The Blessed Life - Part 3

The Blessedness of Those Who Are Holy

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
  For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
  For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
  For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
  For they shall be called sons of God.

                        (Jesus, Matthew 5:6–9)

            Another popular but misguided notion is that happiness is found in pursuing whatever our heart desires—a life of self-gratification. The ads on television reinforce the idea that the more we have, the happier we will be. But once again, Jesus reveals that the blessed life is contrary to what people tend to think.

            The blessed ones are those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” As was mentioned before, Jesus shows us that our great need is righteousness. In reality, happiness is connected deeply with morality. This is because humans are moral beings, and our emotions and self-perception are closely tied to how we feel we are living up to a certain standard. When we are not moral, it creates problems—internally and relationally. The Christian counselor Jay Adams likens our conscience (the feelings that stem from our sense of morality) to lights on a car dashboard. Bad feelings can be warning signs of something that is out of whack and needs to be dealt with. Honestly, I often ignore the warning lights on my car, which is (not surprisingly) in very bad condition, but to ignore the warning lights of our conscience is perilous to our well-being.

Jesus says that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness “shall be filled.” Soul-satisfaction is found in pursuing what we as moral beings fundamentally need. God is ultimately the only one who can fill our need for righteousness (He, after all, is the giver of the standard to which we all sense accountability). When we seek godly righteousness, we find satisfaction in being made right with God (which can be termed justification), in being changed for the better (sanctification), and in the end, becoming completely perfect like God Himself in the kingdom of heaven (glorification).

A blessed person, Jesus declares, is also merciful person. Recently, my son and I were involved in a bicycle accident where we both fell down on the road as we were reaching the bottom of a hill. We were scraped up pretty badly, and as we sat bleeding by the side of the road a couple of people stopped to ask if we were alright and if we needed anything. These people were demonstrating mercy–concern for someone in distress and seeking to help. Mercy is not just feeling bad for people, it involves trying to do something about their plight out of sincere compassion.

 Sadly, there are people who are very religious who are, nevertheless, not merciful. Jesus dealt with people like this. Some Jews of the Pharisee sect believed that certain rules had to be followed on the Sabbath for one to be righteous. They actually tried to test Jesus concerning their religious standards, asking Him if it is keeping the law to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus said, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:11–12, ESV) Jesus then took a man who had a deformed hand and restored it to health. Jesus showed compassion. In Matthew, this event takes place right after Jesus pointed out to the Pharisees how the Scripture says, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Matthew 12:7, ESV).

God desires mercy, not mere religiosity. Those who have come to God humbly and desire true righteousness will be merciful toward others. They are the ones, Jesus declares, who can be assured that they have received mercy from God: “they shall obtain mercy.” People may think they are good because they know a lot about the Bible and refrain from certain language and behavior, but a great test of our spirituality is whether we are truly merciful—trying to help people who are suffering physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Those who are merciful are blessed.

Works Cited:

Jay E. Adams, Competent to Counsel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970).

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Blessed Life - Part 2

The Blessedness of Those Who Are Humble


Blessed are the poor in spirit,
  For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
  For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
  For they shall inherit the earth. 
(Jesus, Matthew 5:3–5) 

            In thinking about what constitutes a blessed life, humans are inclined to believe that happiness is found gaining as much as possible. Hence, we spend a lot of time trying to gain more money (and possessions), more success, and more security. Our constant pursuit of these things reveals the underlying belief that we will find true happiness by gaining in these areas. Jesus’ beatitudes, in stark contrast, dispel some of the popular notions about achieving fulfillment in life.

            The first is the notion that a happy life is one of self-promotion. As we look at the first three beatitudes, Jesus reveals that the truly blessed life is one characterized by humility: poor in spirit, mournful, and meek. Someone who is poor in spirit is not a person who feels self-sufficient. Rather, this person is like a beggar, sensing a great need in his or her life. Sadly, many successful and financially stable Americans feel they are “all set” and so, they are not are in the position to find the blessing that is promised to those who are poor in spirit. In believing they have everything they need, or at least are pursuing everything they need, they are missing out on what they could have if they recognized their own deeper, fundamental need.

When we are poor in spirit, essentially we realize that no matter how outwardly prosperous we are, we have an inner poverty that can only be met through the blessing God offers. This blessing, according to Jesus, includes participation in the kingdom of heaven–to the poor in spirit belong the kingdom of heaven. The people who seek God out of desperation can have the joy of knowing they are part of a heavenly kingdom. They are accepted by God and are not subject to only having hope in present circumstances.

Jesus also mentions those who mourn as being blessed. In one sense, these do not seem like happy people, but it must be noted that the path to joy and peace is found in facing our problems, not denying them. Those who mourn are people who are deeply saddened about their lives. Again, this is in contrast to many today who simply ignore or downplay their problems and the root cause of those problems. Jesus will go on in this sermon to show that our supreme need is to find righteousness. The essence of our problem, then, is a moral issue. Interestingly, James the brother of Jesus teaches on the subject of mourning in this manner:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:8–10).

Though none of us like to experience deep anguish, the reality is that in facing our moral destitution and having remorse over our failures, we can find healing. Jesus says those who mourn “shall be comforted.” When we admit our need, God can help us, lifting us up and comforting us. As Jesus put it to some very self-righteous people who did not like Him hanging out with riff-raff, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous [people who think they’re just fine], but sinners, to repentance.” God heals those who recognize they have a malady, who mourn over their condition.

Being poor in spirit and mournful leads to another quality Jesus mentions: meekness. This alludes to people who have a softness about them, but it doesn’t mean they are feeble doormats. It is like an animal that is powerful yet tamed and made useful to its master. An example of this is seen in a story told by John Dickson:

Three young men hopped on a bus in Detroit in the 1930s and tried to pick a fight with a lone man sitting at the back of the vehicle. They insulted him. He didn't respond. They turned up the heat of the insults. He said nothing. Eventually, the stranger stood up.

He was bigger than they had estimated from his seated position — much bigger. He reached into his pocket, handed them his business card and walked off the bus and then on his way. As the bus drove on the young men gathered around the card to read the words: Joe Louis. Boxer. They had just tried to pick a fight with the man who would be Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World from 1937 to 1949, the number one boxer of all time, according to the International Boxing Research Organization (second on the list is Muhammad Ali). (John Dickson)

It was good for those young men that Joe Louis did not choose to show his power and retaliate. The Bible describes Jesus Himself as meek, and the disciple Peter wrote of him that “when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (I Peter 2:23). It is hard to imagine what Jesus could have done if He chose to react, but He was a meek man, one who had a controlled strength. When we understand our insufficiencies and experience God’s grace, it helps us to have a humble attitude of meekness.

Jesus says that these are the kind of people who will inherit the earth (ultimately as a part of God’s kingdom). We naturally believe that wielding our power to our own ends is the means to gain, but not so in God’s economy. The way to find the greatest gain is in demonstrating meekness, not insisting on our own way and our own rights.

In looking at these three qualities that are blessed, it would almost seem that Christianity is for people that many would perceive as weak. Is this true? Is Christianity for weak people? In one sense, this is almost the very picture Paul paints when he writes to Christians to “consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth” (I Cor. 1:26, ESV). This is not very flattering, but in essence he is saying that those who follow Christ often are people who are not esteemed highly by outward standards. In fact they do not esteem themselves highly for that matter; they are humble, but they are happy. And that is because they possess the truly blessed life.

Works Cited:

John Dickson, Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership, story quoted by Adam Forrest in Zondervan Blog post  (available at http://zondervan.typepad.com/zondervan/2012/01/joe-louis-punching-power-8-surprising-ideas-humility.html, accessed May 2012; Internet).

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Blessed Life - Part 1

"The Blessed Life" is a continuation of posts which are about Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the first of which are titled "What Would Jesus Say?"

Introduction to the Sermon: The ‘Beatitudes’ 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
  For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
  For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
  For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
  For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
  For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
  For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
  For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
  For theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3–10).

            I can still remember the first time I heard the word “beatitudes” as a child. I was in a children’s church class, and we were each given the opportunity to teach something from the Bible. One girl got up and said she was going to teach on the “beatitudes.” I had no clue what this meant (though I figured it was something to do with attitudes), and though I don’t remember her lesson, I never forgot her use of this strange word. In actuality, the term “beatitude” is from the Latin beatitudo, denoting “blessedness,” and refers to the blessings given by Jesus at the beginning of His sermon (ISBE).

            When Jesus says “blessed are those” in these verses, He is talking about what constitutes a truly blessed life. We don’t hear the term “blessed” as often today as in times past as our culture becomes increasingly secularized. We may occasionally hear someone say they felt blessed or observe the phrase “God bless America” on a bumper sticker. But overall, this concept of blessing does not have great significance to many of us. So it may seem a bit empty when we hear Jesus speaks of being blessed. However, in terms of what Jesus’ hearers thought, this concept was rich with meaning, alluding to happiness and fulfillment, a life that was enviable.

Ultimate blessing was seen to be from God. The Jews had a benediction from their Scripture that was to be given by the priests (and is still used today in religious contexts):

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” (Num. 6:24–26)

This benediction employs what it called “synonymous parallelism,” so each set of lines repeat the same thoughts in various ways (Sproul, 137). “The Lord bless you” matches the ideas of “The Lord make His face shine upon you” and “The Lord lift up His countenance upon you.” Therefore, to be blessed is for God to show His favor toward you, providing ultimate peace and joy. There really is nothing greater than to have a life rooted in relationship to God in which His face shines upon you. 

 Of all the ways Jesus could have begun His message, He chose to start with the promise that God wants to give His blessing to people so that they can have true happiness. People today are looking desperately for a way to find peace and fulfillment in their lives. Sadly, so many of us are looking in the wrong places to find answers. One only has to look at the fact that many Americans have so much outwardly but are suffering so much inwardly to know that we are not living with the true joy, or blessedness spoken of by Christ. Do you want to have the blessed life? God offers this to you, but it is found in a way that is quite surprising and contrary to how we naturally think joy can be obtained. And this is what Jesus gives as His shocking introduction to this sermon. The ones who are truly blessed are not those that seem to be so at first glance.

Works Cited:

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (available at http:// http://www.bible-history.com/ isbe/B/BEATITUDES/, accessed May 2012; Internet).

R. C. Sproul, Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology (Wheaton: Crossway, 2009).

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What Would Jesus Say? - Part 3

Concluding Thoughts: Listening to Jesus

            The importance of listening to the one who gave this sermon cannot be stressed enough. Just as Jesus spoke to a variety of people while presenting this message, a variety of people need to hear Jesus’ message today. Followers of Jesus need to hear what Jesus says because there are many proposed systems of thought in our culture that are a distorted or diluted version of Christianity. Whether it be the “health and prosperity gospel,” a post-modern remix on church, or reducing the Christian religion to a means of self-help methodology,  believers in Christ are in desperate need of going back to the original teachings of the one they claim to follow.

            Over five decades ago, the minister D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones bewailed, “I do not think it is a harsh judgment to say that the most obvious feature of the life of the Christian Church today is, alas, its superficiality” (Lloyd-Jones, 5), and superficiality continues  to abound among professing Christians today. With this reality in mind, no wonder many are critical of Christianity. But the primary solution for recovering a credible witness is for us to be confronted with the life-transforming truths taught by the Lord Jesus Himself. Modern reinventions of Christianity need to be discarded and replaced with the pure message of Jesus, the “author and finisher of our faith” (cf. Heb. 12:2).

            But non-Christians would do well to listen to Jesus as well, for just as He elucidated the cultural fallacies and short-comings among the multitudes of His day, multitudes in our society need to see our culture through the lens of this history-changing figure, who taught as no one ever taught before or since that time. There is a reason that for over two thousand years this message has continued to evoke study, meditation, and literature addressing its content. It is a message that transcends common wisdom and sheds supernatural light on our understanding of the world in which we live.

            So both Christians and non-Christians need to listen to Jesus’ message. But this sermon is not only meant to be heard, it is meant to be lived. Because of the high ideals and lofty standards espoused in Jesus’ teaching, some have considered it impossible to follow, but the great teacher John Stott offers wisdom on this point, saying that “the standards of the Sermon are neither readily attainable by every man, nor totally unattainable by any man. To put them beyond anybody’s reach is to ignore the purpose of Christ’s Sermon; to put them within everybody’s is to ignore the reality of man’s sin. They are attainable all right, but only by those who have experienced the new birth which Jesus told Nicodemus was the indispensable condition of seeing and entering God’s kingdom” (Stott, 29). Living according to Christ’s standard is attainable, but only through the power made available by God Himself.

            The crux of Matthew’s Gospel is that Jesus ultimately gave His life on a cross, a Roman instrument of torture and execution. The Scriptures explain that in dying, Jesus “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). Jesus died that we might be able to live in a new way through a new life that He grants. It is a life of being “zealous for good works,” of living according to the principles of the Sermon on the Mount.

            The world needs to see real Christianity, and the only way it will is if people will truly listen to and live out the message of Jesus. May that be the result in our lives as we look at what Jesus teaches is this amazing sermon.

Works Cited: 

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1959–60).

John R. W. Stott, Christian Counter-Culture: The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1978).

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What Would Jesus Say? - Part 2

A Summary of Jesus, the Preacher of the Sermon

            So who was this Jesus? Who was this preacher that delivered the message we are considering here? When we hear the name of Jesus today, it may evoke an innumerable variety of images and ideas, partly due to the fact that Jesus has been presented in so many different ways. Books, theatrical works, documentaries, academic critiques, and movies have depicted Jesus as anyone from the focal point of a historical conspiracy of the Institutional Church to the reinvention of a pagan myth. Jesus’ life has been scrutinized, popularized, and refurbished to suit a never-ending array of purposes and agendas.

But the important thing is to try to see Jesus from the perspective of those who were actually listening to this message. Thus, we will rely on a first century document’s depiction of Him in order to try to see Him as others did in His day. To provide a basic summary, we will see what the Gospel writer Matthew says about Jesus’ background and His public ministry.

Jesus’ Background

            Matthew does us the privilege of providing a family record of Jesus’ lineage, which was very important to the Jewish culture, and is invaluable to our understanding of Jesus. Matthew begins his document as follows: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). This is followed by a condensed detailing of Jesus’ ancestry from Abraham to David to Jesus’ earthly father Joseph. What we find is that Jesus is a Jew, and He is in the kingly lineage. Matthew will go on to recount events which allude to Jesus being much more than a mere man, but Jesus would have been known popularly in His day as the son of Joseph and Mary. Matthew uses this as a platform to show that Jesus had the credentials to be regarded as the rightful king (and even the Messiah) of Israel.

Jesus’ Ministry

            It is important to note that the people of Jesus’ day would have known about the ministry of a man named John, who was seen as a prophet. He lived and preached in the Judean wilderness, wearing a cloak of “course camel hair” and “a leather belt around his waist”. His diet consisted of “locusts and wild honey” (Matt. 3:4, NLT). Certainly by our standards, and to some degree among the people of his day, this was a strange dude.

            People from all over the region were coming out to hear this man speak, and his message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:2) The people were confessing their sins and being baptized—that is, dipped in the Jordan river signifying a change of life (Matt. 3:5–6). Interestingly, the practice of baptism before this time was reserved for those converting to Judaism (Lea and Black, 179), which means that John was showing that even the Jews (those who had religion) had to be converted.

            This widely known prophet paved the way for the ministry of Jesus through his message and his public endorsement of Jesus. He said to the people, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt 3:11). The people, then, would have been prepared for the ministry of another prophet, who would be even greater than John!

            The first aspect of Jesus ministry was his public speaking. The writer Matthew says, “Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali. . . From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’. . . And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:12–13, 17).

            The Jewish synagogue had some similarities to our modern local churches. People would gather for worship weekly, and portions of the Scriptures were used during the service. A text of Scripture would be read and taught, and if there was a visiting rabbi, he would often be given the opportunity to teach at this time (MacArthur, 123). Jesus, then, would have utilized this occasion to present His message throughout the region. He, like the prophet John, also called people to repentance—to turn from their sin to live for God. It is remarkable that Jesus and John were calling people closest to the teaching of the Bible to change their ways. Many people today feel that they are pretty morally upright and have no need for fundamental change, but Jesus says otherwise (as we will see in His sermon). He says all people need repentance. He also preached the gospel (good news) of the kingdom—declaring that the kingdom of God was arriving.

            This leads to another aspect of Jesus’ ministry: doing miraculous, good works. He proclaimed the good news kingdom of God, and He demonstrated the good news through His actions. Matthew says He was “healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them” (Matt. 4:23b–24). Jesus was showing what God would ultimately do for a sin-infiltrated world. People suffer and face great turmoil because of the curse of sin, but Jesus showed that God would deal with sin and all of its horrific effects. This was good news indeed.

            Jesus had a message of repentance and good news coupled with works of divine power and love, but His ministry also entailed calling people to follow Him:

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him (Matt. 4:18–22).

            Throughout His ministry, Jesus called for people to listen to His message and follow Him. That is exactly what we are seeking to do in looking at His sermon, to listen to Jesus and follow His teaching. If we want to know and follow God, we have to listen to Jesus.

Jesus’ Audience

            Jesus became very popular at this point in His ministry. “Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan” (Matt. 4:25) People were coming from all over the place to hear this great man speak. As we feel when we are going to hear a well-known person, they must have felt a great sense of anticipation at the thought of hearing this mighty prophet. Matthew then tells us that “seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them” (Matt. 5:1–2).

            The traditionally recognized location of this sermon is today referred to as “the Mount of Beatitudes.” We must not picture a huge mountain, but more of a large hill near the Sea of Galilee. When I lived in New Jersey, I was impressed with the Pocono “Mountains,” but now living in New Hampshire, I think of them more as large hills. Jesus was not taking people on a Mount Everest-like hike, so that only the most athletic people could hear His sermon. Rather, he went to a location on a large hill, perhaps speaking from a lower position with the audience listening from the slope of a “natural ampitheatre.”[1]  This sermon in the book of Matthew may represent teaching given over several days (Carson, 129).

            Matthew mentions that Jesus’ disciples were present. He also says (after the sermon) that the “the crowds were amazed at His teaching” (Matt. 7:28b, NASB). In this audience there would have been disciples that had been specifically called by Jesus to follow Him, and there would have been a host of others who were interested in Jesus for various reasons. Jesus’ message is for a variety of people, including those committed already to following Him as well as those who want to know more about what this man really stands for. I hope you will join me with anticipation and openness to hear what this history-altering teacher has to say.

Works Cited:

D. A. Carson, Frank E. Gaebelein (Gen. Editor), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Volume 8 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984).

Thomas D. Lea and David Allan Black, The New Testament: It’s Background and Message (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003).

John F. MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 1–7 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985).

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version.  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

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[1] Cf. Ministry of Tourism, Government of Israel, “Mount of Beattitudes” (available at http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist%20Information/Christian%20Themes/Details/Pages/Mount%20of%20Beatitudes%20%20%20chr.aspx, accessed May 2011; Internet).

What Would Jesus Say?

Today I begin to post a series of blogs based on Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount." The first few will deal with:

The Preacher of the Sermon

The Messenger Behind the Message

What makes a powerful message? Many of us have had the experience of listening to or reading a message that has greatly impacted our lives, and we have even observed how the paths of human history have been directed by certain momentous messages. So what is it that causes a message to exhibit such far-reaching influence in the lives of people?

The first answer would, of course, be content. This is what we tend to think of when we reminisce on the impact of messages (whether in the form of speeches, sermons, or books). It is the content, the material, the actual thoughts and ideas being presented that can surely be traced as the primary feature that makes a message powerful.

While this is true, there are other factors that help to create a powerful message: for example, the delivery of the message—that is, the manner in which the message is presented. I was taught in classes dealing with public speaking the importance of projecting my voice and communicating as confidently and clearly as possible. The emotion behind the message and how the message has been crafted have a bearing on its impact.

Context is another factor. The setting that the message is being delivered, the place in history, as well as the situation and emotional state of those listening contribute to the power and influence of a message. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I Have a Dream” is particularly stirring and inspiring when seen in the context of the American Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s.

However, what can easily be overlooked when considering the power behind a message is the factor of the speaker him or herself. A message tends to carry only as much authority (and ultimately influence) in proportion to the believability, dependability, and persuasiveness of the actual deliverer of the message. Whether we realize it or not, the reason messages have impacted us so much can often be traced to our respect and our trust in those from whom we have received those messages.

I heard a story recently of a group of young people who were being taught at church by an elderly man about the imprisonment of the apostle Paul. The class was not particularly interested or moved by the teacher’s efforts to present his material. But things changed when the teacher, at one point, told the young people that he himself had been a prisoner of war and related to them some of his experiences. Suddenly, his teaching took on a new light—not because the content had changed but because of the children’s newfound veneration for their teacher as one who knew experientially what it means to be a prisoner.

That our perception of the one presenting the message provides an essential component to its power is also seen in written literature. Particularly when reading non-fiction works, whether of history, science, or some other subject in which we wish to find valuable and reliable information, we demonstrate the importance we place on the reliability of the author by our reliance on information about the author published on the cover of the book. Whether on the inside flap or on the back of a book, we will often see a summary of the credentials (perhaps a long list of letters denoting the academic achievement of an individual) or the personal achievements of the author. If the author is not well-known, we may even observe a forward on the book written by someone who is widely recognized as a dependable authority on the subject.

All this to say that what makes a message powerful is not merely the content but also the person delivering the message. As we look at this ancient sermon, traditionally known as “The Sermon on the Mount,” what makes it so incredibly remarkable is not only what it teaches but also the man who is presenting it. This is the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, often referred to as Jesus Christ (the Messiah). If we were to hold a book that contained a summary of this man’s credentials on the inside flap or on the back, what would it say? One person summed up the life of Jesus Christ in this manner:

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. . .

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life. (Anonymous)

            We have all heard or read powerful messages delivered by significant people, but this message, a sermon delivered nearly two-thousand years ago, was delivered by the most significant person of all. That is, in large, what makes this makes this ancient message so powerful.