Write a brief essay on the structure
and style of ‘The Sermon on the Mount’.
Answer: The term "The Sermon of the
Mount" originated from the title of Augustine's commentary on Matthew 5 -
7, De Sermone Domini in Monte, which was published in 391 - 396 AD.
Matthew 5 - 7 became well known as
the Sermon on the Mount in the 16th Century. The modern term of Matthew 5 - 7
is "Sermon on the plain". This term is used mainly to differentiate
between Luke's shorter version of the sermon of the mount from Matthew's
version. There are two versions of the Sermon on the Mount:
-
Matthew's version
Matthew 5: 3 - 7:27 which consists
of 106 verses.
-
Luke's version
"Sermon on the plain" Luke
6:20-49.
THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
ETHICAL
TEACHING
The gospel of Matthew provided the
Jewish Christians with evidences to ascertain their faith in Jesus as the
Messiah. Jesus in the gospel of Matthew introduced the kingdom of heaven. Hence,
the sermon of the mount is of great significance because it expounds the ethics
of the Kingdom of heaven which was introduced by Christ Jesus. Therefore, the
sermon of the mount summarised the code of conduct in this new kingdom of
heaven. Furthermore, the sermon of the mount set the standards of discipleship
in the kingdom of heaven. In this sermon, Jesus showed his disciples how to
live the life of the kingdom. This kingdom way of living lays great emphasis on
the inner life which is in contrast to the outward workings of religious
activities of the Sadducees and the Pharisees. In addition, Jesus
stated that, the ethical conduct of the disciples must exceed that of the
scribes and the Pharisees before they can enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew
5:20). Henceforth, the disciples of Jesus are called to a superior ethical
conduct which is by the Grace of God. This ideal character of
Discipleship in the kingdom of
heaven is achievable by the infusion of the gift of righteousness in the spirit
of the New Testament believer.
THE
STRUCTURE OF THE SERMON OF THE MOUNT
The Beatitudes forms the main
introduction of the sermon of the mount. The central section of the sermon is
from Matthew 5:17 to Matthew 7:12. This section opens and closes with Reference
to The Law and The Prophets. The sermon ends by an epilog in Matthew 7:13 - 27.
THE
KEY THEOLOGICAL THEMES OF THE SERMON OF THE MOUNT
1)
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3 - 12)
The Beatitudes are named from the
Latin word Beatus meaning blessed. These are the rewards from the blessings and
responsibilities of discipleship. The Greek term means "happy,
fortunate". In Matthew, there are nine beatitudes and four in Luke's
version of the Sermon on the Mount. The word Makarios is at the beginning of
the beatitudes. It means happiness which is as a result of God given salvation.
Jesus revealed in the beatitudes, the essential nature of true happiness. This
happiness is achieved by relying and depending wholly on God.
