Paper Example. Sermon on the Mount

The sermon on the mount is among the most crucial teachings of Jesus in the Bible. It serves as both a starting point and a summation of Jesus' teachings (Lindberg, 2007). The sermon on the mount demonstrates the sayings and teachings Jesus taught the disciples when they were on the mountain. Jesus' teachings that were in the sermon on the mountain are the longest teachings in the gospels. While the sermon on the mount outlines the laws that need to be followed, there exist difficulties in adhering to all the rules that are mentioned in the teachings.

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Elements of the Sermon on The Mount

Jesus preached on the mountain, and a great multitude of people followed him. The teachings during the sermon on the mount give a clear indication of the ethics that Christians should observe. The people that followed him and the disciples found various elements in his teaching. The main teachings of the sermon included beatitudes, salt, and light, law, anger and murder, lust and adultery, divorce, oaths, eye for an eye, enemies, needy, Lord's prayer, fasting, treasures in heaven, judging others, seeking God, false prophets, narrow gate and the wise builders.

The sermon on the mount provided crucial guidance for the conduct of the disciples of Jesus. The sayings of Jesus on the mount emphasize more on the moral teachings. Jesus was able to offer guidance for ethical behavior and judgment. The teachings of the summon on the mounting emphasis more on righteousness and the purity of the heart. The beatitudes discuss the personalities and character that the people of God should have, which are expressed as being blessings or happiness. Jesus on the mountain illustrated the nature of hell.

Mathew saw Jesus as the person who continued to portray aspects of being the son of man, David, and God. He interpreted the teachings and classified Jesus as the new prophet. Mathew classified the teachings into various categories; blessings, parables, mission discourse, community discourse, and the coming kingdom. Mathew, in his gospel, later interprets events of the sermon on the mountain to link it to the prophecies present in the old testament.

The sermon contains teachings and sayings of Jesus found in Mathew's gospel. Mathew, in his gospel, had a lot of sayings but which are of his arrangement as compared to other authors. Mathew had different interpretations of salt and light, which was linked to giving a clear picture of God as described in the beatitudes.

To reveal the close relationship between Jesus and the Old Testament, Mathew's gospel makes references to the incidents of Jesus' life to reveal the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. Mathew continued the gospel, narrating Jesus' career, which enabled him to combine the events and teachings in a continuous narrative.

While Mathew recognized that Christians are required to follow the laws of God, he also noted in the gospel that obedience only was not enough. It shows that Mathew carried on the theme of Jesus, which had been taught on the sermon on the mount where Jesus noted that there was more than just adhering and observing rules. Mathew's gospel places great emphasis on Jesus' teachings.

Summary of Teachings

Jesus preached the sermon while on the mountain. The beatitudes portray the ideal teachings of Jesus on compassion and spirituality. The beatitudes' teachings also focus on humility and love. Blessed or happy as present in the beatitudes are people who are privileged recipients of God's favor (Quarles, 2011). In the Beatitudes, Jesus illustrates how the poor, persecuted, meek, and peacemakers will be lucky and fortunate. The teachings reveal that the pure in heart will see God, the meek would inherit the world, the poor in spirit will have the kingdom of heaven, those who mourn will be comforted, those who hunger for righteousness will be filled with it, those who are merciful will also experience mercy, the peacemakers will be the children of God, and those who will suffer persecution because of righteousness will have the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus also taught that the people who are insulted, persecuted, and falsely accused because of Him should rejoice as their reward awaits them in heaven. Jesus the teachings also mentioned about salt and light. The salt illustrates that people who lose value may be no longer in use, such as the way salt is useless without its taste.

Jesus on the sermon on the mount also taught on the importance of the law. He emphasized that people should obey all rules and commandments, practice them, and show it to others. Jesus illustrated murder was not only the only factor that would lead to judgment. He demonstrated how people who are angry at their brothers and sisters, and who call them fools will be subject to judgment.

Jesus preached against adultery. He identified that looking at a woman lustfully was also a form of adultery and that anyone who marries a divorced woman is also committing sin. Jesus also warned against swearing and taking oaths. Jesus also illustrated through the teachings that the disciples should love their enemies and pray for them.

Jesus on the mountain taught the disciples how to pray with the Lord's prayer. He also insisted on fastingJesus also emphasized on heavenly treasures rather than earthly pleasures which may deplete. He taught against serving two masters, such as money and God at the same time. Jesus also illustrated that the narrow gate leads to life rather than the wide gate, which led to destruction. Jesus taught on false prophets and disciples and identified that they were evildoers who will not be recognized. Jesus insisted on the need to practice the teachings as they would be wise, and those who did not would be foolish.

Assessment of the Sermon on the Mount

The sermon on the mount teaches on how to please God and dedicate life to Him. The sermon on the mount teachings is ethical. They provide and guide moral behaviors and decisions that Christian need to follow. However, adhering to all the teachings and laws is difficult for a human being. Trying to live according to the beatitudes, avoiding all forms of adultery, and loving and praying for an enemy is difficult.

According to McKnight (2013), the beatitudes are a reversal of cultural values as it portrays that a wealthy oppressor is at odds with the economy of the kingdom. The urge to not judge others is also difficult to counteract as humans derive assumptions about other individuals based on their nature or appearance. The adherence to not treat an eye for an eye is also impractical as a person cannot allow another to continue mistreating, exploiting, or misusing their power on them. Naturally, any person or Christian will have measures to ensure that their rights are not violated by anyone, even a person in a superior position.

However, Kearney (2010) identifies that the relationship of ethics to eschatology and the Kingdom of God is impractical and among the most confusing chapters in the gospel. The teachings are also said to affect and be practiced by the future millennials and not the present saints as they are already vulnerable to punishment.

The teachings do not allow Christians to swear or take oaths. In the modern world, almost every country is governed by laws, and therefore, this is a difficult decision to deal with, especially when faced with matters concerning the court. The lack of swearing in the courts does not allow a person to be compensated, or their rights are heard.

However, the teachings also provide proper guidance on the life of human beings. Lessons that are against adultery are appropriate can guide people to be closer to God and enhance peace within people. The teachings of salt and light ensure that Christians continue to enlighten others and add value to their lives. Teachings on murder are liveable and ethical as they prevent the loss of life of other innocent Christians.

Teachings such as the Lord's prayer have proved of great significance in the lives of Christians. It has channelled a more straightforward method to communicate with God. The prayer acts as a means of seeking God's help when in need. The teachings make one full of grace, love others, avoid hypocritical behaviours and practice the word to gain more wisdom.

Reference

Kearney, M. F. (2010). The Sermon on the Mount: Is it Livable? Inquiries Journal, 2(11). Retrieved from

http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/328/the-sermon-on-the-mount-is-it-livable

Lindberg, T. (2007). What the Beatitudes teach. Policy Review, 144, 3-16. Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tod_Lindberg/publication/265626284_What_the_Beatitudes_Teach/links/5513ee540cf283ee08349821/What-the-Beatitudes-Teach.pdf

McKnight, S. (2013). Sermon on the Mount. Zondervan Academic.

Quarles, C. L. (2011). Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ's Message to the Modern Church (Vol. 11). B&H Publishing Group.