As we study the Sermon on the Mount I will approach it from three perspectives; first the Old Testament historical setting, second looking at the life of Jesus and how he lived out his message, and third how the followers of Jesus and writers of the New Testament letters lived out and reflected back on their Master. I would also like to approach it on three levels; an overview, a closer look, and a detailed examination.
I like to think of the Bible as a book with a plot and Jesus as the hero or main character. Imagine the Bible written as a Hollywood movie; two lovers are engaged to be married then just when everything seems perfect for them to live happily ever after a sly villain enters the scene, he tempts and steals away the heart of the young lady, the two lovers attempt to contact each other but the messages are stolen, the two depart on trains for opposite ends of the earth, the man spends the rest of his life searching for his lost love, he finds her but must come to her in disguise, will she recognize him? He must make a huge sacrifice to bring her out of captivity, will she recognize it? Jesus is the lover and the sacrifice, the hero! And so the Bible ends with bride and groom reunited after a very long separation. This event of Jesus entering is the focus of the plot of the Bible. Hopefully as we read the Bible we will not miss this drama.
We need to see how all of the Old Testament sets the stage for Jesus. To look at the themes of the Bible this way gives it continuity and shows us that it is one unified book by one author, and so other books do not have a place added onto it.
The foundation for what Jesus teaches in his sermon is first taught in the Old Testament. And I believe that the Old Testament (OT) has a universal aspect that should appeal to people of all cultures around the world. Jesus will refer to the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and most of these Ten Commandments can be found in most of the cultures of the world. Most anywhere you go in the world you will find cultural traditions teaching to honor your parents, don’t steal, don’t kill, and respect sexuality and other things similar to most of the great Biblical Ten Commandments. So the Bible is similar yet unique. The Ten Commandments also say some things fairly unique to the Jewish culture; don’t have any other god’s, don’t make any idols, and take one day of work off each week to respect God and the sacredness of life. I like to study the similarities of world religions and also their differences. But having this kind of background understanding shows me that when Jesus talks about issues like murder and adultery he isn’t just talking exclusively to some odd group of Hebrews stuck in a time warp somewhere. For me I see this common morality as an indicator that we possibly came from one Creator. I see it as our Creator’s dna or fingerprint upon the heart of humanity.
Jesus was foreshadowed in the OT in a profound way that helps me believe that the life story of Jesus was premeditated. Many mythological figures just kind of appear in some mysterious way. And truly the Jesus story has some elements that could be seen this way. But his story is also deeply rooted in the Jewish Bible and the Jews would never alter their book to make Jesus appear more valid. Some of this foreshadowing takes the form of archetypes and these archetypes again are similar to those found in other cultures. Again for the believer we can see this as common yearnings in the heart of mankind and that these yearnings are fulfilled when God reveals himself in Jesus. The most profound Biblical archetypes are; the man, the savior hero, the warrior, the king, the priest and the prophet. Moses was the classical figurehead prophet of the OT, the lawgiver of Israel. Moses was doing great as God’s prophet until at one point he disobeyed in an act of irreverent unbelief. After this act God said to Moses, “I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” (Duet. 18:18 NASB). When Jesus began teaching and doing miracles this prophet to come was on the minds of the people, “Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” (John 6:14 NASB). God said to Moses that this ultimate prophet would speak all that he was instructed to speak; he would be the perfect prophet. This theme of contrast with Moses is essential to understanding the Sermon on the Mount.
This leads us to the most profound question, “Is Jesus a false prophet or a true prophet and is he that prophet predicted by Moses as his superior replacement?” Either way you lean the answer to this may appear as an assumption to you. But I assure you that this is a most critical question. The statements that Jesus makes here were very radical in the culture he spoke into and I believe are more radical now than we allow them to be. When he claims that he came to fulfill the law and the prophets of the Old Testament he becomes the central focus of the Old Testament. His radical teachings were tearing at the fabric of all the religious traditions of his day. At times he seems to contradict the Old Testament, which according to the Old Testament would make him a false prophet. At other times he seems to give an authoritative inspired interpretation and proper application to the Old Testament. I believe that Jesus stretches all of us in our presumptions and the box we would like to contain God in. I am partial to the idea that Jesus was the ultimate prophet because he not only spoke the words but lived them; the living Word of God. If this is true then he truly does fulfill what Moses could not.
The opening verses or introduction to the sermon reads, “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying” In Exodus Moses went up on the mountain to talk with God alone and the people were not allowed to approach, “the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘ Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.” (Exodus 19:12 NASB) The ministry of Moses was characterized as one of fear and trembling. But here in contrast with Moses is Jesus who also goes up to the mountain but draws the people to himself without fear. I know this may not seem obvious but if we understand the way the Bible works with foreshadows and fulfillment we see it as very intentional and profound.
