When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. ( Mt 5:1-12)
According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus has just begun his ministry. But he faced crowds of people at the beginning of his ministry itself. He had to go up higher(on the mountain) so that he might be visible and audible. He began his ministry by preaching the people on the kingdom of God. He preached to his disciples (his followers). His maiden address.
Already in his speech he gave the orientation of his mission and activities. He was going to work with the poor, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger, the merciful, clean of heart, peacemakers and the persecuted. This list seemed to be out of the ordinary. Jesus began his mission with the people who were not in the forefront of the society. These people were his targets.
These were the ones who were about to possess the kingdom, the y were the one who were seen as comforted, satisfied, called children of God etc. There was a shift in the normal course of events. People who were of less favoured in the sight of men were considered to be the privileged people in the sight of Jesus. He came into the world to give meaning to the underprivileged, the deprived, the suffering and the sorts. Yes he came to tell them that they were the saints.
