The first of the six long speeches of Jesus given in Matthew (chaps. 5-7). The other speeches are
( 2 ) the mission of the 12 (Mat 9:35—Mat 11:1),
(3) the parables by the sea (Mat 13:1-52),
(4) humility (chap. 18),
(5) the denunciation of hypocrisy (chap. 23) and
( 6 ) eschatology (chaps. 24-25).
Much of the teaching material that Matthew gives in these long speeches is also given by Mark and Luke, with almost exact verbal similarity, but in fragments in different media than Matthew. The nature of Jesus’ itinerant ministry to shifting multitudes was such that he had to have repeated similar material a great number of times under a great variety of circumstances. Furthermore, in any of the extended sessions of his teaching, there were interruptions, questions, arguments, digressions. The “sermon” is a student’s (Matthew) report of a lecture or class and discussion, and should be studied in light of it.
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
This expression is traditionally used to designate the words of the Lord Jesus that appear in chapters 5 to 7 of Matthew, based on Mat 5:1-2 (“When he saw the crowd, he went up the mountain; and sitting down, his disciples came to him. And opening his mouth, he taught them, saying…† ). It is not certain that the evangelist meant to express that all those words were said on a single occasion. Some think that it is a compilation of the Lord’s teachings given on different occasions. Although we must not reject the possibility that the content of this portion has been repeated in various locations. Luke, for example, places many of the words of the sermon as spoken on a level place (“And he went down with them, and stood on a level place, in the company of his disciples…. and lifting up his eyes toward his disciples, he said: Blessed…† ).
As Matthew is very interested in emphasizing the †¢Messiah quality of the Lord Jesus, it is natural that he would pick up these that some call †œlaws of the kingdom† in the environment of the top of a mountain. Thus he makes a comparison with Moses and Sinai. These laws of the kingdom that the Lord gives to his people do not consist of regulations or stipulations that should be taken literally, interpreted literally, but a series of principles and ideals that should inspire the hearts of the followers of the; always keeping in mind that it was aimed at the inner being, at the internal motivations, rather than at the external fulfillments that people thought they were doing with the OT law. The S. of M. is not a code of conduct, in the sense commonly used by rabbis. Furthermore, it must be remembered that the sermon is best understood against the backdrop of the prevailing legalism in Jewish society.
he uses a highly poetic language, with figures of great flight and of great spiritual significance. Some people miss much of the point of this sermon by seeking a literalist interpretation. Christ speaks of “the pure in heart” to a people who placed great emphasis on the cleanliness of the body, of the external. When he says that those who follow him are † œthe salt of the earth †, it is absurd to give his words any meaning other than spiritual. And so on. We must remember that Christ spoke of the kingdom of heaven.
Scholars like to think that the S. of the M. presents the ethics of that realm, in which things are very different from how they appear in the world. To say, for example, that those who mourn are blessed, is something that contradicts what is commonly understood among men. The whole sermon is full of those kinds of contradictions. The world hates enemies. In the sermon it is said that you have to love them. Good works are published in the world. The sermon says to do it in secret. The exhibition of religiosity is sought in the world. The sermon teaches discretion in it. People want to make treasures on earth. The sermon encourages them to be made in heaven.
On the other hand, those who try to interpret the S. of M. as a rule of conduct for all people in all places forget that the Lord Jesus was addressing his disciples, those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Only those who have this power can first understand and then live according to these spiritual teachings. Requiring someone who does not have the Spirit of God to comply with the stipulations of the S. of M. would be absurd, since it is something that is demanded of the citizens of the kingdom, not of those who are outside of it. †¢Blessed. Beatitude.
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
type, DOC
vet, This name receives the great speech pronounced by the Lord Jesus before his own and before all the people who had gathered. He is recorded in Mt. 5-7 and in Lk. 6:20-49. From the comparison of both stories, some evident differences arise that in no way can be attributed to discrepancies in the story, but rather that in the Sermon on the Mount each Evangelist was directed, based on the object of God to reveal in each Gospel a prominent facet of the Lord Jesus , to highlight and expose from the Sermon what corresponded to the concrete truth. Also, the mention in Matthew that the Sermon was given on a “mountain” (Mt. 5:1), while in Luke it is stated that it was on “a level place”, has led some expositors to the position that it is about two different predications in different places, although with analogous contents. Although the fact that the Lord preached the same basic message in many places, adapting it to the listeners and their needs or circumstances, cannot be ruled out at all, the comparison of both accounts indicates that, despite the differences in the way to report it, it is the same event. The explanation is that the “flat place” does not refer to a plain as opposed to a hill, but should be translated “level place”; obviously it is a mountain, because the literal translation of gr. en “And going down with them, he stopped at a level place” (Lk. 6 17). It can be observed, in the first place, that Matthew does not register here the designation of the apostles, which Luke does, as well as Mark (Mk. 3:13-19), who instead does not register the Sermon being more interested in registering the works than the words of the Lord. With Matthew it fits to relate this call with the mission to Israel, which corresponds to the beginning of Lk. 9. The Kingdom does not have the prominence in Luke that it does in Matthew. In Luke it is those who join Christ and truly follow him who receive blessing. The contrast of what the Messiah says on his authority, with what the ancients said, is peculiar to Matthew. Luke gives in a full way the great and new morality of loving our enemies, being merciful as our Father is, not judging or condemning, but forgiving according to the divine pattern; Matthew gives a direct teaching about practical righteousness in deed and word, prayer and fasting, directed specifically against hypocrisy. Instruction is given in the Sermon about fair justice for all who enter the Kingdom of heaven. Only those born of the Spirit can reach the blissful state of soul in the eyes of the Lord. This is not a requirement, as at Sinai, but Christ’s description of those who are fit for the Kingdom. It is not a message of grace to sinners; it is not the gospel of God’s grace to the lost, but his words to his disciples; and what is expected of them is personal obedience. Sketch. Mt. 5 not only gives an image of what the blessed are, but it is given with all the authority of the Law and of the prophets fulfilled, not weakened, leaving the highest conduct suitable for the Kingdom, in contrast to what God allowed formerly, and not now that is revealed in His name of Father and the believer’s new relationship with Him. Mt. 6 speaks of the inner life or the ways of man seen by the Father, and of the anxieties that could come to condition the believer. Mt. 7 deals with the proper conduct towards others, believers or not, encourages dependence on God, and exhorts the avoidance of false prophets (however many their gifts), and the practical submission of the words of Christ. Bibliography: Kelly, W.: “Lectures on the Gospel of Matthew” (Bible Truth Publishers, 1971 reprint of 1868 ed., Oak Park, Illinois); Pentccost, D.: “The Sermon on the Mount” (Pub. Evangelical Speaker, Barcelona, 1981).
Source: New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Sermon on the Mount is the title commonly given to the teachings of Jesus recorded in Mt. 5–7. That this title can properly be applied to the somewhat parallel passage in Lk. (6.20-49) depends on the interpretation given to the literary relationship between the two passages. The latter has often been called the Sermon on the Plain because it is understood to have been given on “a level place” (Lk. 6.17) rather than “on the mount” (Mt. 5.1). But both expressions probably refer to the same place, seen from two different directions (see WM Christie, Palestine Calling, 1939, pp.35f).
Canon Liddon, in his “Bampton Lectures,” refers to this sermon as “that original outline of essential Christianity.” If this is taken to mean that the Sermon on the Mount is Christianity’s message to the pagan world, we must respond by noting that it is manifestly didaje (teaching), and not kerygma (proclamation). By no stretch of the imagination can it be considered “good news” to anyone who depends on the fulfillment of its demands for entry into the kingdom. (Imagine a man without Christ, lacking the help offered by the Holy Spirit, seeking to exceed the justice of the scribes and Pharisees.) It is rather a sketch of the character of those who have already entered the kingdom, and a description of the quality of ethical life that, as a consequence, is expected of them. In this sense, it is true, it is “essential Christianity”.
I. Composition
In times past it was taken for granted that the Sermon on the Mount constituted a single speech delivered by Jesus on a given occasion. No doubt it would appear to be so as recorded in Matthew. The disciples sat down (v. 1), Jesus opened his mouth and taught them (v. 2), and when he finished the crowd was amazed at his teaching (7.28). However, most scholars are of the opinion that this sermon is actually a compilation of sayings of the Lord. “A sort of epitome of all the sermons Jesus ever preached” (W. Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, 1, pp. 79). The following arguments are put forward: (1) That it includes a great excess of material, too concentrated to fit into a single sermon. The disciples, who were not noted for keen spiritual perception, could never have assimilated such a wealth of ethical teaching. (2) That the great variety of…