FUNCTIONAL FAITH
The Wording

The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5

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Berean Standard Bible

Goodspeed New Testament

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1

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him,

When he saw the crowds of people he went up on the mountain. There he seated himself, and when his disciples had come up to him,

2

and He began to teach them, saying:

he opened his lips to teach them. And he said,

3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who feel their spiritual need, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!

4

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

“Blessed are the mourners, for they will be consoled!

5

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

“Blessed are the humble-minded, for they will possess the land!

6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

“Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for uprightness, for they will be satisfied!

7

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy!

8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God!

9

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called God’s sons!

10

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who have endured persecution for their uprightness, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them!

11

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

“Blessed are you when people abuse you, and persecute you, and falsely say everything bad of you, on my account.

12

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

Be glad and exult over it, for you will be richly rewarded in heaven, for that is the way they persecuted the prophets who went before you!

13

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

“You are the salt of the earth! But if salt loses its strength, how can it be made salt again? It is good for nothing but to be thrown away and trodden underfoot.

14

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

You are the light of the world! A city that is built upon a hill cannot be hidden.

15

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

People do not light a lamp and put it under a peck-measure; they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.

16

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Your light must burn in that way among men so that they will see the good you do, and praise your Father in heaven.

17

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

“Do not suppose that I have come to do away with the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to do away with them but to enforce them.

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For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

For I tell you, as long as heaven and earth endure, not one dotting of an i or crossing of a t will be dropped from the Law until it is all observed.

19

So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Anyone, therefore, who weakens one of the slightest of these commands, and teaches others to do so, will be ranked lowest in the Kingdom of Heaven; but anyone who observes them and teaches others to do so will be ranked high in the Kingdom of Heaven.

20

For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

For I tell you that unless your uprightness is far superior to that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never even enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

21

You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’

“You have heard that the men of old were told ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever murders will have to answer to the court.’

22

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.

But I tell you that anyone who gets angry with his brother will have to answer to the court, and anyone who speaks contemptuously to his brother will have to answer to the great council, and anyone who says to his brother ‘You cursed fool!’ will have to answer for it in the fiery pit!

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So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

So when you are presenting your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother has any grievance against you,

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leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

leave your gift right there before the altar and go and make up with your brother; then come back and present your gift.

25

Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

Be quick and come to terms with your opponent while you are on the way to court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.

26

Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

I tell you, you will never get out again until you have paid the last penny!

27

You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’

“You have heard that men were told ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

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But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman with desire has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

But if your right eye makes you fall, tear it out and throw it away, for you might better lose one part of your body than have it all thrown into the pit!

30

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell.

If your right hand makes you fall, cut it off and throw it away, for you might better lose one part of your body than have it all go down to the pit!

31

It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’

“They were told, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’

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But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, brings adultery upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife on any ground, except unfaithfulness, makes her commit adultery, and anyone who marries her after she is divorced commits adultery.

33

Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’

“Again, you have heard that the men of old were told, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but you must fulfil your oaths to the Lord.’

34

But I tell you not to swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;

But I tell you not to swear at all, either by heaven, for it is God’s throne,

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or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king.

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Nor should you swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black.

You must not swear by your own head, for you cannot make one single hair white or black.

37

Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one.

But your way of speaking must be ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ Anything that goes beyond that comes from the evil one.

38

You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’

“You have heard that they were told, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

39

But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;

But I tell you not to resist injury, but if anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him too;

40

if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well;

and if anyone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat too.

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and if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go two miles with him.

42

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

If anyone begs from you, give to him, and when anyone wants to borrow from you, do not turn away.

43

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’

“You have heard that they were told, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

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But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for your persecutors,

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that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

so that you may show yourselves true sons of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and makes the rain fall on the upright and the wrongdoers.

46

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?

For if you love only those who love you, what reward can you expect? Do not the very tax-collectors do that?

47

And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even Gentiles do the same?

And if you are polite to your brothers and no one else, what is there remarkable in that? Do not the very heathen do that?

48

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

So you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is.

Functional Faith Reading

The Greek word behind "blessed" is makarios, meaning genuinely flourishing or deeply fortunate — not merely happy in a surface sense. The beatitudes are not a checklist of emotional states to perform but a portrait of the kind of person the Father's kingdom produces and rewards.

Most readings treat this as an entry requirement — do these things and earn God's approval — which immediately buries the listener under obligation rather than invitation. What the Pioneer demonstrates here is a Pattern that runs directly against the logic of empire: the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the persecuted are not losers waiting for consolation prizes.

They are the ones already aligned with the grain of the Father's reality, already moving in the direction Jehovah has always been moving — toward the broken, the honest, the suffering. The Pioneer is not merely teaching this Pattern; he is about to become it, walking every one of these beatitudes to their fullest expression. This means that walking the Way begins not with strength but with honesty about weakness — poverty of spirit is not a deficit to overcome but the very posture that opens a person to what Jehovah is actually doing in the world.

Sit with this

If these are the blessed, whose definition of flourishing have you been trusting — the culture's or the Pioneer's?

Sources

SBL Greek New Testament (SBLGNT)License

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Copyright 2010 Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software.

Licensed CC BY 4.0.

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