Traditions: Christian Gospel of Matthew; Christian Gospel of Luke Motif: A blessing addressed to the poor Connection verdict: Related Gospel teaching with a significant change in wording Article status: Expanded Date: 2026-10-29
Summary
Matthew 5:1–12 and Luke 6:20–26 each open major teaching with blessings of the poor and suffering.
Read the two scenes
Matthew places Jesus on a mountain and unfolds a series of blessings that include mourning, mercy, and peacemaking. Luke’s scene is on a level place and juxtaposes blessing with direct warning. The wording matters: it can alter whether the audience hears material deprivation, a spiritual posture, or both. Neither text should be used to make the other vanish. The comparison is especially important for ethical interpretation because Luke’s woes resist turning the passage into consolation without social consequences.
What connects—and what does not
Matthew says “poor in spirit” and “hunger for righteousness”; Luke speaks directly to “you poor” and “you hungry now” and adds woes for the rich.
The shared form is clear, but a specific documentary route between the two versions remains a scholarly hypothesis.
Why read them side by side?
A shared teaching becomes sharper when its addressees and paired warnings are heard separately.
Sources and reading notes
- Matthew 5:1-12 — NRSVUE passage locator; compare surrounding context and translation.
- Luke 6:20-26 — NRSVUE passage locator; compare surrounding context and translation.
Research limit
A named parallel can establish literary reuse or related tradition; a general resemblance alone cannot prove borrowing. Linked editions and translations vary. Where a source is identified as secondary orientation, the comparison does not claim direct close reading of that tradition’s primary text.