Don't Know Much About the Bible - Kenneth C. Davis [151]
Did Jesus give a Sermon on the Mount?
One of the centerpieces of Jesus’ teaching is an extensive talk that Augustine labeled the “Sermon on the Mount.” According to Matthew, after calling Simon and Andrew, Jesus got great “word of mouth,” as publicists like to put it. He attracted large crowds who followed him to hear his preaching and see him perform healings. One such crowd gathered to listen to him speak as he sat, the typical Jewish position for teaching, on an unidentified mountainside. The “Sermon on the Mount” appears in its entirety in Matthew (more than one hundred verses long) and in a somewhat abbreviated version in Luke. In Luke, this teaching session is similar, though shorter (about thirty verses), and is delivered “on a level place” after Jesus comes down from the mountain where he had been praying.
The differences between the two versions have led scholars to contend that the version in Matthew represents a compilation of many of Jesus’ teachings compressed into one long and memorable discourse. In other words, while it faithfully captures the words and teachings of Jesus, the sermon was a “Best of Jesus,” edited into a single speech.
In Matthew’s version, the sermon opens with “The Beatitudes,” or “blesseds,” a series of promised blessings that emphasize the most vulnerable and empty-handed people who are ready to accept the “Kingdom of Heaven.” (There are nine Beatitudes in Matthew; Luke has only four.) Jesus then moves on to a series of “demands” that expand on but don’t replace the requirements of the Hebrew Law and Prophets. They include Jesus’ version of the “Golden Rule.” The “Sermon” includes many of Jesus’ most familiar teachings—as well as some of the most enigmatic, difficult, and Utopian—and stands as his great ethical statement.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
(MATTHEW 5:1-7:27 NRSV)
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but it is thrown out and trampled under foot.
You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the