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The Sermon on the Mount

Adult Class-Spring 2004

Lesson 2

            The most important idea in Jesus' preaching is bound up in the phrase, "the kingdom of God," or alternatively, "the kingdom of heaven." In the Gospel of Matthew, the phrase is used 50 times. One problem we have is that the phrase, "Kingdom of God" is never mentioned in the Old Testament, but is widely understood in the New Testament! What does it mean?

            By the time of the New Testament, the reign of God was an idea shaped by three factors:

1. He will punish the wicked (enemies of Israel) and reward the righteous (the people of Israel),
2. Someone is coming who is a powerful agent of good, and,
3. A longing for liberation, national identity and happiness after being in subjection to the Gentiles for hundreds of years.

            In addition to these factors, people in Judea thought about the kingdom of God in two ways:

1. A political and earthly reign by the agent of God, to last until judgment, and,
2. A universal and everlasting kingdom where every living thing bowed to the will of God-an eternal kingdom.

            In contrast to these ideas about the kingdom of God, Jesus taught about the kingdom in a new way. He incorporated some of the common understanding, but His actual reign demanded a new and better realization of God's kingdom. Jesus taught that God's kingdom:

1. Is the range of God's effective will. That means it is not a place, but a condition of submission to God's plan and His word.
2. Is connected with Jesus as the Father's perfect agent.
3. Is not conditional on being within Moses' covenant or within the Jewish lineage.
4. Is not a vague future entity, but is actually definite and at hand.

            From this vantage point, entering the kingdom of God changes everything about the person. It changes his priorities as he accepts God's understanding about what is important, it changes his attitudes as he learns to love what God loves and hate what God hates, and it changes his heart as he conforms to God's personality. This is the kingdom of God that Jesus began to preach in Matthew 4:17.

            His message is not just about "sin management," but is about the transformation of life and character (Matthew 18:1-4). Although cleansing us from sin is our deepest need, our next greatest need is the reformation of our hearts so that we will not love sin and plunge into it again. The Sermon on the Mount is about beginning the process of that change.

The Sermon Itself

            One of the most helpful things we can do is realize that Matthew 5, 6, and 7 are all connected in a thematic whole. They do not represent a collection of Jesus' brilliant pearls of wisdom without a unifying subject. This is a sermon, with a specific goal in His mind-the changing of human character. This is not a new law, it is not a more stringent list of commandments, and it is not some kind of psychological trick to convince people that they can never be righteous before God. It is not an impossible standard of living to achieve. This is what Jesus expects of people who seek to become true subject of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is what it's like to live in the Kingdom of God.

            We might follow the Sermon on the Mount according to these points:

• The immediate background is found in Jesus' beginning ministry, His call to repent and His choosing of disciples. As He begins His work, He gives unmistakable proof that something and Someone unique has come.
• The sermon opens with Matthew 5:1-20, which is a declaration that ordinary people are light and salt of the world as they live in the kingdom of God.
• The kingdom heart of God is shown in concrete expressions of love as He would give them in Matthew 5:21-48.
• Jesus gives a strong warning against the false securities of public acclaim and wealth in Matthew 6:1-34.
• He gives another strong warning against dealing with people from an unloving perspective in Matthew 7:1-12.
• He finishes by warning against refusing the message of the sermon, noting the effects of rejecting His word in Matthew 7:13-27.

            Jesus intends that His hearers understand His message and apply it to their lives. The Sermon on the Mount is timeless because it accurately opens to our eyes and hearts what it means to live in the kingdom of God right now, in this life. The kingdom is open to all, because God has loved us all and loved us fiercely. As we work through the sermon, we will see that these ideas are woven throughout the rest of the New Testament as Jesus' disciples live their lives every day in His kingdom.

Discussion Questions:

1.      How do people tend to hear the Sermon on the Mount today? Is this considered a new law? Is it a standard of behavior beyond human ability? What does the Kingdom of God have to do with life in America today?

2.      What happens to us when we assume that Jesus' message is only about the forgiveness of our sins? How will we live if our sins are forgiven? Why do we do such a poor job of being changed to reject sinful thoughts and conduct?

3.      Can you think of any groups today who have the idea that the kingdom of God is a political and earthly reign? What kind of life does that encourage now? What kind of problems to such groups experience as a result of their idea of God's kingdom and their place in it?

4.      How can the kingdom of God be "the range of His effective will"? What about those parts of our lives and personalities where we haven't yet allowed God to reign? Why do we reserve areas of our lives and refuse to allow God to reign there? What will happen to our lives as a result?

5.      If Jesus spoke so much about the kingdom of God, why do we hear so little about it in sermons, classes, and in publications? How can it be of so little interest to us when it was of such overwhelming importance to Him? What does this say about our understanding of His message and His mission?