Lesson 32 – Sermon on the Mount (or Plain)
Big Idea: Jesus turns things upside down.
Historical Background
The “Sermon on the Mount” recorded in Matthew’s Gospel and the much shorter “Sermon on the Plain” recorded in Luke’s Gospel both represent an early sermon given by Jesus after choosing an inner circle of followers (disciples / apostles). Most scholars think that these are two different accountings of the same sermon. If this is true, obviously, neither account is a word for word report of a speech that Jesus once gave. However, both accounts represent sayings and teachings that go back to the historical Jesus and early Christian community – the major difference is how each author remembered and arranged them.
In Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, much of Jesus’ ethical teaching offered “along the road” in Luke and Mark is arranged in a neat, rhetorical order. All of these themes are arranged such that Jesus’ teaching of the Lord’s Prayer occurs at the center of the sermon, thus giving the rest of the teachings a new orientation as they point to the central idea of this prayer. In Luke’s account, the change in location, and attention to detail accounting who is listening to the speech reflect once again Luke’s central focus on the validity of the Gospel for all people.
Included early on in both accounts is what has come to be known as the “Beatitudes” (a word which literally means “Blessings” or “Good Fortunes”). These statements are prophetic declarations concerning the already/not-yet reality of the Kingdom of God. While things may seem bad now, Jesus assures his followers that they are already a part of a different reality in God’s Kingdom – a reality that turns the secular world of “haves” and “have nots” upside down.
Application
In light of these sermons, briefly describe Jesus’ vision for the world (in one or two sentences):
What does this say to you about the way God works? Is it fair? Why or why not?
In what ways did the disciple’s world fall short of this vision? How does our world fall short?
In what ways did the early Christian church work to make this vision a reality? How do we (as individuals / the church) work to bring about God’s Kingdom on earth?
How would our lives be different / changed in this new reality?
How is Luke’s account of the beatitudes different than Matthew’s? What do “woes” mean for us?
Compare Matthew 5:16 to our baptismal service. What does it mean to be salt / light for the world? How does knowing that Jesus is addressing his disciples in the plural (“yinz are the light of the world”) change this meaning?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
Pray: In your daily prayers, reflect on the beatitudes (the blessings that come from Matthew 5:3-10). Read each verse out loud three times, pausing for 10-30 seconds after each reading, allowing the Spirit to move in you as you hear the words again in the text.
Ponder: Remember a time you received a gift you didn’t think you deserved. How did you feel? Was it easy or difficult to accept this gift? How did you feel after you accepted it?
Who are your enemies? Can you even imagine yourself “loving” them? What would it look like to do one loving thing for an “enemy”? How might they feel? How would you feel if they did something loving toward you? Can you imagine what that would look like?
In light of Matthew 5:17-48, make a searching inventory of yourself and your sins. If possible, seek out another person (or the pastor) and make a confession of your sins (you can follow the order provided in the back of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism – also available in the church library – or simply tell your confidant that you are going to share your sins with them,ask them to listen and then remind you that God forgives you).
How do you pray? How often do you pray? With whom do you pray? To whom do you pray? In light of Matthew 6:1-13, what do you think Jesus would want to teach you about praying?
Is prayer an important part of your life? Why or why not?
Do: Watch the movie Daddy Day Care. In this film, the main characters lose their jobs and decide to start an in home day care business instead. How do their relationships change as a result (with family, friends, co-workers, etc)? In what ways would our relationships change if we lived out the beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10)?
Post a Comment