Just Before Jesus gave the Sermon on On the Mount he give this interesting quick set of points of view. It is interesting.  It is about what we could call Stress.  Here is one analysis, more coaching organized.   Very Interesting.  Was this Preparation? Very likely. What can you and I learn from the Beatitudes ?

Where This Sits in the Text

In the Gospel of Matthew:

• Matthew 4:23–25 → Jesus is healing, teaching, demonstrating power
• Matthew 5:1–12 → Beatitudes
• Matthew 5–7 → Sermon on the Mount

So the flow is:

Power → Identity → Instruction

That order is everything.

1. He Was Not Starting with Rules

If Jesus had jumped straight into:

• anger = murder
• lust = adultery
• love your enemies

…people would hear it as impossible moral pressure.

Instead, He starts with the Beatitudes.

Why?

Because:

He defines who is “blessed” before He defines how they should live.

2. The Beatitudes Rebuild Identity First

The disciples (and the crowd) came in with a worldview:

• Blessed = strong, successful, respected
• Righteous = externally obedient
• Favor = visible success

Jesus flips it:

• Blessed = poor, hungry, grieving, rejected

That’s not encouragement.

That’s identity demolition and rebuild.

👉 Before they can live differently…
👉 they must see differently

3. Yes—He Is Preparing Them (But for What?)

Not just for teaching.

He’s preparing them for:

• internal conflict
• external resistance
• a standard they cannot meet in their own strength

Because right after this, He raises the bar:

• Not just behavior → heart-level transformation
• Not just law → intent and motive
• Not just righteousness → perfect righteousness

Without the Beatitudes, that crushes people.

With them, it reframes everything:

“You already belong—even in your weakness.”

⚖️ 4. The Beatitudes Remove the Illusion of Self-Sufficiency

This is key.

The Sermon on the Mount cannot be lived by:

• willpower
• discipline alone
• moral effort

The Beatitudes strip that illusion away.

They say:

• You are poor (you lack)
• You are hungry (you need)
• You are dependent

👉 That’s preparation.

Because now:

They won’t try to perform the Sermon…
They will have to depend to live it

5. This Is Also a Filtering Mechanism

Not everyone listening is actually “in.”

The Beatitudes create a dividing line:

• Those who see themselves in it → lean in
• Those who reject it → resist what comes next

So yes, He is preparing the disciples…

But He is also revealing who the disciples are.

6. Connection to Luke (Same Pattern)

In the Gospel of Luke:

• Power flows out of Him (healing)
• He speaks Beatitudes
• Then gives instruction

Same pattern:

Experience → Reorientation → Teaching

 7. What This Means Theologically

This is huge:

Identity precedes obedience in the Kingdom of God.

Not:

• “Live this way so you become blessed”

But:

• “You are blessed—now live from that reality”

 8. Where People Get This Wrong

They reverse the order:

• Try to live the Sermon → hope to become blessed
• Try to be righteous → hope to be accepted

That leads to:

• frustration
• burnout
• performance-based faith

Exactly what Jesus was dismantling.

 Bottom Line

Yes—Jesus was preparing the disciples.

But not with motivation.

He was:

• redefining reality
• rebuilding identity
• removing self-reliance
• establishing dependence

So that when He says:

“Be perfect as your Father is perfect…”

They don’t think:

“I can achieve that.”

They realize:

“I will have to become something different to live that freedom!"

Jack Stanley B.C.C.

Stanley Coaching LLC

Cedar Park Texas

512-269-8023

jack@stanleycoaching.com

www.stanleycoaching.com

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