The Sermon on the Mount — Weeks 29 & 30

The Sermon on the Mount is the longest sermon recorded in the New Testament, and it is packed — packed with the kind of teaching that was revolutionary when Jesus first delivered it and remains essential today. When Jesus finished, the people were astonished, "for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." (Matt 7:28-29) That should not surprise us. This was God in the flesh speaking. Could He have helped but be different?

Blessed Are the Unexpected

The sermon opens with the Beatitudes, and there is something almost paradoxical about every one of them. The poor in spirit receive the kingdom. Those who mourn are comforted. The meek inherit the earth. The persecuted inherit the kingdom of heaven. In every case, the outcome is the very opposite of what the world would expect. That is how the Lord works. What He calls us to do, and who He calls us to become, leads to results we never could have arranged for ourselves.

Salt and Light — Do You Have Taste?

After the Beatitudes, Jesus turns to our responsibility in the world. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." (Matt 5:13) Tasteless salt is worthless. A lamp hidden under a basket gives no light. The Lord does not want us drawing attention to ourselves — He wants people to see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven (Matt 5:14-16). When we shine, it is not us they should see. It is the Lord.

Nip It in the Bud

One of the most striking threads running through Matthew 5 is the Lord's practice of taking a familiar commandment and pressing it deeper. You have heard it said, do not murder — but the Lord says do not even harbor anger. You have heard it said, do not commit adultery — but the Lord says do not even look to lust, for you have already committed adultery in your heart. The principle is the same each time: stop it before it starts. Nip it in the bud. The Lord is not contradicting the old law; He is showing His hearers what they should have understood all along. Paul put it plainly: "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (Rom 10:4) The law always pointed here.

The Narrow Gate

Matthew 7 brings us to perhaps the most well-known — and most misunderstood — verse in the whole sermon. "Judge not" does not mean never make a judgment. The Lord Himself says just a few verses later to judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24) — not by outward appearance, but fairly, and only after you have first examined yourself. Remove the plank before you address the speck. Then the Lord brings the sermon to its great, sobering close. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matt 7:13-14) The easy way is broad, and it is crowded. The Lord's way is narrow, and it requires a life built on Him — not on sand.

In Closing

Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom 10:17). But hearing is never the end. The Lord said we are His friends if we do what He commands, and James reminds us that faith without works is dead. Keep reading. Keep studying. And let what you read move you — to repentance, to obedience, to a life built on the rock. There are few who find that narrow gate. Make sure you are among them.