The Sermon on the Mount

A hillside above a lake. Grass, wildflowers, birds overhead. Hundreds of people settle on the slope. And the teacher at the front sits down and says, blessed are the poor in spirit.

News about Jesus has spread all over Galilee and beyond. Crowds are following him everywhere, from the towns by the lake, from Jerusalem, from across the Jordan. So Jesus goes up onto a mountainside and sits down, the way teachers did in his day. His disciples gather close, and the crowds listen in. What he says next is the longest stretch of his teaching in Matthew's Gospel. People have called it the Sermon on the Mount ever since.

He begins with blessings, and they're not what anyone expects. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are the hungry for what is right, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are mistreated for doing good. Then he looks at the ordinary people in front of him and says, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Don't hide your light under a bowl. Let it shine, so people see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Then Jesus takes God's commands and goes deeper. “You've heard it said, do not murder. But I tell you, don't even nurse anger against your brother or sister. If you're about to bring an offering to God and you remember someone has something against you, go and make peace first.” “You've heard it said, love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with them two. Your Father in heaven sends his sun and his rain on good and bad people alike. Be like him.

He talks about giving, praying and fasting quietly, for God's eyes rather than for applause. He teaches them a prayer that begins, “Our Father in heaven.” And then he points at the world around them. “Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or fill barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth much more than they are? Look at the wildflowers. They don't work or sew, yet not even King Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. So don't worry about tomorrow. Seek first God's kingdom and his way of doing right, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened.” “Treat other people the way you want them to treat you.” And then he finishes with a story. A wise man built his house on rock. The rain came down, the rivers rose, the wind battered that house, and it stood. A foolish man built his house on sand. The same storm came, and it fell with a great crash. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them,” Jesus says, “is like the wise man.” When he stops speaking, the crowd is amazed. He teaches like someone with authority, not like their usual teachers.

That line about going the extra mile had a sharp edge for the first listeners. Soldiers and officials of the Roman world could press local people into service, making them carry loads along the road. The Gospels show it happening: on the way to the cross, soldiers compelled a man called Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus' cross, and Mark uses the same word Matthew uses here. Jesus' listeners knew that feeling. He told them to answer it by going twice as far.

The Sermon on the Mount. You'll find it in Matthew chapters 5 to 7. Jesus didn't only want people to admire his words. He wanted them to build their lives on them. So here's a question to carry with you. Which of these words could you build on this week?