The Sermon on the Mount (translated from Augustine's title De sermone Domini in monte) is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth found in chapters 5, 6, and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew that summarizes his moral teachings. It is the first of five discourses in the Gospel and has been one of the most widely quoted sections of the Gospels.
Contents
Background and setting
The Sermon on the Mount is placed relatively early in Matthew's portrayal of Jesus's ministry—following, in chapter 3, his baptism by John and, in chapter 4, his sojourn and temptation in the desert, his call of four disciples, and his early preaching in Galilee.
The five discourses in the Gospel of Matthew are: the Sermon on the Mount (5–7), the discourse on discipleship (10), the discourse of parables (13), the discourse on the community of faith (18), and the discourse on future events (24–25). Also, like all the other "discourses", this one has Matthew's concluding statement (7:28–29) that distinguishes it from the material that follows. For similar statements at the end of the other discourses, see 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1.
Traditionally, the Mount of Beatitudes has been commemorated by Christians as the physical site at which the sermon took place. Other locations, such as Mount Arbel and the Horns of Hattin, have also been suggested as possibilities.
This sermon is one of the most widely quoted sections of the canonical gospels, including some of the best-known sayings attributed to Jesus, such as the Beatitudes and the commonly recited version of the Lord's Prayer. It also contains what many consider to be the central tenets of Christian discipleship.
The setting for the sermon is given in Matthew 5:1-2. There, Jesus is said to see the crowds, to go up the mountain accompanied by his disciples, to sit down, and to begin his speech. He comes down from the mountain in Matthew 8:1. In several theological and biblical traditions, the Sermon on the Mount is regarded as the New Testament counterpart to the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, which, according to tradition, was revealed by God in the presence of the entire Israelite people. Both events occur on a mountain, emphasizing their significance as moments of direct encounter between God and his people. Frederic Godet described the location of Jesus' teaching as "the mount where Jesus speaks is as the Sinai of the new covenant."Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) writes that because Matthew presents Jesus as "the new Moses" throughout his Gospel, he is seated here in teaching authority on "the cathedra of the mountain", and that the sermon is "the new Torah brought by Jesus". Both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament use the history of Israelites to frame the ways in which God revealed his will to humanity, particularly through the prophets.
Components
Although the issues of Matthew's compositional plan for the Sermon on the Mount remain unresolved among scholars, its structural components are clear.
Matthew 5:3–12 includes the Beatitudes. These describe the character of the people of the Kingdom of Heaven, expressed as "blessings". The Greek word most versions of the Gospel render as "blessed" can also be translated "happy" (Matthew 5:3–12 in Young's Literal Translation for an example). In Matthew, there are eight (or nine) blessings, while in Luke there are four, followed by four woes. Nolland notes that such extended lists of beatitudes are uncommon early Jewish literature, where they usually occur singly or in pairs, and that the eight third-person blessings of Matthew 5:3–10 are framed as a unit by the repetition of the clause "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" in verses 3 and 10. He also notes that the Beatitudes function as an expanded restatement of Jesus's initial proclamation that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17).
The Beatitudes' language echoes the Old Testament: good news to the "poor in spirit" and "those who mourn" alludes to (Isaiah 61:1–2), a passage Matthew also cites at Matthew 11:5. "The meek… shall inherit the earth" alludes to Psalm 37:11. In the sermon these hopes of reversal are attached to the coming of the kingdom of heaven.
Together, the Beatitudes present a new set of ideals that focus on love and humility rather than force and mastery, and echo the highest ideals of Jesus's teachings on spirituality and compassion.
In Christian teachings, the Works of Mercy, which have corporal and spiritual components, have resonated with the theme of the Beatitude for mercy. These teachings emphasize that these acts of mercy provide both temporal and spiritual benefits.
Matthew 5:13–16 presents the metaphors of salt and light. This completes the profile of God's people presented in the Beatitudes and acts as the introduction to the next section.
There are two parts in this section, using the terms "salt of the earth" and Light of the World to refer to the disciples – implying their value. Elsewhere, in John 8:12, Jesus applies 'Light of the World' to himself.
Teachings and theology
The teachings of the Sermon on the Mount have been a key element of Christian ethics, and for centuries the sermon has acted as a fundamental recipe for the conduct of the followers of Jesus. Various religious and moral thinkers (e.g. Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi) have admired its message, and its teachings were a major component of the nonviolent 1954-1968 American civil rights movement and one of the main sources of Christian pacifism.
In the 5th century, Saint Augustine began his book Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount by stating:
If anyone will piously and soberly consider the sermon which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke on the mount, as we read it in the Gospel according to Matthew, I think that he will find in it, so far as regards the highest morals, a perfect standard of the Christian life.
The last verse of chapter 5 of Matthew (Matthew 5:48) is a focal point of the Sermon that summarizes its teachings by advising the disciples to seek τέλειος (teleios). The Greek word is used to refer to perfection, completeness, or wholeness, and also implies an end, purpose, or destination. Nolland relates teleios to its translation in the Septuagint of the Hebrew tāmîm ("whole", "unblemished"). On this reading, the verse calls for wholehearted, undivided commitment to the will of God as expounded in the antitheses, and makes no claim that flawlessness is attainable.
The teachings of the sermon are often referred to as the "Ethics of the Kingdom": they place a high level of emphasis on "purity of the heart" and embody the basic standard of Christian righteousness.
Theological structure
The theological structure of the Sermon on the Mount is widely discussed. One group of theologians ranging from Saint Augustine in the 5th century to Michael Goulder in the 20th century, see the Beatitudes as the central element of the Sermon. Others such as Günther Bornkamm see the Sermon arranged around the Lord's Prayer, while Daniel Patte, closely followed by Ulrich Luz, see a chiastic structure in the sermon. Dale Allison and Glen Stassen have proposed a structure based on triads. Jack Kingsbury and Hans Dieter Betz see the sermon as composed of theological themes, e.g. righteousness or way of life.
Extension
The Catechism of the Catholic Church suggests that "it is fitting to add [to the Sermon on the Mount] the moral catechesis of the apostolic teachings, such as Romans 12-15, 1 Corinthians 12-13, Colossians 3-4, Ephesians 4-5, etc."
Interpretation
A central debate over the sermon is how literally its high ethical standards are meant to be applied to everyday life. Almost all Christian groups have developed non-literal ways to interpret and apply the sermon. North American Biblical scholar Craig S. Keener finds at least 36 different interpretations. Biblical scholar Harvey K. McArthur lists 12 basic schools of thought:
The Absolutist View interprets the Sermon on the Mount as conveying an unambiguous message regarding moral perfection and enduring persecution. For instance, Anabaptists claim to adhere to a literal interpretation, directly applying the sermon's teachings to their lives.
Other Christians have addressed the issue by Modifying the Text of the sermon. In antiquity, this modification was sometimes achieved through the alteration of the text itself to render it more acceptable. For example, some early scribes altered Matthew 5:22, changing the phrase "whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment" to the softened, "whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." Similarly, the phrase "Love your enemies" was changed to "Pray for your enemies," among other revisions.
The Hyperbole View asserts that certain statements in the sermon are to be understood as exaggerations. A prominent example is Matthew 5:29–30, where believers are commanded to gouge out their eyes and cut off their hands if these body parts lead them to sin. However, there is some debate regarding which parts of the sermon should be interpreted figuratively.
The General Principles View maintains that Jesus did not provide specific instructions but rather offered broad guidelines for behavior, outlining general principles of conduct.
The Double Standard View, widely accepted in the Middle Ages, posits that the teachings of the sermon can be divided into general precepts and specific counsels. According to this view, the precepts apply to the broader population, while the specific counsels are directed toward a select group, typically the pious few. This view reserves a "higher ethic" for clergy, especially those in monastic orders.
Comparison with the Sermon on the Plain
While Matthew groups Jesus's teachings into sets of similar material, the same material is scattered when found in Luke. The Sermon on the Mount may be compared with the similar but shorter Sermon on the Plain as recounted by the Gospel of Luke (Luke 6:17–49), which occurs at the same moment in Luke's narrative, and also features Jesus heading up a mountain, but giving the sermon on the way down at a level spot. Some scholars believe that they are the same sermon, while others hold that Jesus frequently preached similar themes in different places.