The Sermon on the Mount

Christians when reading Jesus' well-known “Sermon on the Mount” immediately assumes it is addressed to them and they try to apply the radical statements to the best of their ability (see Matthew 5-7). The “sermon on the mount” was, however, not preached to the believer. It was addressed to and intended for a particular group of people, at a specific point in time with a precise purpose in mind. The group Jesus was addressing were the Israelites (see Matt 4:25-5:1) and two of His aims were to show them the shortcomings of their current covenant and their need for a Saviour. Through "the sermon on the mount" Jesus sought to reach his audience where they were at and prepare them for what is to come.

“For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.” Hebrews 8:7

What is a covenant?

Alistar I. Wilson and Jamie A. Grant wrote that: “At its most basic, [a] covenant presents God’s desire to enter into relationship with men and women ... [A] covenant is all about relationship between the Creator and his creation.” (2005:12).

A covenant is a voluntary relationship between two partners. It can be either conditional or unconditional. A conditional covenant can be summarised with "If you will, then I will," whereas an unconditional covenant refers to the unconditional commitment of the one-party regardless of the actions or behaviour of the other, e.g. "I will." Throughout the Bible, God relates to and interact with people according to the covenant relationship He has with them. When Jesus taught the "Sermon on the Mount" the Israelites were under the Mosaic covenant, a conditional covenant (e.g. "If you will, then I will"). In this covenant, God gave them a holy standard of living, captured in the law of Moses. The law had over 600 commandments that the Israelites had to obey to keep their side of the covenant. If the Israelites obeyed the law, God would bless them and if would disobey the law, they would be cursed (see Deuteronomy 28). Under this covenant, the people related to God based on their ability to keep the law, i.e. according to their "holy living." In exchange for keeping the requirements of the law, they were accepted by God and were used to showcase God’s holiness and goodness to the nations (See Exodus 19:3-7). 

The Law’s True Colours 

(see Matt 5:17-48)

The law at its core demands perfection. Jesus concluded this passage of scripture with the following statement: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

The law demands man to “be perfect just as God is perfect.” The problem with this statement is that is impossible! Jesus tries to show the Israelites' this in verses 21-47. Where the law says “do not murder” Jesus explained that according to God’s perfect standard to be angry with someone in your heart means you’ve murdered them. The same is said with adultery. If you look at someone and lust in your heart, you’re guilty of the act of adultery. In all four examples in Matthew 5:17-48 Jesus emphasized the condition of the heart. If you sin in your heart, it is the same as committing the act. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul writes that the law serves to make everyone guilty in God’s sight and is unable to justify anyone (Romans 3:19-20).

“¹¹ For the Scriptures reveal, and it is obvious, that no one achieves the righteousness of God by attempting to keep the law, for it is written: “Those who have been made holy will live by faith!” ¹² But keeping the law does not require faith, but self-effort. For the law teaches, “If you practice the principles of law, you must follow all of them.” ¹³ Yet, Christ paid the full price to set us free from the curse of the law. He absorbed it completely as he became a curse in our place. For it is written: “Everyone who is hung upon a tree is doubly cursed.” Galatians 3:11-13

The purpose of the law was to show the nation of Israel their need for a Saviour. Humanity can’t save themselves by their effort or holy living. To be “perfect” according to God's standard does not only refer to one’s deeds, but also to the thoughts of your heart. Humanity will always fall short to God’s standard of perfection. The law was given to show the Israelites this. They needed a Saviour to save them from this curse: the demand for perfection without the ability to achieve it - always falling short. Luckily God sent the answer: Jesus. 

Jesus came to represent all of humanity. He kept the law perfectly and he died in our place for our sin. The law served to make everyone guilty before God so that when Christ comes and dies for the sin of all, everyone can be made right before God by placing their faith in Jesus' sacrifice.

“²⁴ Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. ²⁵ And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. ²⁶ For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. ²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” Galatians 3:24-29 NLT

What the law could not do was to make us perfect. Under the new covenant, as God’s children, we are one with Christ. We are born again with a righteousness nature inside of us and are sealed with the Holy Spirit (see John 3:3-6; 1 John 5:1; Romans 6:1-7, 18; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Ephesians 1:3; Hebrews 8:10-12). Where the law could not make the law-keeper right with God, through placing our faith in Jesus' sacrifice we are justified and made righteous before God (Romans 3:19-20; Romans 7:7). In the new covenant, thanks to Jesus, God will be merciful to our unrighteousness and will remember our sins and iniquities no more (Hebrews 8:12). Praise Jesus!

Purpose of the Sermon on the Mount:

“¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16 NKJV

The most well-known interpretation of this scripture is that believers are like salt and light: they preserve the world (see Mark 9:49) and shine God’s light into the world. In the context of Matthew 5, I want to bring another interpretation to the table. This parable represents the two covenants. The salt represents the old covenant and the light represents the new. The Israel nation under the law served as preservation to a corrupt wicked world. Under the law, they lived out God’s holy standard, till the promised seed of Abraham would come (Galatians 3:19). Unfortunately, their influence and position were conditional. They could lose their saltiness, i.e. their function and ability to preserve the world if they deviate from the law. If they lose their saltiness (their essence) they become useless and thrown out. This is seen with the lawbreakers who were punished and often killed or the Israel nation who went into captivity after continuously breaking the law. 

The light represents the born-again believer under grace. We are now born of God and are in Christ. Jesus is described as the Light in John 1:3-9. It was the Life in Jesus that were the light of the men (see verse 4). Through the Gospel, we now have Jesus' Life inside of us. This Life is the light we shine to the world (see 2 Corinthians 13:5; Romans 8:10; 2 Corinthians 4:6-7). In the above “salt and light” example, Jesus never provided a context where the light loses its light, only where it is hidden under a basket. Similarly, the believer can’t lose their essence (or who they are), because it is tied with having Christ “life” (Light) inside of them. What they can do, is hide the life-giving restorative power of Christ that are inside of them from a broken world.

To prepare the Israel nation for the new better covenant Jesus had to show them the shortcomings of their current covenant and the need for a new one. Jesus did not destroy the Law, He fulfilled it (Matthew 5:17-20). He was the perfect sacrifice to take away the sins of the whole world (John 1:29, 36). There is, therefore, no need for the law under the new covenant. What the blood of animal sacrifices could not do, Jesus accomplished at the cross: he died for the sins of all, took all of God’s wrath and made those who put their faith in Him righteous and holy. Our righteousness now far exceeds that of the Pharisees (see Matthew 5:20) since we have God’s righteousness in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). In this "sermon" Jesus was leading his audience to the realisation that He is the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through him (John 14:6). No works, law-keeping or holy living can make you right before God. You will always fall short. You can only be made right before God by believing in Jesus and putting your trust in Him. 

In this post I mainly focused on Matthew 5, but if you read the rest of the sermon (Matthew 6-7) you’ll see that the sermon on the mount also served to reveal God’s heart to the people. Jesus tried to restore mankind's distorted view of God. He also introduced God as their Father (i.e. Daddy-God or Abba).  In the new covenant, God reveals Himself to us as our Daddy, and not our master. Jesus tried to show the Israelites this. He also taught on the heart of God, His nature and how to relate to God.