Sermon on the Mount

 One of the most influential teachings of Jesus is found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7; Luke 6:20-49). It has been called the “constitution of Christianity,” and it's here, at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, that He outlines the “code of conduct '' for His followers. 

At first glance, it may be tempting to surmise that Jesus is establishing a practical lifestyle guide that was actually harder than Moses’ instructions. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago…but I say to you…” (Matthew 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43) all referring to some of the ancient laws of Moses given on Mount Sinai. However, what Jesus was about to show those living on the Judean hillside was that fulfilling God’s laws just required the right heart.

Moses delivered a similar speech. In fact, the entire book of Deuteronomy is a sermon on the mount. And, like Jesus, he was giving the “code of conduct” the people of God should live by in order to be what God had called them to be earlier on the mountain. God said, “Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6).

In Moses’ instructions, he ended his sermon with “blessings” (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and “cursings” (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Jesus on the other hand begins His sermon with “blessings” in what we call the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-11; Luke 6:20-22). Luke, however, follows Moses’ pattern of pairing the blessings with the cursings, or “woes” in Luke. Much like the section in Moses’ sermon about the cursings, which were significantly lengthier than the blessings, Jesus will spend much of His earthly ministry dealing with the curses that were rooted in the hearts of the religious leaders.

The hope is that we as readers will recognize that Moses was giving his final instructions to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land and that Jesus is giving similar instructions before entering the Kingdom of God. As Jesus’ ministry unfolds, we begin to have a paradigm shift in what the Kingdom of God is really about.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20, “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”