An Invitation on the Mountain

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him” (Matthew 5:1. ESV).

This crowd that followed Jesus up to the mountaintop was estimated to be 5,000 to 10,000 people. The previous verses describe what kind of people followed him: “They brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan” (Matthew 4:24-25).

Jesus traveled up the mountain with a crowd gathered around him. Those who followed him were paralyzed, diseased and sick. Many were suffering from great pain, and others were demon-possessed. It was a crazy and diverse crowd. People came from Judea and Samaria, Galilee, Syria, across the Jordan River, and beyond the Dead Sea. These were foreigners, many of whom did not mix well together. 

Instead of Jesus directing them with a certain religious agenda, he taught them: “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 satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive 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).

Many times, we read Jesus’s beatitude teachings as commands to follow, but I think they are the opposite of that. Jesus is not telling the crowd these things so that they can be blessed. Instead, he is saying, “Come, you who are broken, overwhelmed, and lonely, and those of you who feel overwhelmed and crushed by the world. I brought you to this beautiful mountaintop because I welcome you into my kingdom.” 

Friend, in the kingdom of God, Jesus says, “In the condition you are in, hurting and wounded, I am calling you blessed. You are my son. You are my daughter.”