During the season of Epiphany (the time between Christmas and Lent), the Scripture readings progressively reveal Jesus to us. As we observe Jesus’ baptism, miracles, and teaching, the Scripture readings answer the question, “Who is this guy whose birth the angels heralded?”
In The Gospel According to Matthew, one of the first events in Jesus’ ministry is “The Sermon on the Mount” (Matt. 5-7). It’s kind of a big deal; Matthew devotes three chapters to it. It is a sermon that primarily serves to reveal who Jesus is.
Ironically, it is often cited as a favorite passage of those who believe Jesus was just a good moral teacher, but not the Son of God. This is because there is a lot of excellent moral instruction in it. But I wonder if they have read it very carefully, because, if “The Sermon on Mount” is true, and Jesus is not the Son of God who has come to fulfill the law for us (5:17), then we’re all going to hell (5:20).
While “The Sermon on the Mount” does, indeed, give us much valuable ethical instruction, that is not the main purpose of it. The main purpose is to reveal who Jesus is. Notice the statement Matthew adds at the end of the sermon. He does not say, “And all the people went home and lived kinder lives.” Hopefully they did. But that was not the primary purpose. Matthew says, “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (7:28-29). The sermon reveals who Jesus is!
So when we read “The Sermon on the Mount,” we should take the ethical instructions for what they are—the will of God for how we should live. But we should also read it as a revelation of who Jesus is and what his coming means for the world. And we should not force an ethical framework on the parts that are not ethical teaching.
For example, consider the blessings (Beatitudes) Jesus pronounces at the beginning (5:3-12). Here Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” … “Blessed are those who mourn” … “Blessed are the meek” … “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,” etc. The Beatitudes are a statement of the blessed reality that has come in Jesus Christ. But if we force an ethical framework on them, we would have to find a way to become poor in spirit in order to be blessed. We would have to find something to mourn about. We would even have to go find someone to persecute us if we want to get into the kingdom of heaven. This would be a tough way to live, and it wouldn’t even be ethical.
A better way to read them is as the revealing of the blessings that come in Jesus Christ. Jesus has come to lift up the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
And beyond that, many of the Beatitudes are fulfilled most fully by Jesus Christ. He is the Blessed One. He is the only one who is truly merciful. He is the only one who is pure in heart. He is the peacemaker. And he, more than anyone, was persecuted for righteousness’ sake. He has earned all these blessings, and he gives them to the world as a gift. This is the blessed reality that comes in Jesus Christ.
The peace of Christ be with you all,
Dan