Peacemakers

6 hours ago
3 min read

As stated yesterday, we are listening to Preacher Jesus, as He delivers His Sermon on the Mount, or Beatitudes, as it is also called. This is what we read in Matthew 5: 1 – 2. And 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, saying. Jesus preached on many things, however, our focus, our area of study is on peacemakers. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5: 9.

Let’s set the given stage or platform here.

The Place – This is all set on a mountain. And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain. Some translations use the word mountainside.

The Preacher – The pronoun, He, refers to Jesus, Son of God. We don’t ever forget God’s bold, proud, testimony and ownership of Jesus, not as one of the greatest prophets ever; not as one of the high, holy, majestic beings in heaven who worship Him day and night, but as His Son. This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3: 17b

The Position – This is a seated position. Jesus has gone up the mountain, or mountainside, as some translations put it, and He adopts a seated position. And when He was seated His disciples came to Him. I believe that the mountainside, or mountain, was a favourite place for Jesus to go. I believe it was a place where He was free to adopt any posture or position He pleased. I believe that Jesus did not only sit down on mountainsides to preach and teach, but He would lie down on mountainsides to rest; stand up on mountains to speak and heal and kneel down on mountainsides to pray. How well and dearly we remember that solemn occasion of our Lord kneeling on the Mount of Olives, to pray. And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed. Luke 22: 41

The People – The people to whom Jesus opened His mouth and taught, were His own. Matthew clearly states that it was when Jesus saw the multitudes, or masses, that He went up on the mountain and seated Himself down. It was this action, this move of Jesus that drove His disciples to come to Him. I’m curious and somewhat puzzled here, for in the text, are we noting two kinds of followers? Let’s look at the text again, with a view of getting an answer to our question. And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. There is the word, multitudes, and we know that when we hear of multitudes, we are looking at the masses, the common people who always flocked after Jesus. There is no difference here it seems, nothing unusual, for Jesus is seeing the vast number of people gathered before Him.

Then we read of His disciples. We know that Jesus travelled with His disciples, as they were His learners, His student-workers. What strikes me here is that multitudes and disciples were present and Jesus left them all and went up on a mountain. He had to have gone alone, for we are told that it was after he was set, his disciples came to him. Matthew 5: 1b KJV. There is no mention of the masses going up the mountain to Him. I am convinced that this text taken from the revered and beatified Sermon on the Mount, was preached to Jesus’ disciples only. It was not taught to the multitudes.

Here is another interesting detail that may seem unimportant, of little or no significant concern, but hear it again. And when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Or, as the King James Bible styles it. And when He was set His disciples came to Him.