The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 259: The Sermon on the Mount (2023)

Episode Date: September 16, 2023

Fr. Mike reads the Sermon on the Mount and explains how Jesus' teachings powerfully fulfill the old testament law, and identify the broken human heart as the source of our sinful actions. We learn that Jesus himself is the remedy to our sins, and that the secret to holiness is living in the perfect will of God. Today's readings are Matthew 5-7, and Proverbs 18:21-24. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation. Discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today, it is day 259. We are reading from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5, 6, and 7. We're also reading Proverbs chapter 18, verses 21 through 24. Yes, we are in the third

messianic checkpoint. It is fantastic. And as always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and then you'd be subscribed and the whole world would be happy. We'd be really proud of you. I mean, no pressure or anything, but it is day 259. And if you are unsubscribed still, that's amazing. I mean, I don't know if I really even want you to, I don't even know if I want to encourage you to subscribe. If you've been hunting this down every single day and you're on day 259, there's

something impressive about that. So do it or don't do it. It's day 259. We're reading the gospel of Matthew chapter 5, 6, and 7, as well as Proverbs 18, 21 through 24. The gospel according to Matthew chapter 5, the Beatitudes. Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. For so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. heaven. For so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. Salt and light. You are the salt of the earth. But if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer

good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. The Fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets. I have come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. But he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Concerning anger, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, you shall not kill, and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his kills shall be liable to judgment. But I say to you, that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. Whoever insults his brother shall be

liable to the council, and whoever says, you fool, shall be liable to the hell of fire. So, if you are offering your gift at the altar, and then remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift. Make friends quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge and the judge to the guard and you be put in prison.

Truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny. Concerning adultery, you have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away.

It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. Concerning divorce, it was also said, whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife except on the ground of unchastity makes her an adulteress. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Concerning swearing oaths. Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old, you shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn. But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. And do not swear by your head,

for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply yes or no. Anything more than this comes from the evil one. Concerning retaliation, you have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. Love for enemies. You have heard that it was said,

you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, for he makes his Son rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others?

Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Chapter 6. Concerning almsgiving. Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may be praised by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your alms may be in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Concerning prayer, and when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly,

I say to you, they have the reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And in praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Concerning fasting. And when you fast, do not look dismal like the hypocrites,

for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men, but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Concerning treasures. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The sound eye. The eye is the lamp of the body, so if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness. Serving two masters. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Do not be anxious. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body

more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you, by being anxious, can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear?

For the Gentiles seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day. Chapter 7. Judging Others

Judge not, that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how could you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Profaning the holy. Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. Ask, seek, knock. Ask, and it will

be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. And he who seeks, finds. And to him who knocks, it will be opened. Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him? So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. For this is the law and the prophets. The Narrow Gate

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide, and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. False Prophets Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? So every sound tree bears good fruit,

but the bad tree bears evil fruit. A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, you will know them by their fruits. Concerning self-deception. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty

works in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers. Hearers and doers, everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain fell and the of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell. And great was the fall of it. And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching.

For he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. The book of Proverbs chapter 18 verses 21 through 24. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. The poor use entreaties, but the rich answer roughly. There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Father in heaven, we give you praise. Thank you so much.

God, you've taught us to call you our dad. You taught us to call you our father. And so this day we are renewed in that invitation, this command from you that we rejoice to be able to fulfill as we call upon your name, Father in heaven, in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, we just give you praise and thank you so much. Thank you for the gospel of Matthew. Thank you for Matthew himself.

That is just remarkable that we get to hear his words or your words really through his pen and in this moment right now, traveling to us over the space of 2000 years, but given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit, working through the church and bringing us to this moment right now, traveling to us over the space of 2,000 years, but given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit working through the church and bringing us to this moment. So we thank you, God, for all those people who have ever handed down the Bible, who have ever translated the Bible, or have ever transcribed the Bible, or ever recorded the Bible. Any of those people who have ever helped us get to this point where right now your word and our lives are able to intersect. Lord God, help us to allow your word to transform our lives. And we make this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Proverbs, we got to do it because it's great. Proverbs chapter 18, verse 24. There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than the brother. What a gift. It's true. Every one of us. I don't know how old you were the first time you recognized the fact that there can be people who are friends for a season. There can be people who are friends for a time. There can be people who are friends who are only fair weather friends. And the moment trouble comes, they're on their way out the door. Or the moment they just get tired of us, they're on their way out the door. Or the moment they just get tired of us, they're on their way out the door. However old you were when you discovered that, it's one of those lessons that is, I think it's almost invaluable for us to have learned.

Because imagine going through life just thinking that, not knowing that. It's a painful lesson to learn, obviously. But at the same time, you flip it around and we realize what an incredible gift it is when you do find that friend, because you realize that a faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, like Proverbs tells us. And also comes along very infrequently. A true friend comes along so infrequently that when you find one, the only response is awe. The only response is thanksgiving. The only response is just, gosh, Lord, praise you and thank you so much for that gift. So speaking of gifts, here is Matthew chapter 5, 6, and 7.

It's affectionately known as the Sermon on the Mount and even unaffectionately known as the Sermon on the Mount. It's just known as the Sermon on the Mount. And it's just, it's incredible. Starts with the Beatitudes. And here is Jesus who, okay, so the image is Jesus goes up the mountain and he gives a new law, essentially, the fulfillment of the law. And that's important for us to note for a couple of reasons.

One is what happened in the Old Testament. Well, you know this already. Moses went up the mountain and came down with the law, right? He came down with the commandments of God. So here is Jesus as the new Moses, who's going to give not only a new law, he's also going to bring people to a new Exodus, which is incredible, a new place of freedom. And so don't miss that piece where Jesus goes up the mountain. He comes down or essentially, you know, gives people, here is the fulfillment of the law because Jesus makes a point, very important point of saying, I didn't

come to abolish the law or the prophets. I came to fulfill them. And that's one of the reasons why as Christians, as Catholic Christians, especially, we recognize that this was not meant to be a break between Judaism and Christianity. It is a fulfillment of Judaism in Christianity. That our roots, the reason why we've spent so many months, so many days, 200 plus reading the Old Testament is because we recognize that no, that's our heritage. That where we come from is not from a vacuum. We come from the Jewish people and God's covenant of love with the Jewish people. And so, yeah, Christianity doesn't pop out of nowhere. It is the fulfillment of everything that every Jewish person who was faithful to the Lord

longed for. And so, yeah, Jesus makes the point, then come to abolish the law or the prophets. I came to fulfill them. And so that's so critical. There are so many things to be able that we could point out about the Sermon on the Mount. One of those pieces is in chapter five, where Jesus has new laws, right? You've heard it was said, but I say to you about anger, about adultery, about divorce, about swearing oaths, about retaliation, about love for enemies, about almsgiving, prayer, all these pieces, one of the things that is underneath all of them is the fact that Jesus

is not only saying, yes, those things are bad, like don't kill someone and don't commit adultery and don't get divorced and remarried and don't go for retaliation. He's also saying, I want to diagnose your heart. And the problem is not just that you want to kill people or that you kill people. The problem is you want to, that that's an option for you. The problem isn't just that you commit adultery. The problem is you want to commit adultery. And so one of the things Jesus is doing is he's getting past the action and getting to the heart. Now, it's not that the action doesn't matter. Obviously, the action is still prohibited. But Jesus has elevated this to be able to reveal that the issue is not the sin itself.

The issue is the broken heart that commits the sin. Now, we might know that already. Like, if you know yourself, you already know. Yeah, thanks a lot, Father. And thanks a lot, Lord Jesus, as well. I knew that already. But one of the things Jesus is promising is he's not just diagnosing the problem. He's also offering the remedy. He himself is the remedy. And that's one of the pieces here where this is a diagnosis, but he also is going to be able to say the problem that you are living

through, the problem that you're experiencing is not just that you commit adultery or that you get divorced. It's that that's an option for you because of your broken heart. So basically, let me be the one who enters into that broken heart. Let me be the one who changes your heart and conforms you, that we are conformed to not to, it's easy for me to say, right? That we're not conformed to the world around us, where it's normal to hate those who hate you. But we're conformed to his heart, where we live abnormally, right? We live in a place where we love those who hate us, and we pray for those who persecute us. And we give when people want to take from us. There's something so powerful about this that we just need to allow the Lord to get,

to transform not just our actions, but to transform our hearts. One of the things I think is remarkable about chapter six is the fact that Jesus makes a point. So chapter six is where he talks about concerning almsgiving and prayer and fasting and says there are some people who give alms and they pray and they fast so that others may see them. And that's their motivation. Keep this in mind because Jesus is not just going to say, hey, don't give alms and don't pray and don't fast. He's saying those people who are doing that so that others may see them, that's the wrong thing. Because the opinion you should matter, that should matter the

most is the Father's opinion. The fact that who sees this that matters the most should be the Father sees this. And we know this because Jesus says, when you give alms, so when you fast, when you pray, so he's not saying like if you, he's saying when you, which means that as disciples of Jesus Christ, if we are not regularly giving alms, if we're not regularly praying, if we're not regularly fasting, then we're not doing what he's told us essentially to do. Because he did say when you do this, which assumes that we are doing it. So that's an important thing. But when we do it, who are we doing it for? Again, not to be seen, not to be putting on a show. Even if people

see it, that's okay. It's not like you have to make it so that no one ever knows, no one ever sees. In fact, that can be a sign of pride. I don't know if you've ever wondered this. We have this thing called Lent, and it goes from Ash Wednesday all the way to Easter, essentially. And a lot of times, I will ask our students and say, hey, what are you doing for Lent? Because during Lent, we have these three, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. And so what we are encouraged to do is we're encouraged to choose one in every domain, right? The domain of almsgiving, the domain of prayer, the domain of fasting, and say, okay, what are you doing throughout Lent in those domains? Like, what are you doing for Lent? And sometimes you'll find

people who say, well, I don't want to say, you know, I don't want to, you know, be too proud or whatever. And my thought, I always come back to two things. One is, well, you know, you're not doing it for other people. Yeah, I'm clearly asking you what you're doing. So again, Jesus condemns, he convicts people over doing it so that other people can see them, not because they love God. That's the first thing. And the second thing is, I think that for most of us, if we ever read the stories of the saints and you say, okay, here I am. Yeah, for Lent, I'm going to give up bread. For Lent, I'm going to give up beer. Or for Lent, I'm going to give up, you know, sweets, that kind of situation. That's great. That's really good. If that's where you're at, that's

really great. But when we read the stories of the saints, we realize, oh, that's not really anything to be proud of. That's not anything to brag about. Like, oh, really? You're giving up something that the rest of the world doesn't even know exists, you know, that kind of situation. Not that the rest of the world doesn't know bread or beer exists. But you know what I'm saying?

I think sometimes it's more humbling to acknowledge and to admit what we're giving up than, or what we're doing for Lent than it is a braggy kind of a situation because we have to do that. Jesus says, when you give alms, when you pray, when you fast. Last couple of things. I say last thing because I want to just, I want to keep going. This is just, the Sermon on the Mount is remarkable. It's incredible. But let's, let's highlight this. The fact that Jesus is reminding us not only go past the surface, get to the heart of things. He's also reminding, remember who you're talking to when you're praying. Remember that he's your father. So, you know, it says when you pray, don't babble like the pagans or like the Gentiles who think that because of the many words they'll

be heard. The reason why they thought they would be heard is because if they say the right incantation, you can get the attention of the God or goddess. But Jesus says, but you have a dad, you have a dad in heaven. And what happens is if you just call upon his name, you realize that he's already attentive to you. If you, if you call upon his name, you realize he's already looking at you. If you call upon his name, you don't have to fight for his attention. You already have his attention. In fact, one of the things that Jesus reveals is that the father is fighting, constantly fighting for our attention. And so when we give it to him in prayer, it's just, it's an act of love. We just have to turn to our father and say, Abba, dad. That was just so incredible. Lastly, Jesus says, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven,

but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Even those who say, we prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, we did many mighty works in your name. And he says, depart from me. Why? Because you might have done some incredible things, but did you do my Father's will? This is the secret to holiness. If it comes down to anything, the secret of holiness is doing what the Father's will. This is the secret to holiness. If it comes down to anything,

the secret of holiness is doing what the Father has asked. So if I'm doing my own will all the time, then Jesus essentially could say to me, I don't even know who you are because you don't even know who I am because you don't do my will. But if we were just to say, okay, God, as my weak heart and my broken heart in my my weak self, with your grace, I strive to simply do the Father's will at all times, that's what holiness is. And that's what it is to know Jesus, and that's what it is to be known by Jesus. Not simply to say, Lord, Lord, but to do the will of my Heavenly Father. That's one of the reasons why we recognize that we have to have faith that's working.

Our formula for this is faith working itself out in love. Faith has to be put into action or it is worthless. And so today, this day, just to say, okay, Father, how can I live in your will? Father, today, how can I do your will? Because I want to know you and know your will, and I want you to know me and know my heart. Gosh, you guys, I'm praying for you. Please pray for me. This is what a gift that we get to walk through Matthew together. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.