Summary of a Bible Study Held in Oslo, December 28, 1921

Summary of a Bible Study Held in Oslo, December 28, 1921

“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.” Verse 1.

The disciples came to Jesus, not Jesus to the disciples. The disciples had nothing to teach Him, but He had something to teach them. It should be the same way among us. The disciples were the ones who were closest to Jesus, and they were the ones to teach others what they had learned from Him. First the disciples, then the people.

“Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’” Verses 2-3.

Jesus’ words were concise and to the point; wisdom is also concise and to the point. A great deal can be said about the Sermon on the Mount, but if we want to say it simply, we must use Jesus’ own words.

People can be poor in spirit no matter what kind of life they have come from. Take the example of an artist. He is diligent in his work and strives to find the right colors. He has his critics, and he has his dreams that when he “makes it,” he will be famous, the money will roll in and his house will prosper. And yet he finds that none of this really satisfies him. Finally, he becomes so sick of it all that he turns away from it to Jesus Christ, who alone can satisfy him perfectly. Such a person is poor in spirit. The same thing can also apply to a musician, or to someone who isn’t an artist at all; for example, a servant girl or a person in any other walk of life.

As we have received Christ, so we must walk in Him. Let each of us consider how it was when we came to faith. Personally, I was tired of life. Everything seemed ugly to me. Houses were ugly, trees were ugly and music was ugly. When I heard music, I wanted to tell them to stop playing. But after I came to faith, everything became beautiful. Houses were beautiful, trees were lovely and music was delightful. We must always remain poor in spirit. When we remain poor in spirit, we become weak. When we remain poor in spirit, we partake of the power of the resurrection. Since Jesus is the way, it is impossible to sit down and relax on this way, satisfied with what we have already received. If we stop and begin to admire the things we have received, we are no longer poor in spirit—we become high-minded. Many are content to stop at the forgiveness of sins. It is pointless trying to tell such people that there is more, since they know everything. A person who is poor in spirit does not decide things in a hurry. He is easily entreated.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Verse 4.

Who mourns? The one who bears others on his heart. He bears them just as they are—not because they are so good and kind. He sees the way they are and wonders, “How can I show you that you do not have victory in that area; how can I help you to become free?” The mother whose son goes out drinking bears him on her heart. She stands by the window and watches for him, waiting up until late at night. When he finally does come home, he may be drunk or have friends with him, or he may have some other problem. She bears him on her heart just as he is, with all his faults. She bears him and mourns. One day a preacher comes to town and her son gets converted. Then she is comforted. The Scriptures don’t say anything about comfort for those who don’t mourn, only for those who do mourn. Those who mourn are comforted when souls are being liberated and there is salvation and victory.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Verse 5.

Moses was very meek, more than all men on the face of the earth. Num. 12:3. How did he become meek? Everyone who had suffered injustice came to him and complained about their need. Some came and told him that so-and-so had done this and that to them, and then others said that someone had acted like this toward them. Moses listened to all of these complaints. When he was wronged, he began to think, “If I say anything, I will be just like all the others who have so much to complain about. He has so many things to complain about, and so does she. If I start complaining, I will be no better than the others.” So he remained silent. Moses was ruler over all the people. For that matter, to whom could he complain anyway? To Aaron? Aaron was not reliable: he caused the people to dance before the golden calf so they cast off restraint. To Miriam? She gave in to rebelliousness and was punished with leprosy.

The meek shall inherit the earth, but we read that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. Inheriting the earth therefore is a different matter. When people meet a meek person, they tell him how other people have mistreated them. They go to him to obtain righteous judgments in their disputes. The meek are placed as judges or rulers over the people, plus they inherit the earth: for what is the earth other than people? It’s not trees or animals.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Verse 6.

People don’t know what righteousness is. Righteousness is the same as truth. Paying what you owe is righteous. That is the beginning. It is righteous to suffer if we do something stupid. It is righteous for a person who sins to bear the consequences of his sin without complaining. It is righteous to express what is on your heart and say what you think when you are together with others. It is righteous to set everything and everyone in their rightful place, to say to the one who pushes himself to the front, “Sit down there,” and to him who holds himself back, “Come up higher.” It is righteous to deal with each person according to what he deserves. He who hungers and thirsts for righteousness shall be filled, and to be filled with righteousness is no small matter.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Verse 7.

A person who is aware of his own battles is merciful to others in their sin. If that person later comes into difficulty, the others will say, “He has been merciful; let us show him mercy in return.” This is how God works. We should be merciful to animals; indeed, we should be merciful toward everything that suffers and has to endure evil.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Verse 8.

You can compare the pure in heart to a camera. The purer the heart is, the better the camera. If someone comes to a person who is pure in heart and shares his problems with him, that person, because of his purity of heart, is able to get a clear picture of what is going on, and he can explain to him what he must do to become free. The person listens and is liberated. No one has the power to free souls like the pure in heart, and no one can tie people up and bind them like he can. Jesus said to the men who had brought the woman caught in adultery: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” But not one of them was pure. They slunk out, one after the other. If one of them had been pure, he could have cast the first stone as was commanded.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Verse 9.

This is impossible to understand unless you are poor in spirit. Just think of the opposite: children of turmoil. All of us have been together with people who are disruptive and full of unrest. “The circus is coming to town!” “A storm is brewing!” “There is thunder and lightning!” “Now this has happened!” “Now that is going to happen!” But the peacemaker, even if the ceiling falls down on him, says nothing. If the lights go out, he remains quiet. If he has a boil on his face, he doesn’t make a fuss over it. He has a peace in his heart that is more weighty and powerful than all the outward things that are going on around him. When people see such a man who is at rest in all situations, they think, “This must be a child of God.”

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” Verses 14-15.

You have to be in the house to see the light. People on the street cannot see the light that is in this room. To be able to see the light in another person, I must be in his heart. If you remain silent in the church and do not open your mouth, I cannot see the light that is in you. However, if you open up and start talking, I can see the light that is in you. A worldly person who speaks to us cannot see the light that is in our heart. You must be in the house to see the light.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Verse 16.

Others cannot see the light that is in us, but they can see the works. They see a righteous person, a merciful person, a meek person; and they glorify our Father in heaven.