THE MAIDEN SERMON OF JESUS CHRIST
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16)
Humanly speaking, we could understand and interpret the first sermon Jesus Christ on the mount in a thousand of different ways. Jesus knows only one possibility and that is, simple, surrender and obedience, not interpreting it or applying it, but doing and obeying it.
The maiden sermon of Jesus Christon the Mount, chapters 5-7 in the gospel according to Matthew, contains the most important teachings of Jesus. The Sermon begins with the Beatitudes, and their call to humility, peacemaking, purity, and righteousness, and continues on to sharp condemnations of anger, lust, revenge, and hypocrisy, and then to the beautiful exemplar of the Lord’s Prayer. This is followed by strong admonitions against materialism, worry, and judging others. But it’s not all, for the Sermon on the Mount ends with Jesus’ encouragement to his followers to pray frequently and fervently, to live by the Golden Rule, to bear good fruit, and to build on the rock.
The teachings of Jesus guide our life and all our relationships with each other and with God. Jesus seeks to transform the entirety of our world, including the economic, the social, and all other aspects of life. His commands in the Sermon on the Mount are not theoretical or theological but quite practical: to forgive unconditionally; to renounce all violence; to stay faithful in lifelong marriage; to serve as the least and lowest; and to give up all power over others. His teaching is not an impossible ideal, but is truly good news: the news that the despair and death that rule the present age can be overcome through a life lived according to perfect love of God.
The dedication demanded in the Sermon on the Mount is not a new law or moral teaching. Instead, it is forgiveness. Its vital element is the light and warmth of the Holy Spirit. Here is Christ: the essence of salt, and the strength of the tree that bears good fruit. The Sermon on the Mount shows us the character of a community, which shines like a light for the whole world.
Have a blessed Week.
