Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 5

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Every person rejoices when they see an opportunity to practice their own trade or profession. A carpenter who sees a fine tree desires to cut it down to employ his skill, and a priest's heart rejoices when he sees a full church, glad for the occasion to teach. In the same way, the Lord, seeing a great congregation of people, was moved to teach them.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, He may have sought to avoid the largest crowd and ascended the mountain so that He could speak to His disciples alone.¹

St. John Chrysostom: By not choosing His seat in the city or the marketplace, but on a mountain in a deserted place, He taught us to do nothing for show and to withdraw from crowds, especially when we are to be engaged in philosophy or in speaking of serious matters.²

Remigius of Auxerre: It should be known that, as we read, the Lord had three places of retirement: the ship, the mountain, and the desert. He would typically withdraw to one of these whenever He was pressed by the multitude.

St. Jerome: Some of the less learned brethren suppose that the Lord spoke what follows from the Mount of Olives, which is by no means the case. What comes before and after this passage fixes the location in Galilee—Mount Tabor, we may suppose, or some other high mountain.ⁱ

St. John Chrysostom: "He ascended a mountain," first, so that He might fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah, Get you up into a mountain (Isaiah 40:9). Second, it was to show that both the one who teaches and the one who hears the righteousness of God should stand on the high ground of spiritual virtues, for no one can remain in the valley and speak from a mountain. If you stand on the earth, speak of the earth; if you speak of heaven, stand in heaven.

Alternatively, He ascended the mountain to show that all who would learn the mysteries of the truth should go up to the Mount of the Church, of which the Prophet speaks, The hill of God is a hill of fatness (Psalm 68:15).

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Alternatively, He ascends the mountain because He gives the commands of heavenly life from the lofty majesty of His Father.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, He ascends the mountain to show that the precepts of righteousness given by God through the Prophets to the Jews, who were still under the bondage of fear, were lesser commandments. In contrast, the greater commandments were given by His own Son to a people whom He had determined to deliver by love.³

St. Jerome: He spoke to them while sitting, not standing, for they could not have understood Him if He had appeared in His own majesty.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, teaching while sitting is the Master's prerogative. "His disciples came to him," so that those who drew nearer in spirit to keeping His commandments should also draw nearest to Him in their physical presence.

Rabanus Maurus: Mystically, Christ's sitting down represents His incarnation; if He had not taken on flesh, mankind could not have come to Him.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It raises the question of why Matthew reports this sermon was delivered by the Lord while sitting on the mountain, whereas Luke says He was standing in the plain. This diversity in their accounts might lead us to think the occasions were different. Why should Christ not repeat what He had said before, or do again what He had done before? However, another way of reconciling the two may occur to us: our Lord was first with His disciples alone on a higher peak of the mountain when He chose the twelve. He then descended with them, not from the mountain entirely, but from the summit to a level area on its side capable of holding a great number of people. He stood there while the crowd was gathering around Him, and after He sat down, His disciples came near to Him. Then, to them and in the presence of the rest of the multitude, He spoke the same sermon that Matthew and Luke record, each in a different manner, but with equal factual truth.⁴

St. Gregory the Great: When the Lord on the mountain is about to utter His sublime precepts, it is said, Opening his mouth he taught them. This is He who had previously opened the mouths of the Prophets.⁵

Remigius of Auxerre: Wherever it is said that the Lord opened His mouth, we may know that great things are to follow.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, the phrase introduces an address that is longer than usual.⁶

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, this is so we may understand that He sometimes teaches by opening His mouth in speech, and at other times by the voice that resounds from His works.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Whoever takes the trouble to examine this sermon with a pious and sober spirit will find in it a perfect code for the Christian life, as it relates to the conduct of daily life. Accordingly, the Lord concludes it with the words, Every man who heareth these words of mine and doeth them, I will liken him to a wise man, etc.

The chief good is the only motive for philosophical inquiry. But whatever confers blessedness is the chief good; therefore, He begins, Blessed are the poor in spirit.⁷

An augmentation of "spirit" generally implies insolence and pride. In common speech, the proud are said to have a great spirit, and rightly so—for wind is a spirit, and who does not know that we describe proud men as being "swollen" or "puffed up"? Therefore, "poor in spirit" is rightly understood here to mean "lowly" and "fearing God," not having a puffed-up spirit.⁸

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, He here calls all loftiness of soul and temper "spirit." Since many are humble against their will, constrained by their outward condition, they receive no praise; the blessing is for those who humble themselves by their own choice. Thus, He begins at the very root, pulling up pride, which is the root and source of all evil, and establishing its opposite, humility, as a firm foundation.

If this foundation is well laid, other virtues may be built firmly upon it; but if it is undermined, whatever good you build on it perishes.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Blessed are the poor in spirit,ⁱ or, according to the literal rendering of the Greek, "they who beg," so that the humble may learn that they should be ever begging at God's almshouse. For there are many who are naturally humble and not out of faith, who do not knock at God's almshouse; but only those who are humble from faith are truly humble.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, the "poor in spirit" may be those who fear and tremble at God's commandments, whom the Lord commends through the Prophet Isaiah. But why this, rather than simply "the humble"? Perhaps because there may be few of one kind of humble person here, but an abundance of another.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The proud seek an earthly kingdom; only for the humble is the kingdom of Heaven.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: For just as all other vices, but chiefly pride, cast one down to hell, so all other virtues, but chiefly humility, lead one to Heaven. It is proper, therefore, that whoever humbles himself should be exalted.

St. Jerome: The "poor in spirit" are those who embrace voluntary poverty for the sake of the Holy Spirit.

St. Ambrose of Milan: In the eyes of Heaven, blessedness begins where misery begins in human estimation.⁹

Glossa Ordinaria: The riches of Heaven are fittingly promised to those who are presently in poverty.¹⁰

St. Ambrose of Milan: When you have done this much—attained both poverty and meekness—remember that you are a sinner and mourn your sins, as He continues, “Blessed are they that mourn.” It is fitting that the third blessing should be for those who mourn for sin, for it is the Trinity that forgives sin.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Those who mourn—that is, not for the loss of relatives, insults, or possessions, but who weep for past sins.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: And those who weep for their own sins are blessed, but much more so are those who weep for the sins of others; so should all teachers do.

St. Jerome: For the mourning meant here is not for those who have died by the common course of nature, but for those who are dead in sins and vices. Thus Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Apostle Paul mourned for those who had not done penance after their uncleanness.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The “comfort” of mourners is the end of their mourning. Those, then, who mourn their own sins will be consoled when they have received forgiveness for them.

St. John Chrysostom: And though it would be enough for such people to receive pardon, He does not rest His mercy only there. Instead, He makes them partakers of many comforts, both in this life and the next. God's mercies are always greater than our troubles.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But those who mourn for the sins of others will also be comforted, inasmuch as they will acknowledge God's providence in that worldly generation. They will understand that those who had perished were not of God, from whose hand no one can be snatched. When they cease to mourn for these things, they will be comforted in their own blessedness.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, mourning is sorrow for the loss of what is dear. But those who are turned to God lose the things they held dear in this world. Since they no longer find joy in the things they once enjoyed, their sorrow cannot be healed until a love for eternal things is formed within them. They will then be comforted by the Holy Spirit, who is for this reason chiefly called the Paraclete, that is, “Comforter.” In this way, for the loss of their temporal joys, they will gain eternal joys.¹

Glossa Ordinaria: Or, by “mourning,” two kinds of sorrow are intended: one for the miseries of this world, and one for the lack of heavenly things. Thus Caleb's daughter asked for both “the upper and the lower springs.” Only the poor and the meek experience this kind of mourning. Because they do not love the world, they acknowledge themselves to be miserable and therefore desire heaven.²

Therefore, it is fitting that consolation is promised to those who mourn, so that one who has sorrow in the present may have joy in the future. But the reward of the mourner is greater than that of the poor or the meek, for “to rejoice” in the kingdom is more than to have it or to possess it, as many things we possess are held in sorrow.

St. John Chrysostom: We may remark that this blessing is given not simply, but with great force and emphasis; it is not merely “those who have grief,” but “those who mourn.” Indeed, this command is the sum of all philosophy. For if those who mourn the death of children or relatives are, throughout that entire season of sorrow, untouched by other desires—such as for money or honor—and do not burn with envy, feel no offense from wrongs, nor are open to any other vicious passion, but are given over solely to their grief, how much more should those who mourn their own sins, in the way they ought to mourn for them, show this higher philosophy.

St. Ambrose of Milan: When I have learned contentment in poverty, the next lesson is to govern my heart and temper. For what good is it to me to be without worldly things, unless I also have a meek spirit? Therefore, it suitably follows, "Blessed are the meek."¹

St. Augustine of Hippo: The meek are those who do not resist wrongs and who yield to evil, but overcome evil with good.²

St. Ambrose of Milan: Therefore, soften your temper so that you are not angry, or at least so that you "be angry, and sin not." It is a noble thing to govern passion by reason. It is no less a virtue to check anger than to be entirely without it, since the one is considered a sign of a weak mind, and the other of a strong one.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Let the unyielding, then, wrangle and quarrel about earthly and temporal things. "The meek are blessed, for they shall inherit the earth," and they will not be rooted out of it. This is that earth of which it is said in the Psalms, "Your lot is in the hand of the living" (Psalm 142:5).

This means the stability of a perpetual inheritance, in which the soul with good dispositions rests as in its own place, just as the body rests in an earthly possession. The soul is fed by its own food, as the body is by the earth; such is the rest and the life of the saints.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Some interpret this earth, as long as it is in its present state, to be the land of the dead, seeing that it is "subject to vanity." But when it is freed from corruption, it becomes the land of the living, so that the mortal may inherit an immortal country.

I have read another interpretation, which suggests that "the land of the living" refers to the heaven in which the saints are to dwell. This is because, when compared with the regions of death, it is heaven, but when compared with the heaven above it, it is earth. Still others say that this body, as long as it is subject to death, is the land of the dead, but when it is made like Christ's glorious body, it will be the land of the living.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Alternatively, the Lord promises the inheritance of the earth to the meek, meaning the inheritance of that Body which He Himself took on as His tabernacle. And just as Christ dwells in us through the gentleness of our minds, we also shall be clothed with the glory of His renewed body.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, Christ here has mixed tangible things with spiritual things. Because it is commonly supposed that a meek person loses all that he possesses, Christ gives a contrary promise: that the one who is not aggressive will possess his own property in security, while a person with the opposite disposition often loses both his soul and his paternal inheritance.

But because the Prophet had said, "The meek shall inherit the earth" (Psalm 36:11), He used these well-known words to convey His meaning.

Glossa Ordinaria: The meek, who have possessed themselves, will hereafter possess the inheritance of the Father. To possess is more than to have, for we have many things that we lose immediately.³

St. Ambrose of Milan: As soon as I have wept for my sins, I begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness. He who is afflicted with any sort of disease has no hunger.

St. Jerome: It is not enough that we desire righteousness unless we also suffer hunger for it. By this, we are to understand that we are never righteous enough, but always hunger for works of righteousness.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Any good that people do which does not come from a love for the good itself is unpleasing to God. He who hungers for righteousness desires to walk according to God’s righteousness; he who thirsts for righteousness desires to gain knowledge of it.

St. John Chrysostom: He may mean either general righteousness or that particular virtue which is the opposite of covetousness. As He was going on to speak of mercy, He shows beforehand what kind of mercy we should have, ensuring it does not come from the gains of plunder or covetousness. For this reason, He ascribes to righteousness that which is peculiar to avarice: namely, to hunger and thirst.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The blessedness He assigns to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shows that the deep longing of the saints for God's doctrine will receive perfect fulfillment in heaven; then they shall be filled.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Such is the bounty of a rewarding God that His gifts are greater than the desires of the saints.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, He speaks of food with which they will be filled in this present life: namely, that food of which the Lord spoke, My food is to do the will of my Father (which is righteousness), and that water of which whoever drinks it will have in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.

St. John Chrysostom: Or, this is again a promise of a temporal reward. For while covetousness is thought to make many rich, He affirms on the contrary that righteousness, rather, makes one rich, since He who loves righteousness possesses all things in safety.

Glossa Ordinaria: Justice and mercy are so united that one should be mixed with the other. Justice without mercy is cruelty; mercy without justice is wastefulness—and for this reason, He moves from one to the other.

Remigius of Auxerre: The merciful person is one who has a sorrowful heart; he considers the misery of others to be his own and grieves over their sorrow as if it were his own.

St. Jerome: Mercy here does not refer only to giving alms, but is also shown toward the sin of a brother, whenever we bear one another's burdens.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He pronounces blessed those who help the miserable, because they are rewarded by being delivered from all misery themselves; as it is written, for they shall obtain mercy.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: So greatly is God pleased with our benevolence toward all people, that He will bestow His own mercy only on the merciful.

St. John Chrysostom: The reward here seems at first to be only an equal return; but indeed it is much more, for human mercy and divine mercy cannot be equated.

Glossa Ordinaria: Mercy is justly given to the merciful, so that they receive more than they have deserved. And just as one who has more than enough receives more than one who has only enough, so the glory of mercy is greater than that of the things mentioned until now.¹