The Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5 and the Kingdom Jesus Describes
The Sermon on the Mount begins by naming who belongs to the Kingdom of Heaven and what those people are for. Jesus blesses the poor in spirit, the mourning, the gentle, the merciful and the persecuted, then sends them out as salt and light.
Matthew 5:1–12: The Beatitudes and Discipleship
The Beatitudes describe who is blessed before they tell anyone what to do. Jesus pronounces God's favor on people the world would not call favored, and every blessing rests on what God gives rather than on what the disciple achieves.
Matthew 5:1–12 Beatitudes: Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
The beatitudes are not a ladder of virtues to climb but Jesus' announcement of who receives God's kingdom. He blesses the desperate, the gentle, the merciful, and the persecuted, and he grounds their hope in God's future gift.