Sermon on the Mount

The Beatitudes

1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

THAT is countercultural. Everything our society is telling us, Jesus is basically saying the exact opposite. Society says, "Blessed are those who believe in themselves," but Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." Society says, "Blessed are those who find happiness," and Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn." Society says, "Blessed are the prideful," but Jesus values the meek. Society says, "Do whatever makes you feel good," and Jesus says blessed are the righteous. You get the point. The Sermon on the Mount is radical, and not just radical today but radical from the day that he said them until today. These teachings are not only countercultural but they are counter to human nature. The Jesus of the Bible is undeniably radical. C. S. Lewis makes this argument:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse."

"You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."