Why the Sermon on the Mount?

Why the Sermon on the Mount?

by | May 31, 2020 | The Life of Jesus

​The Sermon on the Mount is a central part of the teachings of Jesus that we all know – it  demonstrates the essential nature of the Christian way of life as much as any part of Scripture. Many of us have memorized parts of the sermon as found in Matthew’s Gospel (chapters 5-7), but how much time have we spent thinking about the setting of the sermon as opposed to the sermon itself?
 
We tend to take for granted that the sermon was given on a mountain because we know that Jesus frequently climbed mountains (Luke 6:12, John 6:15, etc.) – though he usually did this to get away from people, to be alone and to pray.   In this case we are told specifically that he went up on a mountain with his disciples following him.

The New International Version tells us “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them” (Matthew 5:1-2).  This gives the impression that Jesus simply went up on the side of a mountain – the lower slopes.  But “side” is not in the original Greek (or in most translations), and the Greek anebē  eis to oros  “he went up into a mountain” conveys the sense that he ascended  on to the mountain – certainly well up toward, or to, its summit.
 
Now this wording is interesting, because when we compare it with the Old Testament account of how Moses went up onto Mt. Sinai to receive the law from God, we find “When Moses went up on the mountain …” (Exodus 19:3, 24:12).  In fact, the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures which many of the writers of the New Testament used, translates this with exactly the same words as those used of Jesus ascending the mountain: anebē  eis to oros.

Many Jewish readers of the 1st century would have recognized the beginning of this story of the Sermon on the Mount as being identical to the beginning of the story of Moses receiving God’s law.  This would have struck a deep chord for those readers because every devout Jew knew that God had told Moses:   “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him” (Deuteronomy 18:18). Every devout Jew expected this prophet like Moses, and the similarities between Jesus and Moses were clear for those ancient readers who knew the Hebrew Scriptures. 

For example, the infant Moses and Jesus both escaped death when a ruler attempted to kill the male Jewish children in the area, both hid in Egypt as a child, both gave up  life in a kingly home to lead a humble life of service,  both fasted forty days and nights, both communicated directly with God, both performed miracles, both provided the people with bread to eat, both sent out 12 individuals, both chose 70 individuals, both taught with authority – and both ascended a mountain for the giving of  key commands and instruction from God. 

With that background in mind, we can see the significance of the fact that throughout the first third of the Sermon on the Mount, the law of Moses is mentioned repeatedly, using the formula “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago …. But I tell you ….”  For example:

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment” ​ (Matthew 5:21-22, and see also Matthew 5:27, 31, 38, 43). 

Within the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made it clear to his followers that he was not doing away with or replacing the principles of the law given through Moses (Matthew 5:17-19). Instead, in this pivotal sermon – the longest connected teaching of Jesus in the New Testament – he gave new insight into those principles, raising our understanding of their intent to the higher level to which we are called.

Saying and Doing What Comes Naturally

Saying and Doing What Comes Naturally

by | May 17, 2020 | Relationships

H​ow many times, if ever,  have you heard someone say “white and black” for “black and white” or “potatoes and meat” instead of  “meat and potatoes”?   There are unwritten laws of how we speak, and even though we don’t consciously think about them – and no one ever really taught them to us –  we say what we have heard others say and what sounds natural to us. 
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We say “Ladies and gentlemen” and never “gentlemen and ladies,” even though we say “men and women,” not “women and men.”  In the same way, it’s always “bread and butter,” “thunder and lightning,” or “highs and lows” – never the other way around.

In some expressions we can see a certain kind of logic in the way we place one word before another – as with time order (“cause and effect,” “crime and punishment,” etc.); most important first (“bread and butter,” “fish and chips,” etc.); better first (“good and bad,” “pros and cons,” etc.). But often there is no seeming reason  for putting one word before another, yet it’s always “salt and pepper,” “cloak and dagger” – and countless other expressions where we naturally place one before the other.

The clearest example of this  kind of unwritten law of what we say is probably found in pairs of words containing the letter “I” where we always put the “I” first. That’s why we always say “hip hop” and not “hop hip,” or “tittle-tattle” and not “tattle-tittle,” “flip-flop” and not “flop-flip,”  “drip-drop” and not “drop-drip,” etc.  It’s hard to think of an exception to this tendency – we put “I” before other letters in dozens of pairs of words probably for no other reason than it seems natural, easy, and comfortable to us.

The actions in our lives can be a lot like that, too.  Although we may not consciously think about it and were never taught to do so, we tend to place “I” before other people in our interactions and relationships.   We may not mean to do so, but we often just naturally stress our own needs before those of others whether it is in the grocery store, or driving on the roads, in office meetings, or in talking with friends.  In countless ways we all tend to put “I” first. It’s just the natural thing to do. 

But the Bible turns life around in this regard and shows us that it is actually a whole lot better to resist what comes naturally in our attitudes and actions towards others. For example, the apostle Paul reminds us that we should “count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3), and that is definitely an attitude of putting others before ourselves.

It’s one of the most basic principles of Christianity, but especially in difficult times of social upheaval and difficulties –  when we may be particularly tempted to put our own needs ahead of those of others – we have to make a conscious effort not to place the naturally preferred “I” first.

When supplies are short in stores, when people are tempted to hoard more provisions than they actually need at this time, Paul’s continuing advice applies more than ever:  “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).

It may be natural to put ourselves first, but Christianity calls us to a much better way in which we do not do things because they are the “natural” thing to do – but the way that ultimately is the best for us and for everyone else.

What “I Can Do All Things…” Really Means

What “I Can Do All Things…” Really Means

by | Apr 19, 2020 | Difficult Scriptures, Encouragement

 
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13)
 
It’s a verse we all know, a verse that quarterback Tim Tebow inscribed in his eye black, one that has been engraved on thousands of items of jewelry and printed on countless items of Christian merchandising.  But does it mean what most people presume it means?  For many people this verse (and its slight variant “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” NKJV, etc.) has become a kind of Christian mantra, a spiritual guarantee that whatever we do will succeed if we act in faith. 

The truth is that Philippians 4:13 does not really say or mean anything of the kind. But what it really does say and mean can be infinitely more encouraging.

As with any biblical verse, “context is king.”  To understand what Paul had in mind with these words, we must look at the context in which he wrote them:
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“for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13 ESV).

The context shows us immediately that Paul was not talking about success in doing things, but about success in dealing with things –  the ability to accept and enjoy or endure (whichever is appropriate) whatever life may throw at us. 

The underlying Greek in which Paul wrote Philippians confirms this meaning. The Greek does not literally say “I can do all things” –  the word “do” does not appear in the verse at all. Rather, the words mean “I have strength for all things” –  in other words, “I can survive, deal with, handle, be content with, all things.”
The apostle tells us that he had fully experienced the positive and negative aspects of life –  “every circumstance” –  and he had learned that through the strength God gave him, he could successfully live through them all.
 
This is important.  Paul tells us he could not only survive the bad things with God’s help, but also the good things of life. Why would we need help in surviving the good things?  Simply put, the scriptures show us that both prosperity and poverty can be snares (Proverbs 30:8-9).  Although poverty can leave us bitter and even lead to stealing, prosperity can encourage complacency,  self-reliance and pride.  But Paul’s words show that with God’s help we can meet whatever circumstances we find ourselves in with a right attitude that does not distance us in some way from God.

As such, Philippians 4:13 has nothing to do with being able to accomplish goals or other things we may want to do in life. God certainly can help us with such things if it is his will, but Paul’s point does not relate to that fact.   Far more importantly,  Paul tells us that God can help us succeed in things that are far more vital than physical accomplishments – the things Paul was talking about. That is why the NIV translates this verse:  “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (emphasis added).
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Remember, too, that the apostle penned these words from a prison cell near the end of his life – hardly a position of success and accomplishment in physical terms. Nevertheless, Paul had learned that whether he  found himself in a palace or a prison cell, he could be content in the knowledge that God would help him to deal with it. For Paul, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” was not about performing well or fulfilling goals at the physical level,  but about achieving the things in life that matter the most. Philippians 4:13 is not about what we can accomplish with God’s help, but what God, through his help, can accomplish in us. 

The Psalm Behind the Words

The Psalm Behind the Words

by | Apr 5, 2020 | Difficult Scriptures

Two of the Gospel writers –  Matthew and Mark –  record that near his death Jesus called out with a seemingly strange statement:
 
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 ESV).
 
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34 ESV).
 
While Matthew records Jesus’ words in Hebrew, Mark records them in Aramaic (the language in which they were probably uttered); but the words are almost identical, and the meaning is the same.  
 
These troubling words have long been interpreted as showing at that point in time Jesus symbolically bore the sins of the whole world and God –  who cannot look at evil (Habakkuk 1:13) –  turned away from his Son who was left in near-despairing isolation.  Because sin cuts off from God, the argument is made, and Jesus at that moment represented all sinners –  so God totally cut himself off from his perfect Son because of our sins.
 
But is that what those terrible words really signify?  Did God really turn away from his only Son who had lived a life of perfect obedience – obedience all the way to death itself (Philippians 2:8)?  Although that may possibly be the case, we do not have a scripture saying that.  And how do we mesh that concept with the fact that it was because God loved sinners so much that he sent his Son to die for them (John 3:16)? Or the fact that God looks on and deals personally with every sinner he calls,  and that we have it on scriptural authority that “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ”? (Romans 8:38-39).

But there is another –  and far more positive – way to understand those troubling words of Jesus.  Jewish rabbis have long utilized the principle of referring to a scriptural passage by means of a few of its words, knowing that their hearers would mentally supply the rest of the passage. This method of teaching and reference (called “remez,” meaning “a hint”) was certainly used in  Jesus’ time and we see him employing it frequently –  for example,  in Matthew 21:15 when the children of Jerusalem shouted praises in his honor and the priests and teachers of the law became indignant.  Jesus responded by quoting only a few words from Psalm 8:2: “From the lips of children and infants, you have ordained praise.” But the religious leaders would have fully realized that the rest of that Psalm states the enemies of God would be silenced by children’s praises.
 
We see Jesus using this technique so often that when we turn to his words spoken on the cross “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” we can see immediately that this is undoubtedly what Jesus was doing.  The words are the opening words of Psalm 22 – the great messianic psalm that foretells even the smallest details of the Messiah’s death.  Every biblically literate Jew present at the crucifixion would have been reminded of the prophecies made in that psalm –  the insults of the mocking crowd (vss. 6-8), his dying thirst (vs. 15), the “dogs”/gentiles (vs. 16) who pierced his hands and feet (vs. 16), the casting of lots for his garments (vs. 18) –  simply by the “hint” of Jesus quoting its opening verse.
 
We should remember, too, that these words were the only ones we are told Jesus spoke “with a loud voice” (the fact is recorded by both Matthew and Luke) on the Cross.  These were the words – few though they were –  that Jesus spoke in his agony to all present – and all present would have likely recognized the intent of that small remez that referenced the whole of the psalm from which it was taken. Seen this way, we realize that Jesus’ words were his last great teaching. They were the final proof he offered that he was, indeed, the One who was prophesied.
 
Understanding those words in this way is not to argue that sin cuts off from God, but to suggest that we should not presume that this is why Jesus uttered the words he did. We should perhaps temper that concept with a fuller understanding of God’s love – that God does indeed always love us as his children despite our sins – which means that God still loved his Son also at that awful time of his shouldering of our sins.  Jesus himself told his disciples shortly before his crucifixion: “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me” (John 16: 32-33). 
 
In fact, the very psalm that Jesus quoted contains, near its end, not words of his rejection as he suffered, but words that Jesus knew he could trust completely: “He has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help” (Psalm 22:24).

* For more on the book of Psalms, download our free e-book Spotlight on the Psalms .  No registration or email is necessary to download here.

Quarantined or Sheltering in Place?

Quarantined or Sheltering in Place?

by | Mar 30, 2020 | Positive Living

If you are quarantined right now because of the COVID-19 virus or just sheltering in place, or perhaps not working because of the situation, you may have more time on your hands than you know what to do with.  If that’s the case, take advantage of the numerous free e-books we offer on this site, and the many more on our sister site FreeChristianEBooks.org.

You have lots of options there –  dozens of e-books by leading Christian writers – all free for download without registration or need to give an email address.  All you have to do is select the format you want to read on your computer, smart phone, or e-reader, then download and enjoy!

Having too much time on one’s hands is not fun after a while, but you can turn the situation around and use that time both profitably and enjoyably with good e-books.  So why not stock up – there is no shortage. But you may find a number of books that you would be glad to read!