​The text for this Sunday, the text of the so-called ‘Beatitudes’ (Matthew 5:1-12), is extremely well-known and is therefore an extremely good example of how a scriptural text can be turned to go in a completely different direction than originally intended.
 
The beatitudes take a person from a lack of something to the point of no longer lacking something that is either directly or indirectly related to what was lacking.
 
A main issue is, of course, to whom is Jesus speaking. At the beginning of the chapter, the writer goes into a sort of literary slow motion, and Jesus is speaking to his disciples (and not just those following him). At the beginning of the beatitudes, Jesus is speaking to a general group of people, but at the last one, he says, ‘Blessed are you….’ The question is: are we really willing to keep listening?
 
How are we going to transition from a person who is lacking something to someone who has an abundance of something? The answer to that question is very telling.
 
With an optimistic view of human nature, some people will answer that question by simply trying harder. That is a very natural and common answer.
 
With a pessimistic view of human nature, the stage is set for God to work. That may be called a Lutheran answer.
 
Read the bible and see how many times God has turned things completely around. The poor are now rich. The dead come back to life. Those headed for hell are now headed to a completely different place.
 
The beatitudes set the stage for Jesus to be a true Savior. It is no accident that at the beginning of this account is a focus on that name of Jesus—for he will save his people from their sins (1:21). And, at the end of the account, Jesus calls those disciples his ‘brothers’ (28:10).

"He's got a list, and he's checking it twice." That's a relatively well-known quote (regarding Santa Claus). It should also describe a good biblical scholar.

When we have a biblical text with a list in it, it would be good to check it twice--at least! Actually ALL the words of the text could be understood as sort of a list; thousands of years ago it took a lot to make a list of words of ANY length! But even more important is an actual list of things described, and the order of the things may be critical.

There are a few lists in the Gospel according to Matthew that are worth mentioning. I am especially thinking about the three lists near the end of chapter 4, right before the Sermon on the Mount. That sermon is the start of a significant theme for the entire work--five sermons which only appear somewhat within the other accounts. And these lists are a significant summary of the situation up to this point. 

The first list contains three main actions of Jesus: teaching, proclaiming and healing. The second list are those who were sick and whom Jesus healed. I consider there to be five in this list: the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics. The third list contains the areas from which people came to follow him. I also consider this list to have five in it: Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and the area beyond the Jordan.

Often with a list--and this is so true today in the 21st century--the first thing on it catches the most attention. Sometimes, when the author wants to create some action within the reader or listener, he or she will put something important at the end of the list. (There are top ten lists that start at number ten and work towards the all-important number one thing.) But a more restrained author may put something important in the middle. He doesn't want to hide the point. Perhaps he simply wants the reader or listener to know that this is important. Not everyone will get it, and that's okay; it's still important.

The middle items of the three lists--in an expanded way--are as follows: Jesus is preaching and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. That word, gospel, is arguably the most significant of the New Testament. Jesus is healing those oppressed by demons. When Jesus heals in this way, there is a noticeably negative response, and in chapter 12 Jesus finally responds by saying that it must be God behind this power (if he were casting out demons because he was the prince of demons, that wouldn't make any sense). People are following him from Jerusalem, and not all those following him are his disciples. Jesus will get into trouble because of those who are from Jerusalem.

By the end of the fifth sermon, Jesus will be very near his death. These lists help to make that transition not only possible, but desirable. At the end of it all, it is still very good news/gospel.

The Baptism of Jesus is a good example of the variety within the four gospel accounts. In John the event is hardly mentioned, and in Matthew a conversation--admittedly quite short--is recorded.

And what about this difference? In Matthew, the voice from heaven says, “This is my beloved Son.” (The same sentence appears in Luke.) In Mark the voice says, “You are my beloved Son.” So which one was it?

If you came to this website to find out what happened on the day Jesus was baptized, you came to the wrong place. You even came to the wrong accounts.
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The four accounts are gospel accounts. Their ancient title is ‘The Gospel According to ______,’ and the word ‘gospel’ means good news, not any news
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Perhaps you may differ, but I do not believe that the main purpose of the four accounts was to tell what happened. Simply put, that’s not as important as something else.

Even more important is a message of salvation. Even more important is a message that Jesus took care of what was necessary for us to be saved.

Certainly you may find this strange, but there is the possibility that God, the Father, changed the words so that Jesus heard the words “You are” and the other people heard “This is my.” It may have been a miracle.

Even more of a miracle is that Jesus was there—on earth. He is the One who is both true God and true man. That, in itself, is the miracle of miracles.

But then, that he wanted to get baptized with a baptism for sinners, you could consider that another miracle as well. The Son of God should be highly exalted. He should be washed in the finest perfume—or whatever you would do for the person who should be the most highly exalted in the world.

But that was not for him. John the Baptist told him basically the same thing; and Jesus still wanted to go through with a sinners’ baptism.

This baptism starts him on a very particular road, a road of sin and suffering.

And the four accounts give slightly different perspectives of that road. In Mark, Jesus is basically on that road by himself, and so the saying from heaven fits that (“You are….”). In Matthew and Luke, Jesus is on that road with others—teaching in Matthew and leading in Luke, and so the saying fits that as well. All four accounts work together.

Whatever perspective we have, Jesus is still doing his act of salvation for others.