Introducing the Sermon on the Mount -- Jesus answers your questions in Matthew 5
- mww
- 3 minutes ago
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Jesus pulls no punches with His followers.
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Matthew 5
In this, the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus explains to His new followers what they are in for. In this first of three lessons, we see how Jesus points them to a new understanding of reality: the Old Testament is fulfilled in Him, and He is the truly authoritative interpreter of God's Word. Jesus' followers are to look to Him for truth and understanding.
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (5:48)
When We Studied This Passage Before
(And yes, Lifeway chose an almost identical passage in 2016.) Interestingly, that study came on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, so everything is heavily geared toward that.
Murder, Anger, and Christianity - the Values in Matthew 5:17-45
Our worst decisions
Jot and tittle
Jews and the law
What is murder?
Pharisees and Sadducees
What does life begin?
Obviously, there are some valuable connections between this passage and the value of life. But this year, our focus is a little broader.
In that post, I mention a previous study that must have been about the Beatitudes that covered an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. Sadly for me, I can't find those notes.
Getting Started: Things to Think About
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
This Sunday is between Christmas and New Year's Day, and it's usually a rather low-impact Sunday. People are travelling; people are tired. You're probably going to share some Christmas stories, and that's great. I've got a couple of ideas how you might be able to connect that with this week's lesson from Matthew 5.
Christmas and What's Really Important
The older we get, the more our perspectives change -- most of us begin to prioritize people more than things, love more than grudges, and other people's joy above our own. But I also think that a lot of us get more clarity about what's right and what's wrong, what's true and what's false, and what's "a hill worth dying on".
By Sunday morning, you'll have had a few days to think about your various Christmas gatherings and interactions. Based on that, what sticks with you about what's really important?
And then your retrospective question for the end of your group time: how does your perspective line up with what Jesus says about priorities? Are you coming closer to or further away from Jesus' kingdom principles?
New Year's and Putting First Things First
I don't need to remind you that I fully reject the idea of "New Year's Resolutions". If it's important, just start doing it. But if we're having this discussion at the turn of a new year, then everything lines up nicely, doesn't it?
For these next three weeks, we're going to be studying the Sermon on the Mount, filled with fundamental truths for what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Of what we learn, what do you need to prioritize in 2026?
In other words, encourage your group to take some good notes and star those things they're going to start working on. This discussion would be something like -- what makes for a good resolution? You want to encourage your group to set healthy, reasonable goals. In my experience, that includes:
Something bite-sized (a reasonable goal)
Something measurable (else how would you know if you've done it?)
Something you can start right away
Something you can be held accountable to
If your group can come away from these lessons with a plan for the new year, I'd call that a great outcome!
Where We Are in Matthew
Remember, in honor of Christmas, we've taken the beginning of Matthew out of order. For our purposes this week, remember this:
In chapters 1 and 2, Matthew establishes key truths for his Jewish audience: Jesus is a descendant of David / Judah, Jesus was born of a virgin, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Jesus was attested by Gentiles but rejected by Jews, Jesus experienced exile in Egypt, Jesus grew up in Galilee
In chapters 3 and 4, Matthew establishes the worthiness of Jesus' ministry: baptized by John the Baptist (the final prophet), fasted in the wilderness (40 days = 40 years), tempted by the devil but resisted through the Word of God, began to preach the message of the kingdom of heaven, called the first disciples, ministry of miracles over the body, mind, and spirit, quickly attracted a large following
With that whirlwind of an introduction, Matthew immediately inserts Jesus' most famous "sermon" -- a telling of His most important lessons related to this "kingdom of heaven" He was proclaiming. I have heard this called Jesus' "Kingdom Manifesto".
Jesus, the Itinerant Teacher
This something very important for us to remember: Jesus was an itinerant preacher. In chapter 4 alone, Matthew says that Jesus preached in hundreds (!) of towns and villages. If you've ever listened to a traveling preacher or evangelist (or a comedian or a musical artist) more than once, you know that you're likely to hear something you've heard before. Why? Because they have their "best material", and they want to share it with all of their audiences.
And Jesus was the greatest teacher in all of history. He was the greatest "wordsmith" ever, and His brilliant and memorable teachings translate to every culture, which explains how His teachings are known verbatim in every language by even non-Christians.
Jesus taught these lessons many times in many settings. (Luke's "Sermon on the Plain" comes to mind.) And He probably did not give this sermon verbatim each time -- He included other teachings or He skipped over some teachings based on the audience.
Many scholars believe that Jesus did this first "lesson" over a full day or multiple days, which means that Matthew would have edited this sermon "for length". That's fine with me; Matthew was clearly an intelligent and detail-oriented student of Jesus', and he would have heard Jesus teach these things many times (so he understood Jesus' "point").
Personally, I believe that the Sermon on the Mount was an actual single "sermon"; Jesus gathered His followers early in his ministry and hit them with this well-rehearsed, carefully-planned "fire hydrant blast" of what these followers needed to know. I also believe that Matthew the tax collector (not yet a disciple) heard it, and it made a life-changing impact leading to him becoming a disciple and including this sermon in his Gospel.
"The Chosen" did a compilation video of their setup for the Sermon on the Mount, and you might be interested in it:
They take the approach that Jesus' disciples prepared the hillside itself for this sermon. I'd not thought about it that way, but I'm open to it. "The Chosen" takes seriously the idea that this was an actual, single, opening lesson, which I wholeheartedly endorse. There was nothing haphazard about Jesus' ministry. (Note: the young man who breaks down in tears during the sermon is their Matthew the tax collector.)
One thing the episode does very well is project just how shocking and challenging Jesus' words would have been to His audience. Jesus was the greatest revolutionary ever -- just in ways that no human could ever have imagined.
This Week's Big Idea: the Sermon on the Mount
[Lifeway gives us only three lessons in this very important passage, so I'm working out how to make sure we have the full context for it (we need to understand the whole sermon for the individual teachings to make the most sense).]
Matthew says that Jesus "went up on a mountainside" (="into the hill country") and sat down and taught His disciples who had gathered around Him. That's why this is called "The Sermon on the Mount". "Sitting down" is the posture of a teacher. This next bit is very important: the audience for this sermon was His disciples -- people who had already made an effort to follow Him. In other words, this is not an evangelistic / "seeker" sermon -- Jesus is "preaching to the choir", and we need to remember that when we encounter some harsh or strict words. (The video above rightly shows that there would have been plenty of onlookers, but Jesus designed this sermon for His followers.)
Here is an outline of the entire Sermon on the Mount based on Carson's commentary:
The Setting (5:1-2)
The Kingdom of Heaven (5:3-16)
The blessings of the kingdom (Beatitudes) (5:3-12)
Expanding the kingdom (Salt and Light) (5:13-16) [1]
The Kingdom and the Old Testament (5:17-48)
Jesus fulfills the Law (5:17-20) [1]
Anger and reconciliation (5:21-26)
Adultery and purity (5:27-30)
Divorce and remarriage (5:31-32)
Oaths and truthfulness (5:33-37)
Injury and self-sacrifice (Eye for Eye) (5:38-42)
Hate and love (Love Your Enemies) (5:43-47) [1]
Summary: be perfect (5:48) [1]
Overcoming Religious Hypocrisy (6:1-18)
The principle (6:1)
Example: alms (6:2-4)
Example: prayer (6:5-15)
Inappropriate prayers (6:5-8)
The Model Prayer (6:9-13)
Forgiveness and prayer (6:14-15)
Example: fasting (6:16-18)
The Kingdom's Perspective (6:19-34)
Unswerving loyalty (Treasures in Heaven) (6:19-24) [2]
Uncompromised trust (Do Not Worry) (6:25-34) [2]
The Kingdom's Perfection (7:1-12)
Don't be judgmental (7:1-5)
Don't be undiscerning (7:6)
Go to the Source (7:7-11)
Summary: The Golden Rule (7:12)
Conclusion: call to commitment (7:13-27) [3]
I've highlighted the verses we're covering in our official lessons -- that leaves a lot that we're not covering. To help fill that gap, I'm going to link the wonderful Bible Project videos on these chapters. You'll notice that their outline is slightly different, and that's fine. Outlines are our ways of trying to understand and teach the Bible. Jesus didn't preach an outline.
The Bible Project Videos
These videos are only a few minutes of content apiece, so you can watch multiple. Everything they say reflects scholarly consensus, so I'm comfortable giving them to you without further comment. Here's their anchor page:
Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount -- everybody should watch this.
The Beatitudes - 5:1-12
True Righteousness - 5:13-20 -- this covers part of this week's passage
Murder, Adultery, Divorce - 5:21-32
Oaths, Cheek, Love Your Enemies - 5:33-48 -- this covers part of this week's passage
Give, Pray, Fast - 6:1-18
Next week's lesson picks up with 6:19, and I'll link more videos at that time.
What We Need to Know for This Week's Lesson
You see from the outline that we skip a bunch of stuff; here's what you need to know.
The unifying theme of the sermon is obviously the kingdom of heaven. (We've talked about that at length the past few weeks.) Jesus has been proclaiming that it is "near", and now He explains to those who have responded to Him what that means. Importantly, Jesus explains the relationship between His kingdom teachings and the Old Testament (something that we should all be thinking about -- considering we just studied Deuteronomy!).
But even more importantly, Jesus explains who the kingdom is for -- not the rich and powerful (those who have already "received their rewards") but the poor and lowly, the outcast and foreigner, those who mourn the presence of sin in the world. And this is the group Jesus will use to change the world.
Part 1: Our Job Is to Expand the Kingdom (Matthew 5:13-16)
13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Let me remind of the outline:
The Setting (5:1-2)
The Kingdom of Heaven (5:3-16)
(b) Expanding the kingdom (Salt and Light) (5:13-16)
This is at the beginning of the sermon -- Jesus has identified (and identified with) His audience. They are poor; they are hurting; they are powerless. But they are also God's plan to change the world. Consider the words right before this:
11 You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. 12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
This audience of outcasts and lowly -- remember what we said a few weeks ago about Galilee -- are God's "new prophets". The Old Testament prophets took God's message to a sinful culture that didn't want to hear it, and most of them suffered for it. Jesus' audience also had the message of God (even if they didn't quite realize it yet) and we told to share it with the world.
Salt
The ancient Mediterranean world didn't have refrigerators. So, how did they preserve meat? Do some research! Here's a super-simple page if you want to be lazy:
In other words, salt wasn't added for flavor but for preservation. Jesus' followers would be the remnant that kept the world from going to "hell in a handbasket". But what would happen if the salt lost its ability to preserve?
Light
The companion is light. If we think of salt as being the "defense", then light is the "offense". Jesus' followers are not just to "hunker down and survive" but to boldly go forth and shine.
And this should only make sense -- if you have a flashlight, and you see somebody looking for something in the dark, wouldn't you go and help them find it? The teachings of Jesus are God's light for humanity, and it's our obligation to share it with the world.
This makes me think about something we studied in Deuteronomy:
4:5 Look, I have taught you statutes and ordinances as the Lord my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to possess. 6 Carefully follow them, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the peoples. When they hear about all these statutes, they will say, ‘This great nation is indeed a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? 8 And what great nation has righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today? 9 Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you don’t forget the things your eyes have seen and so that they don’t slip from your mind as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.
If the Jews had lived by the law of Moses, they would have changed the world. But they didn't. And in fact, they let the world change them! But that must not be so for Jesus' followers.
The most important difference would be the Holy Spirit, but Jesus' doesn't teach about that part of salvation for a while yet. Instead, the difference He emphasizes here (why His followers would succeed where the Jews failed) is that His followers would understand something the Jews did not: the Jews thought that it was about them; the Christians would know that it's actually about everybody else. The Jews pursued earthly gain; Christians would be taught to pursue heavenly gain. The Jews had a worldly perspective of blessing; Jesus' followers would have His perspective of true blessing.
See how this fits together? And, more important, why Jesus says this at the beginning?
If we don't accept Jesus' view of "what's truly important", then we will never obey the commands He's about to give.
Aside: Fun Things about the Text
Salt, by chemical definition, cannot lose its flavor. And that seems to be Jesus' point. His followers will never "lose their function". However, if salt is diluted by too much impurity, it loses much of its value.
Salt in that day came from evaporated salt marshes. If the salt miner got a patch that was filled with too much junk (and thus useless for human consumption), Jews would use that salt on their flat roofs to harden the dirt.
"You" is very important -- by calling His followers the salt and light of the world (don't lose sleep over the distinction between "earth" and "world"), Jesus was clearly saying that the rest of the Jews were not that salt and light (or anybody else, for that matter).
"City on a hill" is almost certainly an allusion to the Old Testament prophecies about Zion (the "New Jerusalem), to which all the nations of the world would come (Isa 2, etc.)
"Basket" refers to any container of dry goods, which could include a box or a bowl. This word is used to describe a 2-gallon size.
Part 2: What About the Law of Moses? (Matthew 5:17-20)
17 Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
The outline:
(3) The Kingdom and the Old Testament (5:17-48)
Jesus fulfills the Law (5:17-20)
This would have been a very, very important question to much of Jesus' audience (and most of Matthew's audience!). Many of them would have been faithful Jews. The very idea of willfully breaking the law of Moses would have been anathema. You might remember this warning given to Paul in Acts 21:
You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law. 21 But they have been informed about you—that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to live according to our customs. 22 So what is to be done?
This was a very tense and testy subject for them.
And Jesus was super-clear: He did not come to do away with that law but to fulfill it. Jesus did everything He could to remove this potential misunderstanding. [Note: Jesus was very aware of His divine mission from the very beginning.]
"Law and Prophets" basically refers to the Old Testament; Jews in that day had not defined the divisions that we use today (Law / Prophets / Writings). So, what does "fulfill" mean? There are so many theories (Jesus "confirms" the law; Jesus "completes" the law; Jesus "explains" the law; Jesus "keeps" the law).
Here's the explanation that makes the most sense to me: the Old Testament points to Jesus. It's not about whether or not the Old Testament should be kept or discarded, it's about what Jesus says about the Old Testament. Jesus is the authoritative interpreter of God's Word. What we "do" with the Old Testament is what Jesus tells us to do -- and in this case, it's to understand why God gave the Jews the law in the first place.
And God's Word is never void -- everything in God's Word will be "accomplished". This does not mean "obeyed" because Jesus is not just talking about the commands; this means that God's divine purpose will be completed without the tiniest discrepancy.
The next lines are really important -- Jesus is clear that people who break God's commandments are found in the kingdom of heaven (i.e., sinners can be saved, and saved people sin), but they are "lessened". This really seems to suggest some kind of "rank" in heaven (we often think of this as "rewards"). Don't lose any sleep over that -- "slightly-less-than-infinity" is still infinity, and there will be no jealousy in heaven.
But now the biggest question of them all -- what are "these commands" that we're supposed to keep? It can't be "every command in the Old Testament" because Jesus is soon to explain how some of those laws are obsolete. It can't be an arbitrary distinction of "moral laws" vs. "ceremonial laws" because Jesus doesn't say anything about that. Rather, Jesus is talking about the Old Testament as He teaches it. Jesus has just said that the Old Testament points to Him, and He's about to give some very powerful examples of how people are to live by Old Testament commands, so He's basically talking about "His commands".
Here's how Carson says it: "His teaching, toward which the OT pointed, must be obeyed."
And His teaching is not more lenient. The Pharisees were the "carefullest obeyers" of the Old Testament in all Israel, and they were not close to "good enough" for the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus did not want mindless obedience to a letter of a law (which they didn't understand); He wanted righteousness that the law revealed.
Aside: Fun Things about the Text
"Heaven and earth disappear" basically means "the end of the age"; it does not mean "forever".
A "stroke of a letter" refers to the famous "jot and tittle"; for our purposes, think if it as the difference between Q and O, or E and F. Tiny marks, big changes.
"Surpasses" can mean quantity or quality; Jesus is basically saying that His followers will have a new kind of righteousness. He doesn't explain "how"; we won't learn that for a long time.
Part 3: Example: Hate and Love (Matthew 5:43-48)
43 You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The outline:
The Setting (5:1-2)
The Kingdom and the Old Testament (5:17-48)
Jesus fulfills the Law (5:17-20)
Anger and reconciliation (5:21-26)
Adultery and purity (5:27-30)
Divorce and remarriage (5:31-32)
Oaths and truthfulness (5:33-37)
Injury and self-sacrifice (Eye for Eye) (5:38-42)
Hate and love (Love Your Enemies) (5:43-47)
Summary: be perfect (5:48)
Jesus then sets out several critical examples of what He means -- "What is His authoritative interpretation of the Old Testament?" "How does that point to a new kind of righteousness?"
In each example, He gives a standard formula -- "You have heard . . . but I say". "You have heard" means "You have understood" or "You have been taught". This is not an antithesis (like some argue) -- Jesus is not criticizing the Old Testament. He is saying that their teachers failed to understand the point. And now Jesus, the ultimate Teacher, will tell them what it means. It will then be on them to use these same principles to understand the rest of the Old Testament.
Nobody taught like this (no matter what some scholars try to say) -- that's why the crowds were "amazed" at Him.
You probably don't need help understanding what Jesus says. You just need to do it. You probably don't like it -- you have enemies that you would just as soon God blast. Why can't Christians have that attitude?
Jesus is teaching His followers to recognize and appreciate their own sinfulness, God's continuous grace in their lives, Jesus' own self-sacrifice for others, and our need to also put others first.
This basic principle, seen in all of these examples Jesus uses, can be summed up in "Be perfect". That's . . . daunting. So, later on, Jesus will come back to it with "Treat others how you would have them treat you" (which is easier to wrap our heads around).
Realize what Jesus was saying: the Old Testament law was rooted in love, not hate. People today who complain about the law being so punishing and hateful and condemning could not more misunderstand the Old Testament. All of the Old Testament was toward God's people loving and respecting everyone.
Jesus is not saying that God's "loves" everyone in the sense that everyone will be saved. God (and Jesus) still treat people according to their intentions -- rather, this is talking about what is often called "common grace" (or "prevenient grace"). God gives everyone a new day, and they have the agency to do with it as they will. But God does not turn a blind eye to sin, and neither should we -- Jesus calls this being "innocent as doves but also shrewd as serpents".
The conclusion to "be perfect" has caused much handwringing. It's impossible. And, well, that's kinda the point. Jesus is presenting a kingdom ethic that is so aspirational for His followers as to be out of their human reach.
But it's also not. Remember a few weeks ago when we studied Moses' words:
Deut 30:11 This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach. 12 It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 13 And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’ 14 But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it. 15 See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 For I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
Moses was pointing to Jesus' words. The fool and the rebel throw up their hands and say, "This is impossible!" The faithful follower of Jesus says, "Lead me, Lord."
This word "perfect" means "complete" or "whole". Jesus was not saying that His followers had to obey every Old Testament law perfectly. He was saying that His followers are to let His words shape every part of their lives. When they fall short, they pray for God's forgiveness and start again, enjoying God's grace.
There are no "partial Christians".
Aside: Fun Things about the Text
Jesus is talking about "agape" "self-sacrificing" love; Christians are to show this even to our enemies (just as He did).
Jesus teaches the reinforcing nature of love and prayer, something we have talked about many times; it's hard to hate someone you are truly praying for.
"Tax collectors" refer to the local agents of Rome; most of them were nationals, explaining why their compatriots thought of them as traitors.
"So that you may be children of" is not causal; Jesus is not saying this behavior will make them a child of God; rather it will reveal them as a child of God.
Merry Christmas!