A Scripture Structure study · Working draft
Patterns in Matthew 5
The opening of the Sermon on the Mount. The text is shown in a deliberately literal translation so the word order and repetitions stay visible. Watch for the staircase of the Beatitudes and the mirrored "you have heard… but I say" pairs.
Who / the subject
The promise
"You have heard"
"But I say to you"
Recurring theme
Matthew 5 · 1–12
Having seen the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and when He had sat down, His disciples came to Him. And opening His mouth He was teaching them, saying…
Inward — personal struggle
Blessed arethe poor in spirit·theirs is the kingdom of the heavens
Blessed arethose mourning·they will be comforted
Blessed arethe meek·they will inherit the earth
The hinge — inward longing for an outward good
Blessed arethose hungering & thirsting for righteousness·they will be filled
Outward — toward other people
Blessed arethe merciful·they will receive mercy
Blessed arethe pure in heart·they will see God
Blessed arethe peacemakers·they will be called sons of God
Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness · theirs is the kingdom of the heavens
Notice the frame: the very first beatitude and this closing one share the same promise — "theirs is the kingdom of the heavens" — bracketing the whole set.
Blessed are you when they insult you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in the heavens — for so they persecuted the prophets before you.
Matthew 5 · 13–16
Salt & Light
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt becomes tasteless, with what will it be salted? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand — and it shines for all in the house.
So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in the heavens.
Matthew 5 · 17–20
The Law & the Prophets
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.
I have not come to abolish — but to fulfill.
Truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Whoever then breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do so, will be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whoever keeps and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.
For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of the heavens.
Matthew 5 · 21–48
Six times: "You have heard… but I say"
Six teachings share one shape. The left side is the old command everyone had heard; the right side is the deeper standard Jesus sets against it. The mirror is the message — He doesn't lower the law, He drives it inward to the heart.
You have heard
You shall not murder; whoever murders is liable to judgment.
But I say to you
Everyone angry with his brother is liable to judgment; whoever says "Raca" answers to the Sanhedrin; whoever says "Fool" is liable to the fire of hell.
So if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember your brother has something against you — leave your gift, go first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer it.
You have heard
You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you
Everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; better to lose one member than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away.
It was said
Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.
But I say to you
Everyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
You have heard
Do not swear falsely, but keep your oaths to the Lord.
But I say to you
Do not swear at all.
Not by heaven (God's throne), nor by earth (His footstool), nor by Jerusalem (the city of the great King), nor by your head — you cannot make one hair white or black.
Let your "Yes" be Yes, and your "No," No. Anything beyond this comes from evil.
You have heard
Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.
But I say to you
Do not resist the evil person.
Whoever strikes you on the right cheek — turn to him the other also.
To the one who would sue you and take your tunic — yield your cloak as well.
Whoever compels you to go one mile — go with him two.
To the one who asks of you — give; and the one who would borrow — do not turn away.
You have heard
Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
…that you may be sons of your Father in the heavens — for He makes His sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. If you love only those who love you, what reward is that? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The study continues
Matthew 6 — the teaching on giving, prayer, and fasting (with the Lord's Prayer at its center) — is being mapped next. It carries its own threefold pattern: when you give… when you pray… when you fast…, each answered by "your Father who sees in secret will reward you."