The Sermon on the Mount
First century C.E.
The Roman Province of Israel
The Gospel according to Matthew was written sometime between 85 and 90 C.E. and is one of the four canonical gospels of the Christian Bible, also known as the New Testament. The other three gospels are Mark, Luke, and John. All four gospels were anonymously authored, and with the exception of a smattering of Aramaic, they were all written in Greek, the dominant scholarly language of that period in that region of the world. Matthew (along with Mark and Luke) is one of the three synoptic (or “seen together”) gospels, which are the main sources for the historical narrative of Jesus’ life.
The Sermon on the Mount is one of the Five Discourses of Matthew (the sermons of Jesus in the book of Matthew). It is the first and longest sermon by Jesus in the Gospels, taking place shortly after the Temptation of Christ, the gathering of his first four disciples, and his initial healing ministries. The Sermon on the Mount includes the Beatitudes (or blessings), the Lord’s Prayer (also known as the Our Father), and numerous parables and analogies. The Sermon covers laws concerning murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, and revenge and includes Jesus’ famous admonition to “love thy neighbor.” Jesus also warns his disciples against ostentation in prayer and almsgiving, materialism, judging others, and hypocrisy.
There is no other part of the Christian Bible that has been analyzed, interpreted, and written about more than the Sermon on the Mount. Ranging from a strictly literal interpretation of the Sermon to a view that argues that Jesus was establishing general principles for behavior but not hard and fast rules, Christians have debated the meaning of the Sermon for centuries. Philosophers and writers as diverse as St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Leo Tolstoy have all weighed in.
Written by Rhonda Kelley
Questions to consider while reading this selection:
- According to the Sermon, to what degree is a Christian meant to follow the rules, and how does one go about it?
- What are the main virtues of Christian religion as taught in the Sermon?
- If a Christian were to follow the Sermon literally, what extreme behaviors would that require? Do you think that following the teachings of Christ is possible?
- Compare Jesus’ demands for moral human conduct with the ethics and values of the other cultures we have studied.
- Teaching in parables, as Jesus explains to his disciples, puts a burden on the audience that straightforward instruction does not. Why does this method of communication particularly suit a religious or spiritual subject?
Matthew 5-7: The Sermon on the Mount
License: Public Domain
Chapter 5
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall