Fundamental Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic

 

Sermon on the Mount Notes

Matthew 5-7

CSB

The Sermon on the Mount was given to Jesus’s disciples early in his ministry was meant to articulate what the life of a Christ follower would look like

5.1 What mountain did Jesus go to preach on?

This sermon is to serve as the central tenets of Christian Discipleship and moral teachings.

The first teachings of the Sermon on the Mount were the Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes- 8 blessings

These eight of Matthew follow a simple pattern: Jesus names a group of people normally thought to be unfortunate and pronounces them blessed.

5.11-12 Disciples/ teachers/ pastors are blessed when they are insulted and persecuted by others.

5.12 The reward is great in heaven means that God will reward those who are blessed to Heaven. God knows that persecution will happen and that is what happened to the disciples before them. Why does God allow persecutions?

The phrases of the Beatitudes used are familiar from an Old Testament context.

The Beatitudes present a new set of principles that focus on love and humility. They resonate the highest ideals of Jesus' teachings on spirituality and compassion.

The general theme of Matthew 5:13–16 is promises and expectations.

5.13 presents a question. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? Or how can the earth be salted? The Salt of the Earth are the teachers and preachers of the Word of God. These are Jesus’s expectations of His disciples.

Children of God are preservatives to the world, preserving it from the evil in the society of ungodly men who are corrupted by sin.

Christians stand out as those who enhance the flavor of life in this world. Christians, living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ, will inevitably influence the world for good, as salt has a positive influence on the flavor of the food it seasons.

5.14-16. The good works of Christ’s followers are to shine for all to see.

The presence of Christians in the world must be like a light in the darkness, not only in the sense that the truth of God’s Word brings light to the darkened hearts of sinful man but also in the sense that our good deeds must be evident for all to see. God is the light of the world and without Him there is nothing and the world will be dark.

Our Light is to be revealed, not concealed. Our light is our good works through Christ.

5.13-16. What sorts of things can hinder the Christian from fulfilling his role as salt and light in the world?

Matthew 5:13–16 completes the profile of God's children presented in the beatitudes and acts as the introduction to the next section.

5.17 – Jesus states that he has not come to "abolish[a] the law" but to "fulfill"[b] it.

5.18 – Jesus then declares the law to be valid until "Heaven and Earth pass away" and "all things are accomplished[c]".

5.19 – Shows a direct correlation between the act of adhering to the Biblical Code, and the righteousness of the individual.

5.20 – Jesus identifies Greater Righteousness[d] as a condition for inclusion in the Kingdom of Heaven.

This passage is at the core of the argument about the relationship between the views attributed to Jesus, such as Gospel, Grace, New Covenant, New Commandment, Law of Christ, and those attributed to Moses, and on the relationship between the New Testament and Old Testament, Christian views on the old covenant, Law and Gospel, and as a basis of Christian ethics.

5.20 Why does a person’s righteousness need to surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees to get into the kingdom of heaven?

After the introduction (5:17–20), the next verses are notes on six specific topics where Jesus recites a law, starting with two of the Ten Commandments, and then comments on it. This generally sees Jesus impose more rigorous standards. The six explanations are on:

You shall not murder in verses 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26

You shall not commit adultery in verses 27, 28, 29, 30

Divorce in verses 31 and 32

Oaths in verses 33, 34, 35, 36, 37

Eye for an eye in verses 38, 39, 40, 41, 42

Love thy neighbor as thyself in verses 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48

In each of the notes, Jesus opens the statement with words to the effect: "You have heard it said… but I say to you…"

At the outset, Jesus made it clear that he greatly respects Old Testament Law in the Torah, and fulfilling the Law was one of his purposes for coming to Earth.

Ch. 5 ends with an address emphatically urging the readers to be perfect in the eyes of Christ.

6.1-4 goes into how to give to others.

6.5-8 goes into how to pray and what prayer is.

6.9-15 is the Lord’s prayer. We need to use words when we pray so that we may remind ourselves to consider carefully what we are asking. This prayer is very powerful and lasting. With the Lord’s prayer, Jesus gives us a perfect way to pray to God the Father.

6.16-18 is explaining how fasting works and what fasting is.

Matthew 6:1–18, deals with the outward and inward expression of piety, referring to almsgiving, private prayer and fasting. This part of the chapter goes over the three most important outward expressions of Jewish piety, alms giving, prayer, and fasting. Jesus endorses the standard teachings that these acts are important. Throughout this section he stresses that worship and devoutness should not be showy, and ideally should be done in secret.

6.19-20 People must do good deeds for God and do not store valuables up on earth but instead in heaven.

6.21 Where a person’s good deeds are is also where their heart will be. A person’s heart must be with God.

6.22-23 The eye is the soul of the body. The soul of the body if good produces light.

6.24 A person cannot pursue both material goods and spiritual well being.

6.25–34 deals with trust in God and provides reasons for not being anxious.

7.1-6 Talks about judging and how to judge. Jesus warns all people to take stock first of their own condition before God. Jesus taught us to not judge others because “with the judgment, you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” This explanation shows that Jesus is not speaking about right, godly judgments. Jesus is speaking about human judgments, unrighteous judgments, and unreasonable judgments.

7.7-12 Ask means requesting something of another, often a superior. Seek means to endeavor to find a thing, to try to gain it, to strive after it with earnestness and zeal. Knock is a request for admission when the way is closed. People must ask in faith. Christ teaches that believers must ask, seek, and knock, and if we do, we will receive. This is obviously a call to prayer. Christ spent considerable time on prayer throughout his sermon. The fact that he returns to it shows how important prayer must be for kingdom citizens. However, it must be noted that Christ does not tell us what to ask, seek, and knock for.

7.13-23 We must be able to judge well, to ascertain what is true and what is not. That is what discernment means—it means being able to use our minds, thinking critically, in determining God’s truth and direction, specifically, according to His Word, and when it comes to salvation.

7.24-29 The story of the wise man who built his house upon a rock is found in Matthew 7:24–27. It is one of the parables of Jesus. During His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told a story about two men: one who built his house upon a rock and another who built his house upon sand. The house built upon a rock weathered the storm, and the builder is called wise; but the house built on the sand collapsed during the storm, and the builder is called foolish. The meaning of this parable is that proper foundations are necessary.