The Sermon On The Mount – Introduction

Here’s an introduction to The Sermon on the Mount.  It’s the start of a series that will examine the entire three chapters from Matthew’s Gospel on this topic.

It starts with:

The Sermon On The Mount takes up 3 of the 28 chapters in Matthew’s Gospel.  Obviously, Matthew thought it was important.  Since he was Jewish, much of what Jesus said in that event was earth-shaking for Matthew.  Since Matthew was a tax collector – hated by pretty much everyone, especially other Jews – The Sermon On The Mount was undoubtedly amazingly good news for him.  Jesus turned the whole Jewish world on its head with His words.

Jesus begins with nine statements, all beginning with “Blessed are …”.  Most of them are pretty far from the kinds of people the Jewish leaders considered blessed.

Not long after that, Jesus keeps repeating “You have heard that it was said …” in different contexts.  Again, these are statements that just blow away what the Jewish people were taught for generation after generation.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount was counter-cultural at that time.  But it doesn’t seem to be that anymore.

I doubt that a huge number of people today would refer to Christianity as counter-cultural.  In fact, being in what’s called a post-Christian era, more people are likely to view Christianity as the old way – much like young people don’t use email, Facebook, and countless other “old” technologies.

The question is – why not?  Christianity should be very much a counter-culture.  The fact that it isn’t, I believe, is more related to how Christianity is practiced than it is to what Christianity is really about.  I’m talking about the Christianity of Jesus – not the Christianity of man.  Not the European model, where people are more into following The Force, as in Star Wars, or being a “none”.  And not the Christianity of America, where the so-called prosperity Gospel seems to have more followers than anything close to what Jesus actually spoke about.

So as you read this, think about Jesus’ words in that counter-culture way.  Maybe it’s not what you’re used to hearing.  But they are, after all, His words.  They aren’t the watered down or misinformed words that are spoken or written about by people who don’t even follow Jesus’ teaching themselves.  Think the “yeast of the Pharisees” here.

The article then goes on to examine that thought.  Why isn’t this sermon a big deal anymore?

It closes with this:

That’s not the kind of message I’d want to get from Jesus about the church I go to.  

So, as I said, maybe you’ll read things you’ve never heard before.  It happens.  If so, you really ought to check things out.  Find out why it’s news to you.  Maybe something you missed?  Maybe not applying your mind because of other things?  Or is it really because you go to a church like Sardis?  No matter what, do something.  Find those few people in <your church> who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me<Jesus>, dressed in white, for they are worthy.  Or go someplace that’s more than Christian in name only.

Learn what Jesus really said and meant in The Sermon On The Mount.  Understand it.  And Obey it.

To read about how that conclusion came about, please check out the entire article at:

The Sermon On The Mount – Introduction — God versus religion