The Sermon on the Mount: Introduction

Introduction

We begin today to study one of the most beautiful and instructive passages in all the Scriptures, Jesus Sermon on the Mount. This is perhaps his most famous sermon. It is well known by many people, at least some of the most well known sayings of Christ come out of this sermon: salt of the earth, going the extra mileare among them. Here in this Sermon we also have the Lord's Prayer and the well known story of the houses built on rock and sand. So this is a passage that is familiar to many.

But this is also a sermon that has been involved in some controversy. Those who hold to a dispensational view of the Bible have said that we have no obligation to follow its teachings as it is meant for those who live on earth during Christ's thousand year reign after his return. There is nothing in the context to prove that. Others have taken this sermon as their ethical rule, implying that the fact that they try to keep the Sermon on the Mount's teachings makes them Christians. Well, that is works righteousness and the Bible does not teach that, and certainly Jesus does not address the way to be saved in this Sermon. Others have looked at the Beatitudes, in verses 3-12, and said that these are things that we must do in order to prove we are Christ's disciples. The probli with that view is that the beatitudes, as we will see, are descriptive, not prescriptive-they describe disciples rather than telling them what they must do.

As I am primarily interested in introducing the Sermon to you, we will note some important features about the Sermon and who it is addressed to and apply these first two verses in a very broad and yet searching way to our lives.

• First of all we want to open up the significance of verses 1 and 2
• Note the setting of the Sermon: These opening verses, and the sermon which follows them, is to be set in our minds as taking place in the context of 4:23-25. The multitudes spoken of in verse 1 are the ones spoken of in 4:25. And as Jesus sees the multitudes following him, we are meant to understand that he departs from them up into the mountain. These mountains are likely the ones located somewhere west of Capernaum. And once he is up in the mountains, and away from the multitudes, he sits down and his disciples then come to him.
• Second we want to note the use of the word "disciple": And this is the first time in this epistle that the word disciples is used at all. We must begin by understanding that this sermon on the mount was therefore preached, not to the crowd at large, but to his disciples, though at this time we do not know how large a number of disciples were then following him. We only know that a number of disciples followed him. (We will note a few other things about the disciples of Jesus very shortly)
• Then we want to see to whom Jesus was speaking: The text says, literally, And seeing the multitudes he went up into the mountain. And sitting down, gathered to him his disciples; and opening his mouth, he taught them, saying,... He sat down as they gathered to him. This was the normal position for a Rabbi engaged in teaching (Luke 4:17-20). And that Matthew says that he opened his mouth is simply to draw attention to the solinity of the occasion he is describing here. So what we have here is the Rabbi and his disciples and his formal teaching of them is beginning.
• We get some help here from another part of the Bible: Luke's version of this sermon in Luke 6:20 takes place after Jesus has spent the night in the mountains praying. The next morning he named 12 disciples who would be gathered to him. The differences between the two are minimal, excepting that Luke does not mention a mountain. And in Luke's account we are told that the multitudes were present, but Jesus lifted up his eyes toward his disciples and addressed them. So Luke confirms for us that the Sermon was addressed to his disciples and not to the whole crowd. And this accounts for the fact that in this sermon there is no call to repentance. He is not addressing those who do not believe in him and are not committed to him, he is addressing his disciples.
• It is helpful to see something else about this sermon: We might note here that there appears to be another parallel with Moses in Matthew's words. Remember that Moses went up into Mt. Sinai to receive and then deliver the Law of the Lord for Israel. Here we see Jesus going up into a mountain and delivering his sermon, which in some parts of it interprets the Law of Moses. We must not make too tight a parallel here. There are differences. The Sinai deliverance was terrifying with fire and smoke and earthquakes. Here the gentle Immanuel speaks to his disciples. But we do see here that the Lord reveals his will to those who are called by him to walk with him in their earthly pilgrimage. Israel followed the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, and the Law was given to guide them as they followed the Lord into the promised land of Canaan. Jesus is now the one his people follow and this Sermon is meant to guide them as they follow the Lord into the promised land of heavenly glory. Finally, the Law as summarized in the 10 Commandments has universal application to all men, but especially does it apply to God's people Israel. Not so this Sermon. Jesus speaks with authority, Kingdom authority let us remember, to summon his people, not all men, into the way of the Kingdom. For only his people will be able to live in accord with his teachings here, by his Grace.
• This sermon is not meant for the unbeliever as a way of life. It is comforting to the unbeliever when he thinks that he is doing the will of God if he tries to follow the words of Jesus, especially as they are given in this lovely sermon. But, sad to say, that is a complete misunderstanding of the purpose of this sermon. Unbelievers were likely present when Jesus preached this sermon, but the words, and the context of the words of this sermon indicate this, the words were addressed to his disciples.
• Which brings us to an important second point.
• We need in the second place to understand what is meant by the word Disciple
• What is a disciple? The word disciple, means, one who is engaged in learning. There is, in the classical greek literature that uses this term, with a relationship to a teacher implied in the term. In fact the term carries with it a sense of fellowship, and inner connection or commitment between student and teacher. The Jews used the term to refer to those studying the Scriptures under a specific teacher. For Jesus disciples all of these are involved, with the difference that Jesus initiated the relationship by calling his disciples rather than the disciples seeking to study under his tutelage. There are other differences. The disciples of a Jewish Rabbi simply transmitted his teachings, whereas the disciples of Jesus bore witness to his person as well as transmitting his teachings. And Jesus was and is Lord of his disciples and not simply a Rabbi or teacher. And then there is this difference among the disciples of Jesus. Only 12 were chosen to be his apostles or sent ones. Therefore not every disciple was an apostle. But all the apostles were indeed disciples. This becomes important as we consider the term disciple as it describes Christians after Christ's death and resurrection and ascension. A disciple is a learner, and so this sermon is directed toward all who are seeking to learn at the feet of and from Jesus.
• This sermon is therefore a call to discipleship and we can conveniently divide it up into two general parts. The first part (5:1-20) we will entitle the Marks of a Disciple and the second part, 5:21-27 we will entitle the Lifestyle of a Disciple. That is not to say that the marks of the disciple are not also seen in the lifestyle Jesus presents to us. Rather, we are simply saying that this sermon tells us what attributes a disciple will be characterized by and what a disciple will do as one bearing those attributes. The best way to sum up this Sermon on the Mount is to call it a description of Kingdom life. Sinclair Ferguson wrote a book about this Sermon and named it Kingdom Life in a Fallen World. And that really does sum up what Jesus is getting at. He is trying to teach the way to live as citizens of the Kingdom of God.
• One more note about a disciple: a disciple will grow in his or her discipleship and will begin to manifest three marks of discipleship, all of which have their root in this willingness to learn from Jesus. (And these three begin to show up in the Sermon on the Mount):
• Mark 1--a commitment to his person (the disciples, the original 11, had this. Hence the depression following his crucifixion and the re-energizing of the group after his resurrection),
• Mark 2--obedience to his commands (Matt 10:37; Mk 14:12; John 13:34-35), and
• Mark 3- the obligation to suffer (Matt 10:17ff; John 15:18). This obligation to suffer belongs to all disciples and not just to the original 11 (Mk 8:34; Luke 14:26-27).

• So let me conclude all of this by challenging you with four specific questions:
• Are you committed to Christ as a person? Do you see his life as your life? Is he all in all to you? Or are you simply committed to his teachings? Put another way, do you love Jesus Christ or just his religion?
• What is your level of commitment to the commands of Jesus Christ? Are you committed to obeying them? Or are you simply interested in them as an intellectual matter?
• And then, are you willing to suffer for him? Should it ever come down to having to suffer loss of reputation, loss of the approval of men, loss of job or even loss of life, are you ready to see that as a legitimate diand of Christ? Or do you believe you should not be expected to pay that high a cost for following Jesus?
• Finally, Are you a citizen of the Kingdom of God? Have you trusted in Christ and his death for sinners in order to be saved and forgiven from all of your sins? Or are you simply calling yourself a Christian because you try the best you can to live up to Christ's teachings?

Conclusion

How does one become a disciple? By seeing that you are a sinner in need of God's forgiveness for your sin, confessing your sinfulness to God and trusting in Christ's death on the Cross for sinners alone. Having done that, you are given by God the Holy Spirit to help you live as a disciple with the commitments I have spoken of. It is a matter of the Grace, the strength and power of God. God give us all that grace and help us live as faithful disciples of Christ.

Rev. Arthur J. Fox, Pastor
10 Spruce Street
Middletown, PA 17057
(717) 944-5835