TANGAZA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

The Catholic University of Eastern Africa

School of Theology

Submitted by:

Ebenezer Kwabena Arthur OFM Conv

Reg. Number: TH01/00165/2022

Topic:

Comparison of the beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew with the Gospel of Luke

Lecturer:

Fr. Magloire

An Assignment Submitted to the School of Theology

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Course Unit STUC 102; Christology

Nairobi

14th April, 2023.

The beatitudes are sayings attributed to Jesus, particularly the eight blessings he listed in the

Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew and the four (4) blessings he listed in the

gospel of Luke, followed by woes that mirror the blessings. This essay aims to compare the

beatitudes found in both the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

2.0 Similarities in the Setting in Both Gospel Account of the Beatitudes

There are several things in the introductory section worth noting. The most obvious is that, in

the gospel of Matthew Jesus was seated on the mountain and his disciples came to him.

However, there is a change in that of the gospel of Luke. In the Lucan version the sermon

was taught whilst Jesus was standing on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples. 1

Therefore, the two sermons are titled as the sermon on the Mount that is, Matthew 5:1-12 and

the sermon on the Plain that is, Luke 6:20-26.

In the Matthew’s beatitudes, the sermon was given in Galilee, 2 whereas Lucan version of the

sermon was given in Judea a city in Jerusalem. There difference in places in which the two

sermons was given corresponds somewhat to the different audiences and different political

economics. One centres in Judea and the other has broader audience which includes

Galileans.

3.0 Similarities and Dissimilarities in Wordings in Both Sermons

Each sermon has different beginnings. In the gospel Matthew 5:1-3 “when Jesus saw the

crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him”.

Whereas, in Lucan version the sermon starts with “Then he looked at his disciples and said;”3

1
Luke 6:17.
2
Matthew 4:23-25.
3
Luke 6:20
In the verse 3 of Matthews account where the sermons begin has a similar text in the gospel

of Luke. Matthew presents it as “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of

heaven. While in the Lucan version it begins as “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is

the kingdom of God.”4 The word “poor in Spirit” plays a unique role in the beatitude of

Matthew. There is an aspect of spirituality in the sermon on the mountain. Thus, it

spiritualizes the poor in their predicament. Whereas in Luke’s version the term “poor” may

mean actual hardship or poverty. In spite of Matthews beatitudes being spiritual, there is a

great deal of discussion, there is no consensus on how they should be understood.

Beyond the small variations in the first beatitudes, there is a much larger variation to

consider, a section which is missing from one version but present in the other. In the gospel

of Luke, Jesus transitions directly from the end of the beatitudes to a denunciation of the rich.

“Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you, revile you and defame you

on account of the Son of Man.” 5 And then, there is a swift transition from the blessings to a

woe. As seen in Luke 6:25, “woe to you who are full now for you will be hungry. Woe to you

who are laughing now for you will mourn and weep. In the context “Woe to you who are

rich?” there is the possibility that Jesus is referring to the wealthy elite people in Jerusalem as

this sermon was taught when Jesus was in the city of Judea. The beatitudes that are unique

and has a similar entry in the gospel of Luke are; the meek, the merciful, pure of heart and

peacemakers but are followed almost immediately by the four woes in Luke.

However, in the gospel of Matthew, by contrast there is nothing of woes mentioned but on

the contrary, it moves from the end of the beatitudes to salt of the earth in the gospel of

Matthew 5:11-13. In both gospel account of the beatitudes, it is unlikely to the extreme that

Jesus varies his speech when speaking to different groups, from different environment. He

knew his audience and adapted his speech accordingly.

4
Luke 6:20.
5
Luke 6:25.
Moreover, there is a dissimilarity in both accounts. The gospel of Matthew is couched in the

third person (Blessed are those) which gives a sense of sayings with a wider relevance.

However, Luke’s account uses a second person (Blessed are you) which suggest a more

direct focus on the disciples to whom Jesus is speaking to.

In addition, there is a similarity in both the gospel of Matthew and the gospel of Luke. In the

gospel of Luke “rejoice on that day and leap for joy for surely your reward is great in heaven;

for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets,” 6 appears to parallel the text in Matthew

5:12.

Also, the ninth beatitude in the gospel of Matthew is the fourth beatitude in the gospel of

Luke. Looking at the context in this account the phrase “blessed are you when people revile

you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” 7 can be

termed as a statement Jesus addressed to his disciples personally as these words also reflect in

the Luke’s gospel (Luke 6:22).

4.0 Conclusion

In a nutshell, albeit the similarities in both gospel accounts, it is believed that the sources of

the sermon in both cases was the hypothetical “Q” source. That provided very little context or

narrative for the sayings attributed to Jesus. However, there are lesson which can be learnt in

these sermons presented by Jesus such as, possessions on earth are not important, people

should not judge each other, God will help people who seek his help and people should not

worry because God will take care of them, that is total dependence on God.

6
Luke 6:23.
7
Matthew 5:11.