The Sermon on the Mount: An Expositional Commentary

Top Highlights

“To be poor in spirit is to be poor in the inward man, not in outward circumstances. Consequently, to be poor in spirit is to recognize one’s poverty spiritually before God.” (Pages 19–20)

“It is the third use of the word ‘blessed’ that occurs in the Sermon on the Mount. Hence, when Jesus spoke these words he was telling his listeners how they could be deeply, spiritually, and profoundly happy and how they could maintain this happiness even in the midst of life’s disappointments and hard times.” (Page 15)

“Finally, we study the Sermon on the Mount as Christians because it shows us the way to please our heavenly Father.” (Page 11)

“What makes mercy different from grace? Primarily it is the quality of helplessness or misery on the part of those who receive mercy. Grace is love when love is undeserved. Mercy is grace in action. Mercy is love reaching out to help those who are helpless and who need salvation. Mercy identifies with the miserable in their misery.” (Page 45)

“To Aristotle meekness was also a virtue because it was the mean between excessive anger and the inability to show anger at all. He describes as meek the man ‘who is angry on the right occasion and with the right people and at the right moment and for the right length of time.’” (Pages 32–33)