Matthew 5 | Mark 3:13-19 | Luke 6:12-36

The 12 apostles are called by Jesus, and then He begins to teach them.  In Matthew 5-7 we find the Lord’s sermon on the mount, which begins with Him calling His disciples together, and then teaching them the principles of the kingdom of God.  Matthew 5 includes the so-called Beatitudes, where Jesus lays out the behavior and attitudes of those who belong to God’s kingdom.  The rules that Jesus describes in these chapters are even more difficult than the laws of Moses, since they speak to the attitudes of the heart, and they demonstrate the righteousness required of anyone who seeks to be saved through his own actions.  These are impossible for men and women to obey in every aspect, and at all times, demonstrating the need for Christ’s righteousness in all who will be accepted by God, since He is the only one who actually kept all of God’s laws (both the OT law, as well as the intent of God’s laws, as cited by Jesus).  We can look ahead to these being the laws of the kingdom when Jesus rules on the earth.