Jesus speaks truth (Sermon on the Mount)
One of my favorite passages in the Bible is called the Sermon on the Mount. I first heard about it when I was in kids’ choir, and we did a musical called the “Sermon on the Mound”. So, for a while I thought that’s what it was but since they didn’t have baseball back in Jesus’ day I had to come to terms with the fact that it was indeed called the sermon on the mount.
In high school I was in another musical that was called “Godspell”. Once again the theme of this play was the sermon on the mount. It was a lot of fun and captured the spirit of Jesus message in his famous sermon well.
What is that message?
The message is that kingdom of Heaven has come down to earth in Jesus and his people and there would be a certain way of living for those who identified as Christians. The kingdom of heaven is not a place it’s a people. Because it’s a people there is a certain creed and manifesto to live by. That’s the sermon on the mount.
What does it say?
It says how we are to live as Christians. We find it in Matthew just after the calling of some of his first disciples and the first part of the teaching is called the Beatitudes. That’s because these are the attitudes that Christians are to be.
Before we dig in to the sermon, I want to see a few things about the beginning of chapter 5.
The Sermon on the Mount
5 When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to teach them, saying:
- Jesus saw the crowds and their need for truth.
Jesus saw the crowd that was following him because of the miracles he had performed. He knew that they needed spiritual truth and not just physical miracles. So he decide to speak the truth to them in these clever and insightful sayings.
- Jesus made truth easily available to them.
Jesus did not make them go somewhere else for the truth he met them where they were. He stopped what he was doing and made himself, and the truth of his message available to them. The crowd only had to listen.
- Those closest to Jesus will come to him for truth.
At first Jesus is a stranger who has a counter cultural message. This is not easy for people to hear. Those who are close to Jesus and seeking truth will go to Him.
Where is your place in the crowd. Are you someone who is going after Jesus and the truth he offers? Or are you someone who ignores it even though it is available?
Jesus does not promise and easy life in fact he promises that it will be hard for those who believe in him. What Jesus does promise is a reward for those who remain steadfast under trial (James 1:12). Remain steadfast and you will be able to live that abundant life. (John 10:10)
