In the past, my understanding of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 has been that it was a compilation of sayings or nuggets of wisdom much like the Proverbs. However, when I recently read through the sermon again, I noticed three themes that laid a foundation for Jesus’ message.
However, before we look at the sermon itself, let’s back up a couple of chapters to look at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. From Matthew 3:13 to 4:11, Jesus starts preparing for His ministry. He is baptized by John and is anointed by the Holy Spirit (3:13-17). After this, He is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and fasts for forty days and nights. Following this time of fasting, Satan tempts Him three times, but Jesus overcomes the temptation by remaining faithful to God (4:1-11). Jesus then begins His ministry by preaching the Kingdom of God (4:17) and demonstrating the power of the Kingdom by healing the sick and casting out demons (4:23-25). Immediately large crowds from the entire region began to follow Him, and when He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and began to teach them thus bringing us to the Sermon on the Mount.
As I mentioned above, I saw that Jesus’ sermon can be divided into three themes. The first one is found in chapter five. He begins His message by discussing attitudes that people of the Kingdom of God should have. He says that people should consider themselves blessed if they are poor in spirit, meek, merciful, and hungry for righteousness. He even says they should feel blessed if they are persecuted. He then talks about us being the light of the world and the salt of the earth, and having a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees. From here He discusses certain topics such as murder, divorce, and adultery. In each of the topics, He begins by saying “You have heard that it was said…,” and describes the common teaching on that topic. He then adds, “But I tell you…,” and presents a higher standard for each subject mentioned. I imagine the people hearing this sermon were confused because everything He was saying went contrary to human nature and the teachings of their culture.
The key verse which sums up this entire chapter is found at the end in verse forty-eight: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”. The word translated perfect means complete, mature, and lacking nothing. When Jesus was baptized by John, He was anointed by the Holy Spirit to reveal the character of God, proclaim the message of the Kingdom, and demonstrate the Kingdom’s power. Everything He said and did went contrary to the culture which amazed the people and upset the leadership. In the same way, we are to be so filled with the Spirit of God that we can also demonstrate the nature and character of God to the world. We are not to follow the world’s standard but instead, we are to live by the higher standard of the Kingdom. We are to be the influencers—the salt of the earth and the light of the world that attracts people to God just as Jesus had been doing.
Chapter six presents the second theme. Jesus teaches that we are not to seek attention or earthly praise when we help the poor or in our times of prayer and fasting. Our focus should not be on building up rewards or accolades here on earth. Instead, our emphasis should be on humbly building the Kingdom of God. Jesus adds that our concern should not be on how much wealth we can accumulate in this world, but on storing up “treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:20). The key verse in this chapter is verse thirty-three: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (NIV). The principle Jesus presents here also goes against the world’s thinking. He is submitting the idea that we should develop such a passion for the Kingdom of God that the wealth, fame, or treasures this world has to offer are not important to us. He is also advocating that when we put His Kingdom first, we can have the confidence that He will provide for all our needs.
Jesus demonstrated this principle when He faced Satan’s temptation. He was faithful to God and so dedicated to fulfilling the work of the Kingdom that the worldly enticements Satan presented to Him had no effect. The Kingdom of God was first and foremost in His heart, demonstrate and He knew His Father would provide for all He needed (see Matt. 4:1-4).
The third principle is found in Matt. 7:24-27. Here, Jesus is teaching how important it is to build our life upon the Word of God. Throughout this chapter, He talks about making sure our life is in line with God’s Word before we start pointing out the faults of others (7:1-5). He reminds us that we fulfill the Law when we treat others with love and respect (7:12). He also warns us that just saying that we are a follower of Jesus is not enough. We must show it by obeying His Word and demonstrating godly character (7:15-23). It is only when we are committed to the Word of God in our life that will we be able to share the Word with wisdom and power and be able to see the power of God work through us through signs and miracles as Jesus did (Matt. 4:17,23-25). In summary, when Jesus began His ministry, He was anointed by the Holy Spirit and empowered to reveal God and the life of the Kingdom to the world. He was committed to the Father and the work of the Kingdom so that Satan was not able to distract Him with the attractions of the world. And the Word of God was the foundation of all He did (Matt. 5:17-18). These principles are what Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount, and are principles that we, as people of the Kingdom, should be incorporating into our lives. We should make the Word of God the foundation of our life, develop a passion for the Kingdom that overshadows any allurements of the world, and be so filled with the Spirit of God that we live by a standard that is higher than and contrary to the culture of the world. If we do this, we can become the salt of the earth and the light of the world that will draw people to Jesus.