4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A– Feb. 1, 2026
Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31;
Matthew 5:1-12a
Theme: The Beatitudes as the Lifestyle of the Kingdom
of Heaven on Earth
- Historical
and Literary Contexts
After the story of Jesus’ temptation
(4:1-11), Jesus officially began his public ministry in Galilee (4:12-25),
which involved establishing the kingdom of heaven on earth. In his initial
preaching, he invited people to repent as a prerequisite for becoming members
of this kingdom of heaven (4:17), called his first four disciples (4:18-22),
and ministered to a vast multitude (4:23-25). Immediately following this
section, Matthew presents a series of Jesus’ teachings, known as the “Sermon on
the Mount” (Mt 5-7), where Jesus instructs the crowds and his four new
disciples on the lifestyle of the heavenly kingdom he has just established on
earth. Our text introduces this section. Here, Jesus calls believers to follow
the beatitudes to be regarded as “blessed” and qualify as members of the
kingdom of heaven. The teaching about the similes of salt and light (5:13-16)
immediately follows our passage.
- Form,
Structure, and Movement
This sermon is introduced in vv. 1-2 and
concluded in vv. 11-12. The body of the text includes eight parallel statements
of the blessing promised in the third person plural (vv. 3-11).
- Detailed
Analysis
Vv. 1-2: This introduction contains four
essential details. (1) “When he saw the crowds” illustrates that Jesus
recognized their interior need, which is the hunger to hear the Word of God.
(2) “He went up the mountain” alludes to Moses, who went up the mountain to
meet with Yahweh and receive the Laws from him (Exodus 19; 24). Here, Matthew
portrays Jesus as a “Moses-like figure, but one who exceeds Moses as the
authoritative Teacher of the Law.”[1]
Additionally, the mountain symbolizes a place of prayer. Jesus ascended the
mountain to commune with his Father before ministering to the crowds.[2]
(3) His disciples came to him. These are the four newly called men (see
4:18-22). They know nothing yet; their approach to Jesus signifies their
eagerness to learn from their Master. (4) He began to teach them. After
assessing the needs of the crowds and communing with his Father in prayer,
Jesus now teaches both the crowds and his disciples.
Vv. 3-10. These are the eighth beatitudes
that Jesus presents to the crowds as a lifestyle for those who choose to become
members of the kingdom of heaven.
V. 3. The poor in spirit: From the
Latin word ptochos, a poor person denotes a beggar who is destitute and
needs help. Translated from the Old Testament word, ’anāwîm, a poor person
is someone without material possessions and relies on God’s providence.[3]
Unlike Luke, Matthew adds “in spirit” to his statement to mean that the kingdom
of heaven is for all those of whatever social rank who humbly recognize their
total dependence on God.
V. 4. In the second beatitude, Jesus
calls those who mourn blessed and promises to comfort them. In its literal
sense, this recalls how God comforted the people of Israel when they mourned
the destruction of their temple, the occupation of their land, and the
deportation of their kings and people to exile (see Is 61:1-3). In its
spiritual sense, this beatitude refers to those who mourn for their sins. Jesus
calls the repentant “blessed” and promises to comfort them.
V. 5. The third beatitude recalls Psalm
37:11, “(…) the meek shall possess the land.” In this Psalm, the land alludes
to Palestine, but in this third beatitude, it signifies the kingdom of heaven.
In the context of this beatitude, the word praeis, “meek,” does not
connote shy people; rather, it refers to those who are humble, considerate, and
not overly impressed by their own self-importance.[4]
V. 6. The fourth beatitude alludes to
Psalm 107:5, 8-9, which states that God satisfies the thirsty and fills the
hungry with good things. While the Psalmist discusses the hunger and thirst for
food and drink, Matthew indicates that the crowds will be called “blessed” if
they are hungry and thirsty for righteousness. In the Bible, righteousness
refers to acting in accordance with divine or moral law.[5]
V. 7. Repentance is essential to being
part of the kingdom of heaven. A penitent relies on God’s grace and mercy. In
this fifth beatitude, Jesus asserts that seekers of the kingdom of God should
first forgive their fellow humans before expecting pardon for their sins from
God. Jesus emphasizes this assertion many times later on; for instance, in the
prayer he taught his disciples: “... and forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors” (6:12, NABRE); in his reaction to the Pharisees, who opposed him because
he welcomed sinners and tax collectors (9:9-13); and in the Parable of the
Unforgiving Servant (18:21-35).
V. 8. According to Psalm 24:4, the “clean
of heart” is the one “who has not given his souls to useless things, what is
vain.” (NABRE). The Psalmist promises that only the “clean of heart” can go up
the mountain of the Lord, his holy place (which refers to the temple), to
receive blessings and justice from God (Ps 24:3-5). In this sixth beatitude,
Jesus promises that the “clean of heart” will see God in the kingdom of heaven.[6]
V. 9. The kingdom of heaven established
by Jesus is also the kingdom of peace. Therefore, the crowds should promote
peace in their communities to qualify as “children of God” and, consequently,
members of the kingdom of heaven.
V. 10. In the fourth beatitude, Jesus
linked the word “righteousness” with hunger and thirst. However, in this eighth
beatitude, Jesus connects righteousness with persecution. He prepares the
crowds to understand that seeking membership in the kingdom of heaven may
involve the way of the cross, as many people may hate them and even persecute
them.[7]
He promises that the kingdom of heaven will belong to all those who accept
persecution for the sake of righteousness.
Vv. 11-12. In this epilogue, Jesus
continues the topic of persecution that he developed in the eighth beatitude,
but this time, he specifically addresses it to his four new disciples. He
replaces “righteousness” with himself. The disciples are blessed, and their
reward in heaven will be great when people falsely abuse and persecute them
because of Jesus. Through this expression, “Thus they persecuted the prophets
who were before you” (v. 12b), Jesus suggests that discipleship may also
involve carrying one's cross, as the disciples stand in the line of the
persecuted prophets of Israel.[8]
- Synthesis
The citizens of the heavenly kingdom must
be the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those hungry and thirsty for
righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. They
should rejoice when they are falsely persecuted and abused for the sake of
righteousness and because of Jesus. They are blessed when they follow all these
beatitudes because they qualify to become members of the kingdom of heaven.
B. Pastoral
Implications
- Liturgical
Context
In last Sunday's Gospel, we heard how
Jesus invited us to repent and become members of the kingdom of heaven he
established. Indeed, we are citizens of heaven. Thus, today’s Scripture
readings teach us about the lifestyle of the heavenly kingdom on earth: we
should observe the beatitudes (Gospel) and humility (first and second
readings).
- What
the Church Teaches Us Today
In our Gospel, Jesus teaches us how to
live here on earth to qualify as members of the kingdom of heaven. He asks us
to be poor in spirit, meaning we should depend entirely on God through the
sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession. He encourages us to
“mourn” or regret our sins and confess them regularly to stay “clean of heart.”
He calls us to be humble, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to forgive
others, and to consistently promote peace wherever we live. We should not be
sad but rejoice whenever people falsely abuse and persecute us for the sake of
righteousness and because of his name.
We can observe all these beatitudes only
if we keep prayer at the center of our lives. Matthew tells us that before
Jesus taught the crowds, he went up the mountain. In biblical language, the
mountain is the place of encounter with God. Jesus first encountered his Father
God in prayer before he ministered to the crowds. Our mountains today are our
local Church, families, and wherever we connect with God in prayer. Let us
consider meeting with God, our Father, in Eucharistic celebrations (especially
on Sundays), family prayers, and group or individual prayers.
In the first reading, our Holy Mother
Church exhorts us to be the “prophets Zephaniah” of our time who call our
brothers and sisters to observe this lifestyle of the kingdom of heaven. Let us
first understand its historical context. Zephaniah prophesied in the southern
kingdom of Judah during the reign of King Josiah (640-609 BC). That was a
difficult time for the Jewish nation. The northern kingdom of Israel had
already fallen to the Assyrians, while the southern kingdom of Judah had
submitted to their control. King Manasseh and a large part of the population,
out of fear of conquest and destruction, abandoned God’s covenant and pledged
loyalty to pagan gods. Zephaniah courageously condemned the leaders and all
those who had forsaken their faith in God. He prophesied that the LORD would
one day destroy what was left of their nation.
In the passage we heard in our first
reading, Zephaniah called them to seek the LORD, justice, and humility to be
sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger when he comes to destroy everything
(Zephaniah 2:3). Pay attention to how Zephaniah speaks of a “remnant” of the
people after the anger of the LORD destroys their nation. They are humble and
lowly, who take refuge in the name of the LORD, who do no wrong and speak no
lies, and who do not have a deceitful tongue in their mouths (Zephaniah
3:12-13). This passage speaks to us today. Like the people of Zephaniah’s time,
many political, social, and religious leaders, as well as ordinary people
today, choose to forsake Christian faith and values because of fear of persecution
and the need for power and the riches of this world. The Church reminds us that
we are the “prophets Zephaniah” of our time; so let us call our brothers and
sisters and ourselves to seek God, justice, and humility instead, and invite
them to live out the beatitudes.
This lifestyle of the heavenly kingdom is
utterly opposite to our modern notion of being rich and famous. Saint Paul
explains this very well in our second reading. He invites the Christians of
Corinth and all of us to consider our own calling. Our calling is not to be citizens
of this world but citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Consequently, we are
called to start living the lifestyle of the Beatitudes now. Amen.
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor of Holy Family Church in Jackson,
MS &
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
[1]
Barbara E. Reid, The Gospel According to Matthew, 32.
[2]
Ian Boxall, “Matthew” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First
Century, 1181.
[3]
NABRE, note to Mt 5:3.
[4]
Barbara E. Reid, The Gospel According to Matthew, 33.
[5]
Barbara E. Reid, The Gospel According to Matthew, 34.
[6]
Barbara E. Reid, The Gospel According to Matthew, 34.
[7]
Barbara E. Reid, The Gospel According to Matthew, 35.
[8]
NABRE, note to Mt 5:12.
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