Chapter 6
Sermon on the
Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a great
teaching moment in the Bible. It may surprise you to know that Matthew spends
three chapters on it, Mark ignores it all together and Luke spends only one
chapter although Luke spreads some of the teachings throughout his writing.
Again, the wrong question is who is right. The right question is what is the
writer trying to tell. Matthew’s account is a collection of sermons or teachings
if you will. Matthew could easily shared piece by piece through individual
talks, teachings or sermons, in order, and the reader would receive a full
accounting of the miracles, the healings, the teaching, the birth and death and
resurrection of Jesus. Matthew has taken all the teachings of Jesus and put
them in one place so that the reader can get a full account of what Jesus said
in one place. It is structured like a lecture teaching if you will that is
easily followed.
Mark on the other hand doesn’t include a
special sermon on the mountain. He talks about Jesus going to the mountain
several times and there is teaching or miracles that occur. So why are the two
so different? Maybe Mark is more focused on sharing with the Romans the nature
of God on earth. Which makes the miracles and healing stories far more
important than the upheaval of structure and order that is Rome. Mark is trying
to convince the Roman reader that Jesus is the Son of God, is divine and that
following Him is more important than loyalty to Caesar or any Roman God.
Luke likewise spends only one chapter on
the Sermon on the Mount. Did it happen? Apparently, two of the writers spend at
least one chapter on it. Did all the teachings of Jesus that we see in parallel
occur in that one teaching? Probably not? Which is why Luke spreads the
teachings throughout, bringing in what he would consider important lessons in
the story at the time of certain events, healings or confrontations with the
Jewish authorities. Remember the three writers are trying to convey a story
with an important message to their readers.
The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew is
the centerpiece of the teachings of Jesus. In the story we get all the
teachings of what is important to Jesus. Jesus focuses on reaching out to the
poor, the marginalized, the need to be humble before God and the need to great
witnesses to the message. Luke follows along but places these pieces in
different places and uses often-different words. Luke may be stressing the need
to reach out to the marginalized while Matthew is giving us the whole story
that includes the humbleness before God, the need to strive for peace, etc.
Matthew also spends more time on how we are to live our lives, anger
management, obeying the law and listening to the prophets, not storing up
treasurers here on earth, etc. Luke spends time telling these as well but
shares them within parables to emphasis the teaching.
So what do we glean from the Sermon on
the Mount and the stories that are attached in Matthew or disclosed in Luke in
other locations and settings. That Jesus is trying to change the very order of
things. That Jesus is reaching out to the poor, the marginalized and the sick.
Certainly all of these things. That Jesus is setting guidelines for how to live
our lives? Again, certainly! Mark never mentions the beatitudes but again, his
audience is Rome. He does allow the stories about the salt of the earth and the
law to be included in his dialogue. All three include the Lord ’s Prayer with a
twist. Matthew and Luke are very similar but Mark only asks to be focus on
forgiving.
The Lord ’s Prayer is worth noting how
it is handled by each of the writers. Matthew includes it in the Sermon on the
Mount. It is strategically placed between loving your neighbor, how you share
your witness and fasting. These are every day challenges for all Christians. Mark
almost includes it as a passing thought, placed between the prophecy of the fig
tree and their arrival in Jerusalem. Maybe he thought that it was an important
thought but not worthy of its own section in the story. Luke begins chapter 11
with the Lord’s prayer and quickly takes us on what can be done through the
power of God. Again Luke spends a great deal of time on miracles while Matthew
focuses on Jesus teaching.
No comments:
Post a Comment