilled when Christ was made to be sin for us, the Father left him on the cross, he prayed and did not get an answer, and then he was made a high priest. These were foreshadowed by the leprosy as sin, shaving the head as losing his authority of the Father, covering the lip when prayer went unanswered and the priestly ordination a leper goes through when pronounced clean.

rcjones · #9 Sep 27, '10, 6:58 pm

In Chapter 5 Jesus went up the mountain, and in chapter 8 he came down from the mountain. Using these two events as markers, there are parallels between what follow.

Blessed are the poor in spirit... he heals a leper
Blessed are the meek... the centurion asks him to heal the servant but claims he is not worthy to have Jesus in his house.

This pattern will play out for the rest of the book in three blocks.
If you can identify them, you can gain a greater insight into what Jesus said.

**NotWorthy** · #10 Sep 27, '10, 8:09 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcjones

In Chapter 5 Jesus went up the mountain, and in chapter 8 he came down from the mountain. Using these two events as markers, there are parallels between what follow.

Blessed are the poor in spirit... he heals a leper
Blessed are the meek... the centurion asks him to heal the servant but claims he is not worthy to have Jesus in his house.

This pattern will play out for the rest of the book in three blocks.
If you can identify them, you can gain a greater insight into what Jesus said.

RC, have you ever noticed a direct correlation between the "Blessings" and the "Woe's" that Jesus will later give to the Pharisees? I'm going to wait til that chapter to go over them, but you'll find the correlation pretty neat.

odhiambo · #11 Sep 29, '10, 8:17 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotWorthy

Verses 5:3-12 - 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. 6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

How do the first seven beatitudes correspond to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2 - The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,), according to St. Augustine? What about the 8th beatitude?

The first seven beatitudes do correspond to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Here is how.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This beatitude corresponds to the gift of Fear of the Lord”
To be poor in spirit means to be humble. Humility allows us to be more open to the will of God

Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
This corresponds to the gift of “ Knowledge.”
When we have knowledge we can see how grave our sins are to God and so we are sorry for them, we mourn for our sins.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
This beatitude corresponds with the gift of “ Piety”
This gift enables us to worship God.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
This beatitude corresponds the Holy Spirit gift of “ Fortitude” or courage

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
This corresponds with “ Council” or good judgment.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.
This beatitude corresponds with the gift of “Understanding”
Understanding gives us a deeper insight into God’s truths and one who is pure of heart, likewise is able to ‘see’ God

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
This corresponds with the gift of wisdom.

odhiambo · #12 Sep 30, '10, 3:18 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotWorthy

Verses 5:3-12 - 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. 6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

How do the first seven beatitudes correspond to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2 - The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,), according to St. Augustine? What about the 8th beatitude?

According to Saint Augustine, each beatitude is a meritorious act performed with the help of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Here is how he pairs them A: An Approach to Good:
:Blessed are they who suffer persecution---- All the gifts and perfect virtues
:Blessed are the peacemakers ---Gift of wisdom
:Blessed are the clean of heart----- Gift of understanding
:Blessed are the merciful -----Gift of counsel
:Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after justice--- Gift of fortitude
:A drawing away from evil:
:Blessed are they who weep---- Gift of knowledge
:Blessed are the meek--- Gift of piety
:Blessed are the poor---- Gift of fear.

odhiambo · #13 Sep 30, '10, 3:33 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotWorthy

Verses 5:3-12 - 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. 6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

How do the first seven beatitudes correspond to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2 - The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,), according to St. Augustine? What about the 8th beatitude?

According to Saint Augustine, each beatitude is a meritious act performed with the help of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Here is how he pairs them A: An Approach to Good:
:Blessed are they who suffer persecution---- All the gifts and perfect virtues
:Blessed are the peacemakers ---Gift of wisdom
:Blessed are the clean of heart----- Gift of understanding
:Blessed are the merciful -----Gift of counsel
:Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after justice--- Gift of fortitude
:A drawing away from evil:
:Blessed are they who weep---- Gift of knowledge
:Blessed are the meek--- Gift of piety
:Blessed are the poor---- Gift of fear.

odhiambo · #14 Sep 30, '10, 3:35 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by NotWorthy

Verses 5:3-12 - 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. 6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

How do the first seven beatitudes correspond to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2 - The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,), according to St. Augustine? What about the 8th beatitude?

According to Saint Augustine, each beatitude is a meritorious act performed with the help of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Here is how he pairs them A: An Approach to Good:
:Blessed are they who suffer persecution---- All the gifts and perfect virtues
:Blessed are the peacemakers ---Gift of wisdom
:Blessed are the clean of heart----- Gift of understanding
:Blessed are the merciful -----Gift of counsel
:Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after justice--- Gift of fortitude
:A drawing away from evil:
:Blessed are they who weep---- Gift of knowledge
:Blessed are the meek--- Gift of piety
:Blessed are the poor---- Gift of fear.

odhiambo · #15 Sep 30, '10, 4:14 am

According to Saint Augustine, each of the seven beatitude is a meritorious act performed with the help of one or the other of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Here is how he pairs them
1: Blessed are the poor in spirit------Gift of fear of the Lord
2: Blessed are they who mourn-------Gift of knowledge
3: Blessed are the meek-----------------Gift of Piety
4: Blessed are they who hunger---------Gift of Fortitude
5: Blessed are the merciful----------------Gift of Counsel
6: Blessed are the clean of heart---------Gift of Understanding
7: Blessed are peace makers--------------Gift of Wisdom
8: Blessed are they who are persecuted----All the gifts and perfect values

The 8th beatitude according to Saint Augustine is the “summit of Christian perfection and is most strikingly shown by martyrs.”
This beatitude is performed with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit