Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount is found in its most detailed form in Matthew chapters 5-7. Jesus has been going around Galilee preaching the Gospel and performing miracles (healing and casting out demons). He has quickly gained a huge following (Read Matthew 4:23-25). In chapter 5, Jesus walks up a mountain, sits down, gathers His disciples, and begins to teach them. The crowd following Him listens closely to His words. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus provides a template to the world of His teachings. Jesus defines what it means to be a true follower of God. He explains how followers of God are to relate to God and to their fellow man (family, friends, spouses, strangers, rich, poor, enemies.) As we’ll see, Jesus’ teaching on these topics was in stark contrast to the predominant teaching of the day espoused by the Pharisees who were the teachers of the Law.

A. Internal versus External

The focus of the Pharisees’ teaching was on the external. One can identify a true follower of God by how well they obey the Law and tradition. Jesus’ focus was on the internal, specifically the heart. It is the heart that motivates a person to be a friend or an enemy to God and others. The heart is the source of love and hate; blessing and cursing. According to Jesus, a true follower of God is one whose heart is full of love for God and others. Such a heart will produce a desire to pursue righteousness and godliness and will impact how they view and relate to their fellow man. Pharisees’ teaching – external only; Jesus’ teaching – internal that impacted the external. Examples of these contrasting teachings found in the Sermon on the Mount. Read Matthew chapter 5:21-24; 27-28; 38-48; chapter 7:12. The Pharisees taught that sin and righteousness were only external acts. Jesus said that both have their origins in internal thoughts.