Thomas Aquinas Commentary Matthew 5:1-2

"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," — Matthew 5:1-2 (ASV)

And seeing the multitudes. Here the Lord presents His doctrine, which is divided into three sections. In the first section, Christ’s doctrine is described; in the second, the doctrine’s power is described; and in the third, the goal to which He leads is described. The second section begins in chapter 13; the third section begins in chapter 17. The first section is divided into three parts. In the second part, the ministers of His doctrine are instructed; and in the third part, His adversaries are refuted. The second part begins in chapter 10, and the third begins in chapter 11.

The first part is divided into two sections: first, Christ’s doctrine is set forth; and second, it is confirmed by miracles. In the first of these sections, what one might call a kind of preamble to His doctrine is introduced; and in the second, the doctrine itself is explained, where it is said, Blessed are the poor in spirit. Concerning the first, the Evangelist does three things:

1. He describes the place where Christ’s doctrine was presented.
2. He describes the hearers of the doctrine, which is where it is said, And when he was set down.
3. He describes His manner of teaching, which is where it is said, And opening his mouth he taught them.

He says, therefore, ‘I spoke because many people have followed Me,’ etc.

And Jesus seeing the multitudes. This phrase can be understood in two different ways. First, it is as follows: He went up to teach the multitudes, that is, not avoiding them.

Therefore, Chrysostom says, just as a craftsman, when he sees the material prepared, is delighted to work, so a priest is delighted to preach when he sees the people gathered together; and therefore, He went up; I will give thanks to you in a great church (Psalms 34:18). Alternatively, He went up, that is, avoiding the multitudes, so that He might more freely teach His disciples: The words of the wise are heard in silence (Ecclesiastes 9:17).

And it should be noted that Christ is said to have had three refuges. Sometimes He fled to a mountain, as said here; and it is written in John 8:1: And Jesus went unto mount Olivet. Sometimes He fled to a boat: When the multitudes pressed upon him… going into one of the ships that was Simon’s… sitting he taught (Luke 5). And thirdly, sometimes He fled into the desert: Come apart into a desert place (Mark 6:31).

And this was quite fitting, for in three things a person can have a refuge in relation to God:

1. In the protection of the divine loftiness: They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion (Psalms 124:1).
2. In ecclesiastical society, which is designated by the ship: Jerusalem, which is built as a city, which is compact together (Psalms 121:3).
3. In the solitude of religious life, which is indicated by the desert, through the contempt of temporal things: I will lead her into the wilderness: and I will speak to her heart (Hosea 2:8); Lo, I have gone far off flying away; and I abode in the wilderness (Psalms 54:8).

Now He went up into the mountain for five reasons:

1. The first was to manifest His excellence, for He is the mountain about which it is said in Psalm 67:16: The mountain of God is a fat mountain.
2. The second was to show that a teacher of this doctrine should ascend to an eminence of life: Get thee up upon a high mountain, thou that bringest good tidings to Sion (Isaiah 40:9). Chrysostom says: “No one can stay standing in a valley and speak of heaven,” etc.
3. The third reason was to show the sublimity of the Church to whom the doctrine is proposed: The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills (Isaiah 2:2).
4. Fourth, this was to manifest the perfection of this doctrine, because it is most perfect: Thy justice is as the mountains of God (Isaiah 35:7).
5. Fifth, this was so that this doctrine might correspond to the old legislation which was given upon a mountain (Exodus 19, 24).

Afterwards, the hearers are described, with the words, And when he was set down, his disciples came unto him. Two things can be noted in His sitting. The first is His humbling of Himself: Thou hast known my sitting down (Psalms 138:2). When He was in the loftiness of His majesty, His doctrine could not be received; but then people began to receive it when He humbled Himself. Or this pertains to a teacher’s dignity: The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses (Matthew 23:2). For the study of wisdom requires repose. His disciples came unto him, etc., not only with their bodies, but also with their souls: Come ye to him and be enlightened (Psalms 33:6); They that approach to his feet, shall receive of his doctrine (Deuteronomy 33:3).

And observe that when the Lord preached to the multitudes, He stood: And coming down with them, he stood in a plain place (Luke 6:17). But here, when He preached to His disciples, He sat. From this the custom evolved that one preaches to the multitudes standing, but to the religious, sitting.

Regarding And opening his mouth he taught them, here His manner of teaching is described. By saying Opening, it is indicated that He had been silent previously for a long time. And it shows that He was about to make a great and long sermon, as Augustine says. Or it shows that He was about to speak great and profound things: After this, Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day (Job 3:1). And he says His mouth, because previously He had opened the mouths of the prophets: For wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb, and made the tongues of infants eloquent ; for He is the Father’s wisdom.

But here a question arises: for this sermon contains many of the same things found in Luke 6. Yet discrepancies seem to exist here and there, as is evident in the text.

And so Augustine offers two solutions. One is that this sermon is different from the other one: for, first, He went up into the mountain and gave this sermon to His disciples. Afterwards, coming down, He found the crowd gathered, to whom He preached the same thing and recapitulated many things; this is what is related in Luke 6. Alternatively, it can be explained that there was one mountain which had a level spot on its side, with a higher peak rising above that level spot. Therefore, the Lord went up into the mountain, meaning that He went up onto a level spot of that mountain. And, first, He went up higher, called together the disciples, and there He chose the twelve Apostles, as is related in Luke. Afterwards, coming down, He found the crowd gathered together, and when His disciples came, He sat down and gave this sermon to the crowds and disciples. And this seems to be more true, because Matthew relates at the end of the sermon (Matthew 7:28) that the people were in admiration at his doctrine.