Jesus calls us higher, not so we can feel important, but so we can learn His ways. On the mountain, Jesus teaches us how to live with humility, mercy, peace, purity, and faith.
In Matthew 5, Jesus went up on a mountain and sat down to teach His disciples. This teaching is called the Sermon on the Mount. It begins with the Beatitudes, which show us what a blessed life really looks like in God’s kingdom.
The world often says blessed are the strong, rich, proud, popular, and powerful. But Jesus said blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who suffer for doing what is right. — Matthew 5:3-10
Jesus gives us a different way to see life. He was not teaching people how to chase attention or status. He was teaching them how to live God’s way. His way leads us into humility, mercy, clean hearts, peace, and righteousness.
In the Bible, mountains were often places where God met with people and taught them. Micah 4:2 says, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord… and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” Isaiah 2:3 gives the same message. God wants to teach His people how to walk in His ways.
This helps us understand the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was not just giving advice. He was showing people how to live in the kingdom of God. He was calling them to think differently, love differently, forgive differently, pray differently, and live differently.
The mountain also reminds us of God’s presence. From the beginning, God made people to walk with Him. Sin brought distance, but Jesus came to bring us back to the Father and teach us how to live close to God again.
When Jesus calls us higher, He is calling us into a new way of life. The Beatitudes do not mean life will always be easy. They teach us to trust God even when life is hard. They remind us that God blesses the humble, comforts those who mourn, shows mercy to the merciful, and calls peacemakers His children.
The view from the mountain teaches us that God’s values are not like the world’s values. In God’s kingdom, greatness is not about control, money, revenge, or applause. True greatness is seen in humility, righteousness, mercy, purity, and peace.
Jesus still invites us to come higher. He wants to teach us His ways. He wants to change how we see the world, how we treat people, how we pray, how we handle worry, and how we live as His disciples. The mountain is not only a place to hear truth. It is a place where truth can change us.
Prayer Reflection: Lord, draw me closer to You. Teach me Your ways. Give me a humble heart, a clean heart, a merciful heart, and a peaceful spirit. Help me live each day as a follower of Jesus. Amen.
Minister A Francine Green, September 2026