Introduction to The Sermon On The Mount
Matthew 5:1–7:29
Note: We could say this in another way, as "the talk that Jesus gave on the mountain."
The greatest talk that anyone ever gave
Matthew emphasised something. It was this. To teach was the very important part of Jesus’ work in his life. We see this in 4:23–35. Here, he told about Jesus’ first public talk. He told us a lot of what Jesus said.
There are 4 popular ideas about Jesus’ words:
- Some people think that Jesus provides standards of moral behaviour. There are two problems with this idea. First, it does not work. The standards are good. But men and women cannot live by them. Second, this idea forgets about the truths in 5:3–9. These verses emphasise something. The change in a person’s character must come first. Only then can he or she obey Jesus’ words.
- Other people think that Jesus’ words are not for us today. This is another idea. Some people say that Jesus gave rules. God would accept people if they obeyed the rules. They say that Jesus gave up the rules later. He saw that they did not work. But, this cannot be right. Jesus is not telling us how we can earn our
salvation . He is speaking to those who are in a right relationship with God. He is showing them how they should live. - Some people think that the sermon (talk) is a standard for ‘special’ Christians. This is another idea. But, there is a problem with this idea too. Jesus was teaching all who followed him. Chapter 5:1–2 shows this. He was not just speaking to a special group.
- Only one idea is satisfactory. Here, Jesus tells us how to be a Christian
disciple . All real believers (Christians) should show that they are citizens of heaven. They do this by lives that follow the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus expects them to do this. Perhaps they refuse to do it. If so, there is no real evidence that they are real believers.
It is helpful to compare the last two ideas. The first of these two assumes something. It is enough for a person just to claim that Jesus has saved him. But, many people who claim this do not live by the standards here. They claim to be Christians, but their lives do not show it.
The second of the two ideas emphasises something. The standards are those of God’s
Brief statement of the main points
This is the message of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (talk on the mountain):
Chapter 5:3–10: What the character of a Christian should be like.
Chapter 5:11–12: There is proof of a genuine Christian character. People who are not Christians do not take any notice of God. They will do bad things to Christians. Believers’ real characters will show in their reactions to this.
Chapter 5:13–16: How a Christian will behave in society and in the world.
Chapter 5:17–48: How a Christian will live because of God’s character.
Chapter 7:1–27: A Christian will always remember two things about God. First, God sees how he or she lives. Each one must give an account of his or her life to him. Second, each one must have the right fear and respect for God.
Two difficulties
Matthew gives an account of the sermon (talk). So does Luke. People have two difficulties with these accounts. First, there is the place for the sermon. Luke 6:17 states that it was on a plain (flat place). Here, Matthew says that it was on a mountain. But this does not need to be a problem. Luke could be referring to a plain that was on a mountain. Or, Matthew could mean the part of that country that had hills.
Second, there are the contents of the sermon (talk). Matthew and Luke give different records of it. But, this is not surprising. Certain things were of special interest to Matthew. He recorded them. Luke, too, recorded the things that interested him.
Jesus might have said it all on one occasion. But, maybe he took several days to say it all. Other