The Sermon on the Mount

If you grew up in a church of Christ like I did, you probably have heard numerous sermons and lessons over the Beatitudes as well as the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.  In fact, as I recall, most of my reactions to these lessons growing up were usually expressed with a long sigh and a slumping of shoulders. 

Again? 

I read through the first two chapters a few days ago and realized something….I’ve been reading it wrong for the last two decades….

The people that Jesus was speaking to didn’t have pens and paper to take notes with.  These folks didn’t bring their blackberrys with them to text a quickie message to their buds to say “Hey come listen to this guy!”  The people that were following him were sick (see the last couple of verses of Matthew 4).  They were in need of a healing touch.  These people were the outcasts, the lay-workers, the unschooled, the family-friendly.  These were the people who probably thought to themselves throughout church, “Man, is this ALL THERE IS?”  These were the searchers. 

And they found Him.

Our Bibles do a disservice to the Sermon on the Mount by breaking it up into nice “digestible” sections.  The Beatitudes, Salt and Light, Fulfillment of the Law, Murder, etc.  I challenge you that this was not Jesus’ intention.  When we break these sections up and stand them alone outside of their context, we lose part of the power in the message. 

When Jesus talked about “Blessed be…,” he was speaking to those people about themselves.  He was challenging them to look at their own qualities, circumstances, and faith in a different light. He then transitioned into the Salt and Light passage…still speaking to them about them. 

So how does this fit our lives today? 

Find yourself in the Beatitudes and you’ll have the answer to that question…