What Is the Sermon on the Mount?
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The Sermon on the Mount was a pivotal moment in Jesus’ time on earth, and it is found in Matthew 5-7. This was one of Jesus’ first sermons, and it is his longest. This is the time when Jesus spoke the most. So, what was it about? What would our Savior take the most time to explain and discuss to the “great multitudes” of people listening?
Today we are going to unpack the Sermon on the Mount.
What Is a Sermon?
Jesus gave a lot of important talks and shared many teachings that are recorded in His Word. The title of this particular message includes the word “sermon.” This was not just a quick lesson or one parable, this was an entire sermon message to the people listening.
Webster’s Dictionary defines sermon as, “A religious discourse delivered in public usually by a member of the clergy as a part of a worship service. A speech on conduct or duty.” We read that Jesus delivers this speech publicly and it is a speech on conduct (although His purpose is not in obedience, but getting to the full understanding of the heart).
Jesus Went on the Mountain
There is great significance just in the first two verses of this passage. Matthew 5:1-2 says, “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.” Jen Wilkin points out in her Bible Study Sermon on the Mount that Moses went up on a mountain to receive the law from God and Jesus went up on a mountain as He explained His law (Exodus 24:12-18).
According to Tourist Israel, it is believed that the location of the Sermon on the Mount took place in northern Israel on the Korazim Plateau.
The Main Points of the Sermon the Mount
The Beatitudes
If you have ever heard the term, “The Beatitudes,” the Sermon on the Mount is where this term originated. The very beginning of Jesus’ teaching starts with nine statements “Blessed are the…”
If you have ever read an intriguing introduction or began to listen to a powerful set of lyrics in the first verse of a song, you know the value of a strong start. Jesus set up his sermon with the beatitudes. These might at first glance appear like strange statements, but they are in essence the theme of what Jesus is about to present.
Jesus Came to Fulfill the Law
Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.
Matthew 5:17-18 - “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
Jesus intentionally begins with the one commandment that most people would claim that they never broke. Murder is one that people might think, “I’m good on that commandment.” However, Jesus explains the true meaning is much deeper than the physical act of murder, but hate in the human heart. He shares how it is not just the physical act of adultery, but the lust in the heart.
This sermon reveals the complexity of human sin. Our nature is so sinful and we are completely fallen – not partially or mostly, but fully sinners. Jesus is fully perfect; we are fully imperfect. Without Him, all we have to offer are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). As He unpacks the message, he uses the phrase, “You have heard that it was said… but I tell you.” This might appear to be a simple phrase, however it is a huge statement because Jesus is claiming to be God. He is speaking with the authority of the Maker. He is teaching them what He meant. This was His awesome way of revealing who He was with such creativity.
A Message of Practical Tips
Jesus gives a lot of practical advice within this passage. For example, He tells us to love others well and go the extra mile, not to just love in required ways. He teaches that we should be honoring to others by remaining true to our words. He shares how to give generously, how to pray, and how to deal with anxiety. This sermon is rich in wisdom.
The Lord’s Prayer
Have you ever prayed the Lord’s Prayer? Did you know that Jesus taught this during his sermon on the mount? Tucked away in Matthew 6:5-15, Jesus gives guidance on how to pray. We can use this model prayer for our own prayers today. Jesus is not saying that we can only pray those exact words, but he is showing an outline of sorts on how to pray. If God would give that suggestion, then we would do well to listen and apply it.
A Message for All People
The beauty of knowing that there were “multitudes” means that there were a variety of people from different backgrounds and ages present for this sermon. By the end of this message, if a person did not realize that he is a sinner, then he had not listened or had closed his heart to it. There are so many convicting lessons found within this passage. This is the purpose of this sermon. Jesus wanted to reveal sin and the need for a Savior, and share with them that He was the Messiah for whom they had anxiously waited, not just for the Jews, but for the Gentiles as well. He had come to live out the law perfectly. He never changed one piece of the law, but He fulfilled it. We read of him later saying that, “It is finished.”
The Sermon’s Conclusion
Jesus concludes his message with the wise and foolish builders. I love how Christ ends with an analogy. He paints a picture of a wise man building on the rock and a foolish man building on the sand. When we think about the setting of this sermon, Jesus was up on the mountain. He is showing and telling the people that He is the Rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (Psalm 92:15) and anyone who builds their lives on Him will have a firm foundation, but anyone who builds on anything else will fall.
What an incredible message. In a day with no sound systems or microphones, Jesus was able to communicate to many people from a mountain. He shared and revealed that He was the Messiah, and empowered them to follow Him wholeheartedly. This indeed was a powerful sermon.
Matthew 7:28-29 says, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”
The people there were left in total and complete amazement. When was the last time God amazed you? How often do we go through our days ignoring the fact that He is the Almighty One? May this sermon found in His Holy Word spark an excitement of awe and amazement in our own hearts today.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Yannick Pulver
