Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 5:1-3

"And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: and when he had sat down, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." — Matthew 5:1-3 (ASV)

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

1. de Cons. Evan., ii, 19
2. Hom. 4
3. de Serm. Dom. in Mont. i. 1
4. de Cons. Evan., ii, 19
5. Moral., iv, 1
6. de Serm. in Mount. i, 1
7. City of God, book 19, ch. 1
8. de Serm. in Mont., i, 1
9. de Officiis, i, 16
10. interlin.