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CHAPTER II

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Structure of the Sermon

The unity of the entire Sermon on the Mount is assured by its ideological structure. The content of Matthew 5:1-2 obviously serves as a setting for the whole sermon. The beatitudes, exhibiting their repetitious characteristic and reward cycles, form the first main section along with their negative counterpart, the Similitudes (Matt. 5:3-16). The second main section is distinguished by the phrases, "the law or the prophets (tov nomon e tous prophetas--5:l7)" at the beginning of the section and "the law and the prophets (ho nomos kai hoi prophetai--7:l2)" at the end of the section. Similarly the two gates and two foundations bracket the final main section (7:13-27) and the response of the hearers (7:28-29) is the sermon's conclusion.

Argument of Matthew 5:l-2: Setting of the Sermon

Jesus' intent was to withdraw from the multitudes and to teach the Sermon on the Mount to His disciples. More specifically, the purpose of these two verses is to teach that the Sermon on the Mount was taught initially to those who were serious in their study of Jesus' doctrine, after He withdrew from those who were less serious by ascending the mountain. From the previous verses we know that the multitudes included both Jews (Matt. 4:25, those from Galilee, Jerusalem and Judea) and Gentiles (4:24-25, those from Syria and Decapolis (26).  The depth of the spiritual perception of the multitudes is unknown--except that these mobs were created due to the impact of Jesus' ministry (4:23-25). In Matthew, "multitudes" is used to describe a range of people all the way from those who openly reject Jesus (26:47-27:26--those who arrested and wished to destroy Him) to those who proclaimed Him King (21:8-11--the "triumphal" entry). In Matthew 5-7 they were probably the group that was drawn to Jesus by the sensationalism of His ministry--whereas those who took Jesus more seriously and allowed themselves to be His students were called "disciples."

However, the spiritual perception of the disciples is likewise in question.  Matthew includes Judas as one of the special group of twelve disciples (10:1-4; 20:17)--thus indicating a mixed group of those spiritually perceptive and those spiritually bankrupt. Up to this point Matthew has made no effort to define the spiritual nature of either group.  We can only conclude that the disciples were the more serious of the two groups and that there were those in the audience who understood that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah but who may or may not have been true believers and may or may not have understood their own unrighteousness.

For the Kingdom Law position to be valid, some of the hearers must have had an understanding that Jesus was King so that they may have been motivated to inquire how life will be regulated in the kingdom which He would install. Campbell says:

While the latter verses indicate that other people gathered during the course of the sermon, the opening verse makes it clear that the disciples were primarily in view.  lt must be borne in mind throughout this study that these men were Jews, looking for the fulfillment of of prophecy in an earthly kingdom.  They have forsaken all to follow Jesus because they believed Him to be the Christ, the Son of God (27).

The same can be said of the Interim Law position. Some of the hearers must have had an understanding that Jesus was King so that they may have been motivated to inquire how life was to be regulated while they waited for the kingdom to be established. Toussaint says: ". . . the crowds and disciples [are] looking forward to the establishment of the kingdom . . . (28)." 

For the Meritorious Salvation position to be true, some of the hearers must have been looking forward to the kingdom being established while they were yet unsaved. 

For the Entrance Requirement position to be true, some of the hearers must have been looking forward to the kingdom being established while they were yet unsaved, not knowing that their current righteousness was not sufficient for them to gain entrance. Pentecost says:  

So they came to Christ with this basic question, "Will the righteousness of the Pharisees in which we have been brought up bring us into Your kingdom?  Will we be acceptable to God if we do what we have been told to do and refrain from doing what we have been forbidden to do? (29).

There are no problems with any of the positions in Matthew 5:1-2 since there is probably sufficient mix among the disciples (also among the multitudes) to provide any of the required categories of hearers listed above.

Argument of Matthew 5:3-16:  Entrance  Requirements

The Beatitudes and the Similitudes combine to teach that entrance into the kingdom will be given to Jews who (like the Messiah) are righteous.

Beatitudes (5:3-12)

Each Beatitude exhibits three components:  a characteristic of the person being described, a future reward for the characteristic, and a relationship to the King. The latter component, though implied in each case, seems valid due to the persistence of the observation. In each case, the person is happy (30) because of his excellent hope of entering the kingdom and receiving resultant reward.

Poor in Spirit (5:3).  The characteristic is subjection to the will of others (31).  No doubt this refers to the repentance towards God required in accordance with the kingdom Gospel (3:2). The future reward is their composition as the kingdom. The King exhibited this characteristic when He prayed in Gethsemane (26:42).

Mourning (5:4).  The characteristic is grief over their rejection of the King. The only other time pentheo ("to mourn") is used by Matthew is in 9:15 when John's disciples are told that they will mourn when the Bridegroom (the King) is absent--leaving because He had been rejected.  Zechariah 12:10-14 indicates that those who enter the kingdom will mourn over the rejected King. The future reward is the comfort they will receive when they are in the kingdom with the King--their previous rejection of Him having been forgiven. Notice also Isaiah 66:13.

Gentle (5:5).  The characteristic is gentleness. Psalm 37:11 establishes gentleness as a standard for entry into the kingdom. The future reward is possession of the earth (in conjunction with the kingdom). The only other time praus is used by Matthew is in 21:5 to describe the King during the "triumphal" entry.

Seeking Righteousness (5:6).  The characteristic is having righteousness as the goal of his life. The future reward is the reception of righteousness from God for entrance into the kingdom (Ps. 24:5; Mal. 3:3). The King exhibited this characteristic by being baptized (Matt. 3:15).

Merciful (5:7).  The characteristic is showing mercy towards other men. The future reward is the reception of mercy from Yahweh in the kingdom (Isa. 12:1). The adjective, eleemov, is used only one other time in the New Testament--in Hebrews 2:17 describing the King's priesthood. The verb, eleeo, is always used by Matthew (with one exception, 5:7) of the King's mercy towards men (9:27; 15:22; 17:15; 18:33; 20:30-31).

Pure in heart (5:8).  The characteristic is freedom from sin in the mental life (32). Tile future reward is being in the presence of the King (God) during the kingdom. The intensive nature of the temptations proved the absolute sinlessness of the King (4:1-11).

Peacemakers (5:9).  This is the only place in the New Testament where eirenopoios is used. It is possible that being a peacemaker is the vocation of those who announce the coming kingdom to others (euangelizolllenos eirenen--Acts 10:36; see also Rom. 10:15; Eph. 2:17; 6:1.5) (33).  Thus the characteristic would be announcing the coming kingdom to others. This would be in line with the Similitudes. The future reward is being called sons of God (huioi Theou) which is a Messianic term describing citizens of the kingdom (Hos. 1:10). Huios is often used by Matthew of those who would normally populate the kingdom (5:9, 45; 7:9; 8:12; 9:15). The King's ministry was an exhibition of this characteristic (4:23).

Persecuted (5:10-12). The final characteristic in the Beatitudes is persecution. Like the first Beatitude, the reward is being part of the composition of the kingdom. A reason for persecution is also provided, righteousness (5:10).  However, "righteousness" is parallel to "Me" in verse eleven. Thus, righteousness apparently is a figure of the King.  As mentioned earlier, the King exhibited this characteristic when He was baptized (3 :15) . This Beatitude teaches that entrance into the kingdom will be given to those who are persecuted because of their relation to the King . The change in person emphasizes the persecution which His hearers would experience.

Similitudes (5: 13-16)

The Similitudes together teach that denial of entrance into the kingdom is the destiny of Jews who have become useless in their God given purpose of preaching the coming kingdom to the world.

Salt (5:13). The important thing here is not how the salt is being used (e.g., is it a preservative, a fertilizer, etc.), but is the fact that the salt has become useless. This Similitude teaches the fact that denial of entrance into the kingdom is the destiny of useless Jews.

Lamp (5:14-16).  Both the Old Testament (Zech . 4:1-14) and the New Testament (Rev. 11: 3-12), when speaking of Israel, uses the figure of a lamp to represent Israel's Divine obligation to announce the kingdom to the world. This Similitude teaches that Israel's purpose is to preach the coming kingdom to the world.

Differing Views of the Argument

Kingdom Law.  Campbell states this position's view of Matthew 5:3-16:

This section . . . has been entitled, "The Character of the Citizen of the Kingdom." In the first twelve verses requirements for entrance into and blessing within Christ's kingdom were discussed, While in verses thirteen through sixteen the responsibilities of the citizen of the kingdom were noted (34).

One of the weaknesses of this position is that there are numerous admitted exceptions to the proposed theme that the Sermon on the Mount records the rule of life during the kingdom. Dr. Campbell 's discussion of the Beatitudes contains little support for the contention that they also describe regulation of life within the kingdom. However, he does support the contention that they speak of admission requirements for those who would enter the kingdom (35).

This position also understands that the hearers of the Similitudes symbolize the citizens of the kingdom:  

The disciples then, who received Christ as King, who joined with Him in proclamation of the kingdom's nearness, assume a representative character, for certainly had the kingdom been ushered in those disciples would have been among its foremost citizens. Their responsibilities therefore, within the context, may safely he said to be the true responsibilities of the citizen of the kingdom (36).

It should be noted that a literal interpretation of the Similitudes understands that Jesus is applying these words primarily to His listeners (note the second person pronouns). The hearers, not future citizens of the kingdom, are being addressed. The Standards are being applied to persons who are literally not yet in the kingdom. Thus, in accordance with the argument for this section proposed by the writer of this paper, an additional entrance requirement would be given.  A literal interpretation is referred over a symbolic interpretation.

Matthew 5:13, the "throwing out" and ''trampling under foot" is interpreted by this position figuratively as disapproval for discipleship: "Of course, under this development of the figure Christ is not speaking of exclusion of the citizen from the kingdom, but rather of being disapproved for effective discipleship (37)."  However, Matthew always uses the verb ballo ("to throw") in a very serious sense whenever he speaks of the judgment of men.  Several times ballo is used when speaking of the judgment to determine who will enter the kingdom and records severe punishments for those who are excluded (3:10, thrown into fire; 13:42, 48, 50, thrown into furnace of fire). Other times it is used when the punishment is prison (5:25; 18:30), hell (5:29-30), fire (7:19), eternal fire (18: 8), and hell fire (18:9).  In every case there are very severe penalties resulting from sin which are inappropriate for believing disciples.  A better interpretation is the literal one which allows Matthew 5:13 to be descriptive of the judgment which determines who shall not enter the kingdom but will find their way to the white throne judgment and, later, to the lake of fire (Rev. 20).

Interim Law.  Concerning the Beatitudes, Toussaint makes these statements:  

The character of the ones who are to inherit the kingdom is described from eight perspectives, each marked by the pronouncement of blessing (38).    . . . it will be noted that each of the beatitudes is pronounced on the one who possesses a certain spiritual quality.  This indicates that entrance into the kingdom is based on one's spiritual conditions (39).

Toussaint, speaking of the Similitudes, states: "The calling of the subjects of the kingdom as it relates to their position in the world is given in Matthew 5:15-16 (40)."

For the Interim Law position to be correct, it must he established that the sermon is given as rules to guide future citizens in the interim while they are waiting for the kingdom to be established. The Beatitudes establish a standard of righteousness but come short of issuing the commands required to classify the Beatitudes as a body of law.  Furthermore, the Similitudes issue only one command in verse 16.  For these reasons it would be more accurate to say that the main thrust of this section is to establish kingdom entrance requirements than it would be to say that it establishes a code of regulations for future citizens to live by in the interim while they are awaiting the kingdom's enactment.

Meritorious Salvation.  In all fairness to this position, the reader is again reminded that our main source of information for it does not incorporate an extended discussion of the Sermon on the Mount. Neither the Beatitudes nor the Similitudes are discussed by Sinclair. However, the only verse which presents anything which might be associated with meritorious salvation is verse sixteen: "Let your Iight shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (41)"  Although such an interpretation (you must shine your light to be saved) would be in agreement with that of Sinclair, we join Dr . Toussaint in the following objections:

To interpret the Sermon on the Mount as a guide to good works which will bring salvation is erroneous simply because it is out of accord with the rest of Scripture. It is the universal testimony of the Bible that one can obtain eternal life only by grace through faith . . . The high Standards set forth in the discourse absolutely prevent any human from attaining them (42).

And Dr. Johnson:

. . . others taught that it [the Sermon] was for the world in the sense that it was intended to be the means of the salvation of the single person . . . When Paul answered the Philippian jailer's query, "Sirs, What must I do to be saved?," the apostle did not say, nor can we imagine him saying "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (cf . Acts 16: 31) (43).

And Dr. Ryrie:

The basis of salvation in every age is the death of Christ; the requirement for salvation in every age is faith; the object of faith in every age is God; the content of faith changes in the various dispensations (44).

Showing how the keeping of the law concerning sacrifices resulted in personal salvation, Ryrie states: ". . . sacrifices were automatically efficacious for theocratic forgiveness but were related to spiritual salvation only when offered in faith (45)."  Dr . Ryrie comes to this conclusion by integrating the Scriptures which ascribe efficacy to the sacrifices unconditionally and those which emphatically assert that sacrifices could not take away sin (46). The sacrificial law is unable to provide personal salvation. In fact, no portion of the law has that ability. In view or Galatians 3:11, " . . . that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for 'The righteous man shall live by faith (47),'" it seems impossible that salvation was obtained meritoriously by keeping the law in past dispensations or the present dispensation--or in any future dispensations.

Entrance Requirements.  Dr. Pentecost says:  

In that well-known, well-

Iived, and oft-quoted--but little understood--part of the Sermon we call the Beatitudes, our Lord described the characteristics of a righteous man and laid the foundation of a happy life (48).   . . . our Lord . . . slowed . . . the way of access . . . into His kingdom . . . (49)

By the way of access, Dr. Pentecost means that the Beatitudes show the kind of righteousness a man must have to enter the kingdom. He indicates that the King is not here elaborating on the means of receiving that standard of righteousness through salvation (50).  This position agrees with the argument so far developed in this paper.

The Similitudes can be interpreted to add another standard, that of faithfully proclaiming the Kingdom Gospel.

April 27, 2006, Edition -- © 1999-2002, 2006 Ken Bowles