Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount Matthew 4:12

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Matthew 4:12 - 5:2
Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew reports that the first Disciples that Jesus call were fishermen. Is there any significance to this? What characteristics would commercial fishermen have that would make them suitable disciples? What is surprising about Jesus' choice of these men?

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What is the invitation given to Peter and Andrew in their calling? What does this mean?

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What were James and John doing when they were called? How did they respond to the call? What do these accounts tell us about following Jesus? What does this say to us about priorities and loyalties?

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In Matthew 4:23-25 Jesus ministry is described as one of preaching, teaching and healing. The ministry of healing obviously refers to the cure of those with various spiritual/emotional/physical illnesses. It was a sign that the "kingdom of heaven" had really begun to break into history in the person of Jesus Christ. The ministry of healing was a visible sign that God was reversing the old order of the world that was governed by sin, sickness, death and hell with the coming of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

Matthew mentions Jesus' teaching and preaching. What is the difference between these two?

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Matthew says that Jesus taught in the synagogues. The synagogue (literally: Congregation) was a Jewish institution that came into existence following the exile of the Southern Kingdom in 587 B.C. It was a place of religious training as well as the "town hall" in most villages. The order of synagogue worship was simple: Prayers followed by readings from the Law and the Prophets, followed by an address delivered by one of the men. There were no set clergy and different men spoke each time they gathered for synagogue worship. Following the "sermon" there was a time for discussion. It is from the synagogue that early Christians derived their order of worship.

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount.

What we call the Sermon on the Mount is the central teaching of Jesus presented by Matthew. Matthew probably adds to this teaching the other central teachings of Jesus that he repeated throughout his earthly ministry. Much of what is contained in Matthew 5-7 is also in Luke's Gospel, but is spread out and not confined to a single discourse. It is reasonable to think that Jesus repeated these teachings many times throughout his ministry.

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them.... Matthew 5:1,2 NKJV

Matthew indicates that Jesus called his disciples out from among the "multitudes" and took them aside for this teaching. But we are not to think that this was merely the Twelve. Rather all those who wanted to follow him in earnest. John Wesley interprets this passage to mean that he addressed the entire multitude that had gathered. How do you think the general crowd reacted to these words? How about his disciples?

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Jesus sat down to deliver this message. It is not accidental that Matthew records this fact. Jewish rabbis often taught many of their lessons coincidentally as they walked along with their disciples. A situation would arise or someone would make a statement and the rabbi would comment upon it. But when a rabbi wanted to deliver his official teaching he sat down to make his pronouncements. So what does this tell us about the Sermon on the Mount?

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The Scripture then says that Jesus "opened his mouth". That phrase in the Greek language is not just a way of saying "he started talking". Rather it means a solemn, dignified utterance and also a word that comes from the outpouring of one's heart. Again, what do we learn about this teaching from these facts?

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The verb translated "taught" is in the past imperfect tense in the Greek. It could be translated, "this is what he used to teach them". In other words it represented what Jesus habitually taught his disciples. This then, is the official, central and consistent message of Jesus to those who were his followers.

The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus' teaching about life. This is how life is to be lived by those within the Christian Community, the Church, which is God's Kingdom Colony here on earth. They are the standard for Christian conduct. The words here have been criticized as being too difficult for anyone to live out. Yet they are Christ's command to his followers. Is Jesus setting the standard too high? How does he expect us to fulfill these teachings?

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