“The Sermon on the Mount!”

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”. Matthew (5:3-5 ESV).

I believe that the “Sermon on the Mount” is probably one of the most heard and read passages of Scripture. At the end of Matthew chapter 4, we find Jesus teaching in the synagogues in Galilee, Syria, Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, healing all who were brought to Him. Jesus had gathered quite a large following; in fact, we are told that “great multitudes” of people followed Jesus as he was teaching and healing.

Then in Chapter 5, we see Jesus sitting down and teaching His disciples. This Sermon or discourse is the first of five that Matthew presents. It goes from Chapter 5:1 through 7:29 and covers many topics, of which the “Beatitudes” (5:3-12) is only a small part. Most of us have also heard these teachings of Jesus’ “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” (5:29), and “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (5:48). These are some quite disturbing statements from Jesus, to our 21st Century ears. That’s because we are actually reading “someone else’s mail”. This section of the Gospels was not addressed to New Covenant believers but to Jewish followers of the Mosaic Law. Remember that Jesus said, “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.” (5:17).

Remember, one of the most important things we can do as we read the Bible is to keep the passage that we are reading in “Context.” The context of this passage is that Jesus was talking to Jews who were still under the 613 Mosaic laws. He was not addressing those of us, Jews or Gentiles, who came to faith after Christ fulfilled the Law by his death, burial, and resurrection. That’s when the New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant, the Mosaic Law. So, as we read any of the Gospels, we need to make sure we understand to whom Jesus is speaking and that we do not interpret Old Testament Law teachings as directed to New Covenant Believers. Jesus said to His audience, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (5:20).

We know that the scribes and Pharisees were the Jewish religious leaders and teachers at the time. This group of teachers was proud of their adherence to the “Letter of the Law” and tried to make the Jews follow the tedious details of their interpretation of the Mosaic Law. They added to the Written Law, which is found in the TORAH, and tried to control the average Jewish follower with threats of eternal punishment if they did not listen to their teachings.

Jesus was addressing His teachings to His followers and the scribes and Pharisees and was showing them how impossible it is to follow, not just the letter of the teaching of these people, but how totally impossible it was to follow the intent behind the Mosaic Law.

Jesus uses the statement “You have heard…” to identify the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. Then He shows his followers how impossible it is to follow those teachings and says, “But I say to you…” where he explains the intent behind the written Law of Moses. You see, Jesus is showing his listeners that it is impossible ever to be good enough to earn God’s forgiveness. Jesus is showing them that from the foundations of the World, God’s plan of salvation has always been only through faith in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Himself.

Now that we understand to whom Jesus spoke, we must ensure that we do not interpret this passage as directions for New Covenant believers. We also know that all of Scripture has been given to New Covenant believers to benefit us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). As we read through the gospels, we must be careful about how we interpret what they are saying, and to whom they were intended, but also look for how these Biblical truths can be applied to our New Covenant lives.

As we read through this Sermon on the Mount, let’s notice that Jesus is saying that only compliance to the Letter of the Law is not what pleases God, for we know that “And without faith it is impossible to please him, …” (Heb. 11:6). God looks at the heart of man. He knows if we have put our faith and trust in His Son, the Lord Jesus, or not. Keeping a list of things “to do” and “not to do” and being “religious” is not what pleases God; it never has.

We need to be grateful that the New Covenant is now in place and that God has extended his mercy and grace to all who will accept his beloved Son. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:8-10)

"Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"