The Sermon on The Mount - it's purpose and it's place

[charity]

(Matthew chapters 5-7) Its structure

A. 5:3-16:- Reward.
.. B. 5:17-18:- The Law and the Prophets.
.... C. 5:19-20:- Entry into the Kingdom.
...... D. 5:21-44:- But I say unto you.
........ E 5:45-48:- The Perfect.

A . 6:1-7:11:- Reward.
.. B. 7:12:-The Law and the Prophets.
.... C. 7:13-23:- Entry into the Kingdom.
...... D. 7:13-23:- These sayings of Mine.
........ E. 7:24:- The Wise

Hello there,

There are varying views held as to the place and purpose of the Sermon on the Mount, but they can be reduced to two headings:-

1) The Sermon on the Mount is the great outline of Christian practice and applies to the Church today.
2) The Sermon on the Mount does not apply to the church of today, but constitutes the laws of the Kingdom which is yet to be set up on the earth.

Q) Which of these opinions do you hold, and why?
Q) Is there yet another view you can share?

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Ruminator]

@charity , Jesus said that he had come to do the following in relation to the Torah of Moses:

* restore its unity, eschewing cherry picking the Torah and rationalizing
* fulfilling the Torah - providing the Body of which Moses and the Torah were only a shadow
* destroying the Temple and replacing it with the Temple Not Made With Hands (made of living stones)

Although the Temple, and thus the Sinai Covenant has been "disappeared" since c. 70 AD/CE, the teaching of Christ on the Mount and on the plain, endure forever.

 

[Wynona]

I'm of the first opinion. I think the Sermon on the Mount applies to the church today.

Think about it.

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

These are promises for the future but I feel like the blessing starts now.

Also, if it were for a future kingdom only, I feel like there'd be less of a purpose for Jesus, sharing it on a mount with the people at that time.

I and @Mayflower are memorizing the Sermon on the Mount. Thank you for this discussion!

 

[charity]

@charity ,
Jesus said that he had come to do the following in relation to the Torah of Moses:

* restore its unity, eschewing cherry picking the Torah and rationalizing
* fulfilling the Torah - providing the Body of which Moses and the Torah were only a shadow
* destroying the Temple and replacing it with the Temple Not Made With Hands (made of living stones)

Although the Temple, and thus the Sinai Covenant has been "disappeared" since c. 70 AD/CE, the teaching of Christ on the Mount and on the plain, endure forever.

Hello @Ruminator

Thank you for responding.

Would you please give references that we may find where we are told these things in Scripture?

* Is this one of them?:-

'Now I say that Jesus Christ
was a minister of the circumcision
for the truth of God,
to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy;
as it is written,' For this cause
I will confess to thee among the Gentiles,
and sing unto Thy Name.'
(Rom 15:8)

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[charity]

I'm of the first opinion. I think the Sermon on the Mount applies to the church today.

Think about it.

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

These are promises for the future but I feel like the blessing starts now.

Also, if it were for a future kingdom only, I feel like there'd be less of a purpose for Jesus, sharing it on a mount with the people at that time.

I and @Mayflower are memorizing the Sermon on the Mount. Thank you for this discussion!

Hello @Wynona,

Thank you for your input.

* It is strange that it is only recorded in the gospel of Matthew, isn't it? and not referred to in the epistles: if it were meant for the Church?

In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Ruminator]

@charity , Jesus said that he had come to do the following in relation to the Torah of Moses:

* restore its unity, eschewing cherry picking the Torah and rationalizing:

[Matthew 5:17-20 NASB20] (17) "Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. (18) "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! (19) "Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others [to do] the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches [them,] he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (20) "For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

The word translated "abolish" here is a word that can mean, in context, to "dismantle." IE: He didn't come to parse the law into "this you must obey but this you don't have to obey," otherwise known as "binding and loosing." This is why he follows up with "not the smallest letter" etc.

* fulfilling the Torah - providing the Body of which Moses and the Torah were only a shadow

[Colossians 2:16-17 NASB20] (16) Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day-- (17) things which are [only] a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

* destroying the Temple and replacing it with the Temple Not Made With Hands (made of living stones)

Although the Temple, and thus the Sinai Covenant has been "disappeared" since c. 70 AD/CE, the teaching of Christ on the Mount and on the plain, endure forever.

"heaven and earth" passed away c. 70 AD/CE with the destruction of the Temple:

[2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NASB20] (16) Therefore from now on we recognize no one by the flesh; even though we have known Christ by the flesh, yet now we know [Him in this way] no longer. (17) Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [this person is] a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

[Hebrews 8:13 NASB20] (13) When He said, "A new [covenant,]" He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.

 

[charity]

"heaven and earth" passed away c. 70 AD/CE with the destruction of the Temple:

[2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NASB20] (16) Therefore from now on we recognize no one by the flesh; even though we have known Christ by the flesh, yet now we know [Him in this way] no longer. (17) Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [this person is] a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

[Hebrews 8:13 NASB20] (13) When He said, "A new [covenant,]" He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.

Hello @Ruminator,

Thank you for coming back and giving Scriptures in response to my request.

I can't respond to either at the moment, but will come back (God willing)

In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[marks]

I suppose I see various aspects to the Sermon on the Mount. In the beatitudes I find the description of a relationship with God. In Jesus' teaching on the Law, and instructions on fastings and prayers, He shows the "righteousness of the Pharisees" false, and shows what the true righteousness in the heart looks like. He goes on the show the Father's heart towards us. And that His words can be our only true foundation.

There's obviously so much more than that. To address the OP, my take is this. Jesus, a Rabbi under the Law, taught the Law to a people who were under the Law. His teaching was give as preparatory to ushering them into the kingdom, though they rejected Him, so He began to teach in parables of the coming church age.

This was the beginning of the new wine. But the Jews preferred the old.

In the Jew's rejection of the kingdom, the first and primary purpose of the sermon on the mount was obviated, though Jesus' teaching is so full, and so rich, we gain endless understandings from it.

That this is not a "New Testament Law" can be demonstrated in such things as His teaching of forgiveness. In Paul's writing to the gentiles, we are to forgive others because we ourselves have been forgiven. Jesus taught the Jews - under the Law - that their forgiveness depended on them forgiving others. So these clearly show the two covenants, one of performance, and one of grace.

Much love!

 

[Lambano]

1) The Sermon on the Mount is the great outline of Christian practice and applies to the Church today.

2) The Sermon on the Mount does not apply to the church of today, but constitutes the laws of the Kingdom which is yet to be set up on the earth.

Q) Which of these opinions do you hold, and why?
Q) Is there yet another view you can share?

The classic Reformed position is that by intensifying the requirements of Torah, Jesus is emphasizing the impossibility of keeping Torah in order that his followers would seek another means of salvation. I don’t know about that. But the Tertius Usus Legis (was that Luther or Calvin?) is that this is still the best way for believers to live, consistent with your position 1.

 

[Enoch111]

The Sermon on the Mount is the great outline of Christian practice and applies to the Church today.

Absolutely. Jesus did not say "Now what I am about to teach is strictly for Jews, and the Church (which includes Gentiles) can simply ignore my words".

 

[Enoch111]

"heaven and earth" passed away c. 70 AD/CE with the destruction of the Temple

That is quite a claim. However, it is totally misleading.

 

[Desire Of All Nations]

Considering Jesus said man is to live by every word that came from God and Jesus is God, i submit to you that you couldn't be more wrong in saying the Sermon on the Mount doesn't apply to God's Church.

@charity , Jesus said that he had come to do the following in relation to the Torah of Moses:

* restore its unity, eschewing cherry picking the Torah and rationalizing
* fulfilling the Torah - providing the Body of which Moses and the Torah were only a shadow
* destroying the Temple and replacing it with the Temple Not Made With Hands (made of living stones)

Although the Temple, and thus the Sinai Covenant has been "disappeared" since c. 70 AD/CE, the teaching of Christ on the Mount and on the plain, endure forever.

The Torah's authority is not a shadow, considering Isa. 42:21 says the Messiah would uphold the Law's authority. Everything Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount can be found in the Law, because that's what the sermon was based on. The idea that the Sermon on the Mount replaced the Law is not a smart argument to make because Christ clearly stated in Matt. 5:17 that He did not come to start a new religion. He came to highlight the spiritual principles of the Law so people could truly be free, hence Paul's words in Rom. 8:2.

 

[Lambano]

Speaking of the Sermon on the Mount, I’m more profoundly affected by what Jesus reveals about the character of God in Matthew 5:43-48. We are told to show love to our enemies because God shows love to His enemies:

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’
44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

God even loves His enemies. That affects how I see God in so many ways. And how I see people.

 

[Lambano]

* It is strange that it is only recorded in the gospel of Matthew, isn't it? and not referred to in the epistles: if it were meant for the Church?

Jesus reiterates the Sermon on the Mount in the Sermon on the Plain; see Luke 6:17-48. Hey, Preachers recycle their sermons sometimes, he said with a wink.

The Didache, a first- or second-century guide to Christian ethics and praxis, makes heavy use of the Sermon on the Mount. The early Church must’ve thought it was important.

Scholars have noted Paul’s curious lack of reference to any of Jesus’s teachings (communion being a possible exception) in his epistles. Paul seems more interested in the meaning of Messiah’s life, death, and resurrection in the overall narrative of God’s people.

 

[Robert Gwin]

(Matthew chapters 5-7) Its structure

A. 5:3-16:- Reward.
.. B. 5:17-18:- The Law and the Prophets.
.... C. 5:19-20:- Entry into the Kingdom.
...... D. 5:21-44:- But I say unto you.
........ E 5:45-48:- The Perfect.

A . 6:1-7:11:- Reward.
.. B. 7:12:-The Law and the Prophets.
.... C. 7:13-23:- Entry into the Kingdom.
...... D. 7:13-23:- These sayings of Mine.
........ E. 7:24:- The Wise

Hello there,

There are varying views held as to the place and purpose of the Sermon on the Mount, but they can be reduced to two headings:-

1) The Sermon on the Mount is the great outline of Christian practice and applies to the Church today.
2) The Sermon on the Mount does not apply to the church of today, but constitutes the laws of the Kingdom which is yet to be set up on the earth.

Q) Which of these opinions do you hold, and why?
Q) Is there yet another view you can share?

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

Not just reading through it fully Chris, but the things I remember of it is not time relative, in other words yes maam, it applies to us today, as well as into the future. I think it was great that a famous individual of the Hindu faith once said: “When your country and mine shall get together on the teachings laid down by Christ in this Sermon on the Mount, we shall have solved the problems not only of our countries but those of the whole world.”

It is a very powerful message which in fact would solve many of the world's problems if everyone lived by those words.

 

[charity]

@Ruminator, @Wynona, @marks, @Lambano, @Enoch111, @Desire Of All Nations, @Robert Gwin

Hello there,

Thank you all for your input. I have not introduced this subject in order to judge the responses given, but to leave them out there for the Word of God to throw light on. I am still in the process of getting my thoughts together on this subject myself. This morning I compared The Beatitudes of (Matthew 5:3-12) with The Woes of (Matthew 23:13-33), both of which amount to eight in number, and was so aware of the washing of water by the Word. My spirit was searched in the light of God's Word and I was so thankful for it.

Matthew 5:3 - Matthew 23:13
Matthew 5:4 - Matthew 23:14
Matthew 5:5 - Matthew 23:15
Matthew 5:6 - Matthew 23:16-22
Matthew 5:7 - Matthew 23:23-24
Matthew 5:8 - Matthew 23:25-26
Matthew 5:9 - Matthew 23:27-28
Matthew 5:10-12 - Matthew 23:29-33

* I have read that these beatitudes rest on special passages in the Psalms, which I plan to look at this morning:-

Matthew 5:3 - Psalms 40:17
Matthew 5:4 - Psalms 119:136
Matthew 5:5 - Psalms 37:11
Matthew 5:6 - Psalms 42:1-2
Matthew 5:7 - Psalms 41:1
Matthew 5:8 - Psalms 24:4; Psalms 73:1
Matthew 5:9 - Psalms 133:1
Matthew 5:10 - Psalms 37:39-40

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[charity]

Hello there,

The Sermon on the Mount covers chapters Matthew 5-7: and a reading of it portrays an atmosphere which does not reflect that of The Kingdom of Heaven portrayed by the Old Testament prophets: for when that finds it's fulfilment, and Christ reigns in righteousness as The Son of David, it is said, that:-

'In His days shall the righteous FLOURISH;
and abundance of PEACE so long as the moon endureth'.
(Psalms 72:7).
​

Then, the needy and the poor are to be His special care, and:-

'They shall not build, and another inhabit;
they shall not plant, and another eat:
for as the days of a tree are the days of My People
and Mine Elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands ... ...
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,
saith the Lord.' (Isaiah 65:22-23)​

So no, I find that I cannot endorse either option in the OP.

* For under the conditions of the sermon on the mount a man may be in danger of Gehenna (the fires of end time judgment) , of prison, and the payment of the uttermost farthing!! The prayer of the Lord instructs to pray, 'Thy Kingdom come'. It is not already there. These laws are therefore not the laws of the coming Kingdom. Which is the literal kingdom of which Christ is King, and saved Israel 'First' once more.

* The teaching of Matthew 5-7 portray a persecuted, waiting people, suffering during the absence of their King, sustained by the hope that, when He comes and the Kingdom is set up, they will then receive their great reward which is in heaven awaiting the day when they, the meek, shall inherit the earth. Yes, I believe that this reflects the time of suffering and endurance which will take place during that great tribulation period immediately before the return of Christ. Which, had Israel repented, have taken place during the period covered by the book of the Acts of the Apostles: but now awaits a future day.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Mayflower]

I'm of the first opinion. I think the Sermon on the Mount applies to the church today.

Think about it.

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

These are promises for the future but I feel like the blessing starts now.

Also, if it were for a future kingdom only, I feel like there'd be less of a purpose for Jesus, sharing it on a mount with the people at that time.

I and @Mayflower are memorizing the Sermon on the Mount. Thank you for this discussion!

I need to focus to memorize Mrs. Wynona. This is going to be great!

 

[marks]

* The teaching of Matthew 5-7 portray a persecuted, waiting people, suffering during the absence of their King, sustained by the hope that, when He comes and the Kingdom is set up, they will then receive their great reward which is in heaven awaiting the day when they, the meek, shall inherit the earth. Yes, I believe that this reflects the time of suffering and endurance which will take place during that great tribulation period immediately before the return of Christ. Which, had Israel repented, have taken place during the period covered by the book of the Acts of the Apostles: but now awaits a future day.

I'm guessing that has the Jews not rejected Jesus, instead of teaching in parables, He may have built more upon these themes in His teaching.

Such speculation is of course groundless and likely unfruitful, merely to show my understanding.

Much love!

 

[quietthinker]

Q) Is there yet another view you can share?

The sermon on the mount is Jesus's seminal statement on God's values. Power is given a new definition.....a definition which gives hope to the lowly and confusion to the self righteous.