Online College DJC-122 Discovering Course 122 The on the Mount

In Hebrews 1:1-2, the Bible describes the significance of the teachings of Jesus: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” There is no more comprehensive collection of the teachings of Jesus than that found in the famous “.” Many movies depicting the life of Jesus have included a scene with the crowds gathering on a hillside, where Jesus began teaching them all. However, when you look more closely at -7, the movie makers have missed a very important point. It is true that the crowds did gather as a result of his ministry (Matthew 4:24-25), but even though the crowds were listening to his teaching (:28-29), Jesus wasn’t actually address- ing the crowds. He was, in fact, teaching his disciples. Matthew 5:1-2 tells us: “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them...” Read :12-49 Luke’s account, often called the “Sermon on the Plain”, records Jesus going up the mountainside to pray. He is about to choose his twelve disciples (verses 13- 16) and characteristically, before making any important decision, he seeks His Father’s will. He then comes down and stands “on a level place” (Luke 6:17) and, as Luke 6:20 tells us: “Looking at his disciples, he said...” It is extremely important to bear in mind, as we read both Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts,* that Jesus is addressing his disciples, and not the crowds in general. As soon as we have clarified the identity of Jesus’ audience, we are able to appreciate more fully the content of his teaching.

* Although it is possible that Matthew and Luke are recording two different occasions when Jesus taught his disciples (after all, there would have been many times when Jesus would have taught similar subjects throughout his ministry), for the purpose of our study we will treat Matthew 5-7 and Luke 6:20-49 as describing the same event, taking into account that the “plain” (KJV) or “level place” (NIV) of Luke 6:17 may have been on the level side of the mountain or close to the base DISCOVERING DISCOVERING JESUS JESUS COURSE COURSE DISCOVERING JESUS COURSE DISCOVERING DISCOVERING JESUS JESUS COURSE COURSE Copyright © 2004, The Online Bible College. of the mountain (a more likely setting than at the very top of the mountain).

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In summary, the Sermon on the Mount is a description of the standards of life in the coming messianic age, and is directed solely at those who have a heart to embrace those standards – his disciples. This is why Jesus declared in John 8:31: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” The Sermon on the Mount can be only really be understood as a follow up to Jesus’ original proclamation found in Matthew 4:17: “Repent, for the [messianic age] is near.” The crowds gathered with that proclamation ringing in their ears, and it was in response to that proclamation that many had decided to become disciples of Jesus. And yet there was a question burning in the hearts of everyone – the crowds in general, and his disciples in particular. That question was: “Am I eligible to enter the messianic age?” To this, Jesus’ reply in Matthew 5:20 was: “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the [messianic age].” And just in case his disciples weren’t clear on what it meant to have your righ- teousness surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, Jesus elabo- rates in Matthew 5:48: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Did Jesus really mean what he said? Was he really expecting his disciples to be perfect just as God is perfect? The answer, quite simply, is yes – making the Sermon on the Mount impossible to live, if one takes the approach of the Old Covenant, which is based on meticulous observance of rules and regulations. In fact, the moral ideals of the Sermon on the Mount can only be lived out under the terms of a brand new covenant. This is why Jesus declared in Matthew 5:17: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” When Matthew described Jesus teaching his disciples on a mountain, it is likely that he had in mind another mountain, Mount Sinai, where 1500 years earlier Moses had taught the people of Israel and had delivered a set of righteous stan- dards that were embodied in the Sinai Covenant. Now, on another mountain, Jesus presents a new set of righteous standards that can only be fulfilled under the New Covenant he had been sent to inaugurate. Once we understand that the Sermon on the Mount has a very specific context – the coming New Covenant – we can then fully appreciate the amazing teaching that Jesus brought on that mountainside in .

Unless otherwise indicated, all quotations from the Bible are from the New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. DISCOVERING DISCOVERING JESUS JESUS COURSE COURSE DISCOVERING JESUS COURSE DISCOVERING DISCOVERING JESUS JESUS COURSE COURSE Copyright © 2004, The Online Bible College. The Online Bible College can be accessed at www.online-bible-college.com

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