...The Sermon on the Mount The Sermon on the Mount has been one of the essential teachings of the church throughout the centuries, but it has not always been understood in the same manner. Many individuals have interpreted it in different ways, majority admiring it, others accepting it, some just flat out trashing it. But, the fact of the matter still stands that the specific lifestyle taught in the sermon is simply impossible for a person to achieve completely. Overall, I believe that the lifestyle presented in the Sermon on the Mount is a mixture of hyperboles and metaphors rather than literal teachings from Jesus. I do not agree at the idea of contradicting everything the sermon states. Interpreting it in a more general sense instead of overanalyzing every word for the purpose of achieving salvation is much more realistic. In this paper I will analyze the text with my opinion in mind and surface the lifestyle in a clear method. The sermon is divided into several main parts including the Beatitudes, the Ten Commandments, and the discourse on judgment and holiness. The Beatitudes and the relation to Light and salt displayed in Matthew (3-16) states, “Happy are the poor in spirit because the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs, Happy are the mourners because they will be comforted…Happy are the poor of heart because they will see God.” These statements as well as the other five are concerned with virtue and how a believer in Jesus Christ can achieve that virtue. In my opinion, the beatitudes...
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...Rayna 3/6/15 Sermon on the Mount The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus. These teachings stress the importance of His moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew. It is the first of the Five Discourses of Matthew and takes place relatively early in the Ministry of Jesus. It also happened after he preached in Galilee and John the Baptist had baptized him. In Matthew 4:12-17, Matthew noted that Jesus began to preach a message of repentance because the kingdom of heaven was near. Jesus moved to the city of Capernaum from Nazareth to reach a larger audience. Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” The phrase ‘from that time’ refers to the arrest of John the Baptist. From this event, Jesus chose to launch His public ministry. Matthew goes on to talk about the calling of the first disciples, Simon Peter, and his brother Andrew, who were fishing. (Matthew 4:18-20). Jesus promised them that He would make them fishers of men. Jesus was beginning to build His kingdom. Jesus then called James and John fishermen, who were tending to their nets in their boat. (Matthew 4:21-22). In Matthew 4:23-25, Jesus went around the region proclaiming the message of the kingdom. He healed people and the people responded from far away. Matthew 5:1. “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach...
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...In Matthew chapters 5-7 Jesus addresses the masses before him in probably one of the most well-known teachings “The Sermon on the Mount.” In the sermon Jesus addresses many issues including altering parts of the Ten Commandments. For instance saying that “21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Christ does not change outright what is being said in the Ten Commandments, rather he addresses and adds more meaning to what was already in place. Of these teachings and principles that Christ set forth in that Sermon so are more applicable today than others. For instance, in a world where divorce is rampant, roughly 41% of first marriages in 2013 ended in divorce 60% of second 73% of third marriages (Jasmin, 24), Christ states that “31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” If that is indeed true even today then we sadly live in a world where a large majority cannot claim they are not guilty of adultery. In light of that however, there are a those teachings that actually do apply, for instance some people, Christians included, tend to be openly boastful about...
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...The sermon at the mount is a collection of teachings and sayings that Jesus preaches to people at Galilee. It takes place after Jesus had been baptized by John the Baptist. This is the longest teaching by Jesus in a single preaching. It is found in the New Testament in the book of Matthew. It transverses chapter five to seven of the Gospel of Matthew. The main theme of sermon of the mountain is how people should relate with other people and God. The sermon is preached at a mountain when Jesus saw the crowd and his disciples’ were following him, he sat at a level ground on the mountain and started to preach. The Preaching’s can be divided it four major parts; The Beatitudes, Lord’s Prayer and parables. Beatitudes The word beatitude comes from a Latin phrase “beatitudo” which means blessedness. The beatitudes are eight in number and all have similar characteristics in that they all begin with the word blessed. The beatitudes come from doing eight different things in a certain manner. Six of the beatitudes are futuristic in nature in that they say what will happen, while two of them have a present tense. The beatitudes are from Mathew chapter five from verse three to ten. The first beatitude is found in the book of Matthew chapter five verses three and it states; blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The beatitude is futuristic since it promises a future reward. The beatitude tries to explain that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those people who...
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...Clarifying and renovating the laws of the Old Testament was central to Jesus’ teachings. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses a crowd of people and delivers a teaching that legitimizes yet builds upon the work of Moses. The sermon is believed to have taken place early in Jesus’ ministry, around the end of the third decade of 1st century AD. At this time, the teachings of the Old Testament became distorted through sociopolitical complexities. Among the numerous laws Jesus explains and reinvigorates, one struck me as especially provocative. He states that not only will those who kill be punished, those who feel anger will also be held accountable by God. Anger strikes me as a natural human emotion, how could it be beneficial to suppress it? There is an important lesson here that requires a more in depth analysis to fully understand. Jesus begins by warning that “if your virtue goes no deeper...
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...Explain the ethical teachings of Jesus with special reference to the Sermon on the mount. Jesus of Nazareth was born a Jew. He was raised in the Jewish faith, as both his parents were Jewish, and some theologians would argue that Jesus never taught anything that was against the Jewish faith, and was just another new thinking Rabbi. The understand Jesus’ teachings, however, it is fundamental to have a comprehension of the Jewish way of like, and their rules. The Hebrew word for this is Halakah, which translates exactly as ‘the path that one walks...’ Halakah is made up of a series of Mitzvot Aseh (positive commandments ‘to do’) and Mitzvot lo ta’aseh (negative commandments ‘do not’) which are Mitzvot D’oraita (Laws directly from the torah). Then there are Mitzvot D’rabbanan which are Laws instituted by the Rabbis. There are 613 Mitzvot, made up of 248 mitzvot aseh and 365 mitzvot lo ta’aseh, which some of the early Jews claimed to have special meaning because there are 365 days in a year, and 248 bones in the body, but this is actually wrong, and just something said to make the numbers appear to be a sign from God, which they do not appear to be. Also, Manson says that the numbers are not important, merely the content that is of importance. The main teaching of Jesus was Love. He said that love should be the reason for any action. There are 3 types of love mentioned in the bible, Agape which is unconditional love e.g. for one’s family, Phila which is the love for a friend (from...
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...Nichole Pinson Professor Slattery TH-150 Introduction to Theology 13 December, 2015 Reflection: The Sermon On The Mount Abstract The purpose of this research is to examine the significance of the Sermon of the Mount and how it relates to me personally. It is important to recognize that the principles underpinning Judaism is not a single belief instead a variety of belief systems. Through my research, I have drawn parallels and differences between Judaism and Christianity with respect to their belief system, and worldview. The paper affirms that Judaism has had a profound influence on the overall lifestyle, social interactions, cultural practices, and the religious history for the Jewish community. Introduction What does Judaism mean in the life of a Jewish person? In order to properly analyze “Judaism” one must first understand both the origin and the significance of the term Judaism. The term was first used in the intertestamental period by Greek-speaking Jews to distinguish their religion from Hellenism. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Judaism is defined as “a religion developed among the ancient Hebrews and characterized by belief in one transcendent God who has revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets and by a religious life in accordance with Scriptures and rabbinic traditions.” Simply put, Judaism is the intricate religious and cultural history for the diverse people known as the Jewish community. Judaism plays...
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...theologus professio (theology profession) HOW DOES THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT RELATE TO THE ISSUE OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AS A CONTEMPORARY ISSUE. Jeremy Rose March 20, 2009 All Holy Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible '95 unless otherwise noted. Capital punishment is an issue that affects the United States in many ways, and even to a larger extent the world. Many industrialized nations have forgone capital punishment as a tool in their criminal justice system. In the United States, 38 states still have provisions in their penal code that allow capital punishment in various forms, in various circumstances and with various populations. Capital punishment--death penalty--is argued by both sides of the issue for diverse reasons. The death penalty may be opposed by some by stating it is considered cruel and unusual punishment (which is in violation to our Constitution). Others would argue that because our legal system is not perfect we should not risk putting to death someone who may be innocent. On the reverse side, the two most common reasons to support the death penalty would be first, it is a just punishment and acts as a deterrent for further crimes that meet that nature. Still others argue the "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" argument; which is biblically based but certainly out of context in this argument. An important question is "where might a Christian come down on this issue?" The answer is not as easy as one might expect....
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...The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 1-12) Name: Tutor: Date: The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 1-12) The Sermon on the Mount appears in the gospel of St Matthew and it stretches all the way from chapters 5-7. This study will only focus on the beatitudes, which appear in Mathew (5: 1-12). The Sermon appears in no other place in the entire bible and the closest equivalent being the Sermon on the plain found in the gospel of St Luke (6:17-49). According to (Kendall, 2011) Saint Matthew authored the book of Matthew, which contains the Sermon on the Mount. St Matthew or Levi as referred to by Mark (2:14) and Luke (5:27) was the son of Alpheus, born in Capernaum. Capernaum was a town found near the shore of the Galilean sea. St Matthew was a patron of Tax collectors, meaning he was originally a tax collector by profession in the service of the Roman Empire. In his service, he learned different languages such as Hebrew and Greek that came of great use to him. According to (Greenman and Larsen, 2007) the Roman tax collection system was engulfed in corruption and fraud therefore people perceived the tax collectors to be extremely corrupt and unclean. The tax collectors fraudulently charged extortionist amounts and were hostile to the Romans in the way they collected the taxes. In Matthew (9:9), Jesus finds Matthew sitting in his office and calls him to become one of his disciples. He became a disciple and spread Christianity even after the...
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...the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, 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 who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (English Standard Version Study Bible) The Lamp on a Stand is a short two verse parable in the Gospel of Matthew, part of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is the first of five major discourses in the Gospel of Matthew (English Standard Version Study Bible). During this Sermon, Jesus is talking to His disciples (5:1) about the Kingdom of Life and how it applies to their everyday world. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expounds on how a Christian, who believes in Christ as their Lord and Savior, ought to live in this life. These teachings are challenging, but they are also practical and ethical; providing a framework for His followers. In the beginning of the Sermon, Jesus provides His disciples with the beatitudes, following with a commission, which includes the Lamp on a Stand parable. Before the Lamp parable is the comparison with salt (5:13); Jesus says that his disciples are the salt of the earth. He uses salt because salt is beneficial for many different things, which is how the disciples are going to influence the world. Jesus says that salt that becomes dull is useless except to be thrown out and trampled down by the...
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...Stories such as the Last Judgement is a story about being put on trial before God on whether the angels will go to heaven or hell (Last Judgement). God is referred to the King in this story, the King asks the Angels certain questions and depending on how those questions were answered in the world, depends on whether they will receive heaven or hell. Other Christian writings such as Selected Sayings and the Sermon on the Mount are guidelines to follow in order to reach heaven. Selected Sayings uses scripture from the Bible that say the ones who are unhappy with their life on Earth will be taken up to Heaven. God does not want people who are happy with their life on Earth because they are materialistic and God does not want those people in Heaven with Him. Luke 14: 26-27 says that “If any one comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” (Selected Sayings). The Sermon on the Mount is instructions about what the “Kingdom of God requires of all of its members” (Reader pg. 197). Jesus gives his followers this message as a standard for morals to live by. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God,” this means that anyone on Earth that wants...
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...activist, King helped to organize nonviolent protests, such as the March on Washington in 1963 where he delivered his powerful and famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In addition to his “I Have a Dream” speech, King also gave many other speeches, which all spoke out against racial segregation and discrimination. On December 25, 1957, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a sermon titled “Loving Your Enemies” at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In the speech “Loving Your Enemies” King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his sermon “Loving Your Enemies” while he was in prison for committing non-violent civil disobedience during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. King’s quote refers to Matthew 5:44, which says “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” This section of the gospel of Matthew was a part Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which Jesus delivered on the Mount of Beatitudes. In Jesus’ sermon he addressed the main principles of Christian discipleship. Through his “Loving Your Enemies” sermon, Martin Luther...
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...the life, ministry and teaching of Jesus, and he places this message soon after Jesus' baptism and calling of the disciples. The Beatitudes are the opening section of the Sermon on the Mount, the longest recorded teaching during Christ's lifetime. We will begin by looking at this section as it lays within the book of Matthew and then go to a more in-depth exegetical study. Literary Context The most popular approach to Matthew's structure is the presentation of five major discourses, each ending with a formula statement that is foreign to other Biblical discourses, placed in a framework of narrative[1] (Talbert 15). In fact, "the five discourses are so clearly marked, from a literary point of view, that it is well-nigh impossible to believe that Matthew did not plan them" (Carson 63). Each of these discourses brings forth a topic of central importance for both the gospel rendition of the historical Jesus and the later experience of the church (Batdorf 26). The narrative section leading to the first discourse, from Matthew 3:1 to 4:25, chronicles not simply the biography of a man preparing for ministry, but the establishment of Messianic history and authority. We come to an understanding of Matthew's first and foremost discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, only on the basis of chapters 1-4 (Batdorf 24). This sermon, which immediately follows the choosing of the twelve, marks the beginning of Jesus' training of His disciples and a change in His method of teaching. It is His first systematic...
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...In comparing the evidentiary documents from Robert W. Strayer’s Ways of The World, the Analects from Confucius’ teachings, the Bhagavad Gita from the Hindu Scriptures, Socrates’ Apology, and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount teach similar values. In each example, the master, the deity, the inquisitor, and the teacher challenge the prevailing theories about life and virtue (pp. 199, 201, 203, 206). The key message is to find virtue by treating others with respect and to live more simply by denouncing material and emotional attachments (pp. 199, 201, 204, 205). These theories shifted from the traditional concepts and in turn, they influenced new styles of politics (p. 186). For instance, in the Analects, Confucius encourages people to live virtuously,...
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...quote that perfectly describes the passage “Do Not Worry.” According to Allison and Davies, “…anxiety for the morrow is foolish because the all-powerful, all-knowing, compassionate Father in heaven is Lord of the future. If sufficient for the day is the evil thereof, God is more than sufficient in the midst of that evil.” (663). If God will grant needs to the creatures of nature, he would grant more than enough to those who are able to serve him. Jesus was telling the crowds to not worry, for God will provide all that anyone would need. This part of the Sermon on the Mount provides the crowds with a guideline on how to deal with their social issues. I believe that is what makes “Do Not Worry” significant. It relates to the past as well as the future because people now and back then have had worries that distracted them from focusing on God. After researching, further questions were raised. The other sections of the Sermon on the Mount could be explored to see the entire correlation of the...
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