Sermon on the Mount (Part 1)

Getting Ready for Life in God’s Kingdom

This is the first lesson in a series about the Sermon on the Mount, which is the longest teaching of Jesus recorded in the New Testament. At the end of this sermon, Jesus says that those who live by His words are like people who build their houses on solid rock (Matthew 7:24–25). That means it's very important for anyone who wants to follow Jesus to really understand what He is saying here and think about how it applies to our lives.

If we take the Sermon on the Mount seriously, we can see that it sets a high standard for how Jesus' followers are supposed to live. Jesus calls us to live differently from both the religious people who only follow rules and those who don't believe in God at all. He wants us to have a deeper love, higher goals, stronger moral values, and a more sincere spiritual life. We are called to stand out from the world—to live with a new way of thinking, acting, and relating to others. This teaching includes a new approach to how we view money, our goals, how we treat others, and even how we see ourselves.

So what is the Sermon on the Mount really about? It's a message about what life looks like when God is in charge. It shows us how to live under God's rule, which is actually the way we were created to live in the first place. Jesus, who lived the most fully human life anyone has ever lived, always followed the will of God the Father. He lived perfectly under God's rule, and He invites us to do the same.

The sermon starts with two verses that are very important. Matthew 5:1–2 says, "When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them." These verses set the scene and tell us several key things.

First, Jesus withdrew from the crowds. This wasn't because He didn’t care about them, but because being around crowds all the time can distract and exhaust a person. Jesus often went to quiet places to spend time alone with God and to teach His disciples. In this moment, He was getting ready to give them focused instruction.

The fact that He went up on a mountain is also important. This reminds us of Moses, who went up Mount Sinai to receive God’s law. Now, Jesus goes up a mountain to teach what it means to live under the new covenant. Like Moses, He is bringing a message from God—but this time, He is speaking with God's own authority.

The passage also says that Jesus sat down to teach. In His time, this was the traditional way that Jewish teachers taught. Rabbis would sit while their students gathered around them to learn. When Jesus said, "Follow Me," He meant that His disciples should listen to His teaching and live according to His example. But Jesus was more than just another teacher. Unlike other rabbis who quoted earlier teachers to support their points, Jesus said, "I say to you." He spoke with direct authority from God.

In fact, at the end of the sermon, the people were amazed because Jesus taught with such authority (Matthew 7:28–29). His words didn’t come from human traditions—they came from His own divine wisdom. He wasn't just explaining rules; He was giving new meaning to God's law and showing what it looks like to truly live for God. His standards are so high that no one can meet them without God's help.

Jesus ends this section of the sermon by saying, "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). That might sound impossible, and in a way, it is—if we try to do it on our own. But Jesus isn’t asking us to be flawless on our own strength. Instead, He is calling us to total devotion to God. This kind of life is only possible when we are born again and empowered by God’s Spirit.

Some people think the Sermon on the Mount is just a random list of Jesus' teachings that were put together later. But that view doesn't do it justice. It’s true that Jesus probably didn’t say all of these things in one sitting, and He spoke Aramaic, not Greek. What we read is a carefully translated summary of what Jesus taught. And when we compare it with Luke’s shorter version, sometimes called the Sermon on the Plain, we see that both versions highlight similar truths, like the Beatitudes, the Golden Rule, and the story of the two builders.

In both Matthew and Luke, the sermon begins with the Beatitudes and ends with a call to live by Jesus’ words. So even though they are different lengths, they share a common structure and message. That shows us that the core of Jesus’ message has been preserved, even if not every word is exactly the same.

I believe Matthew's version is a well-organized summary of Jesus’ most important teachings. It includes seven main parts that speak to every area of life. The real teaching starts in verse three, but the first two verses prepare us for what’s to come.

In verses 3–12, Jesus describes the character of someone who belongs to God’s Kingdom. These are the Beatitudes. It makes sense that Jesus starts here, because everything else flows from our character. If our hearts are right, our actions will follow. The Beatitudes describe people who are humble, who are sad about sin, who are gentle, who long for what is right, who show mercy, who are pure, who work for peace, and who are willing to suffer for doing what is right. These blessings aren’t rewards for being good—they are signs that God is working in someone’s life.

Next, in verses 13–16, Jesus talks about the influence that His followers should have. He says we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt makes food taste better and helps preserve it. Light helps us see clearly. In the same way, Jesus’ followers are supposed to make the world a better place and help others find the way to God. But if we lose our saltiness or hide our light, we can’t fulfill our purpose. Our influence depends on our character.

Then, Jesus talks about the Law of God. This is the third main part of the sermon. He says He didn’t come to get rid of the Law, but to fulfill it. The Law shows us what is right, but it also shows us that we can’t live perfectly on our own. That’s why we need grace. Paul says in Galatians 3:24–25 that the Law is like a teacher that leads us to Christ. Once we see how far we fall short, we realize how much we need Jesus.

Jesus is the only one who ever kept the Law perfectly. That’s why He can give us His righteousness. This is one of the most amazing truths in the Bible: Jesus takes our sin and gives us His perfection. Second Corinthians 5:21 puts it this way: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Imagine a chart with two columns. One column is labeled "Christ" and the other is labeled "Me." Under my name are all my sins—wrong thoughts, words, and actions. Under Jesus' name is perfect righteousness. On the cross, Jesus took my sin on Himself, and He gives me His righteousness. This is called justification. It means that God sees me as righteous because of what Jesus did.

None of us could ever earn this. Even if someone is better than others, no one meets God’s standard of perfection. If ten is the highest we can imagine, God’s standard is more like a trillion! We all fall short, so the only way God could stay just and still forgive us was to pay the price Himself. That’s what He did at the cross. It was the greatest display of both God’s justice and His love.

That’s what makes the Sermon on the Mount so powerful. It doesn’t just show us how to live—it shows us how much we need Jesus. And it calls us to trust Him to change us from the inside out.

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Questions for Reflection

1. In what ways does the Sermon on the Mount challenge our cultural assumptions about righteousness and religious devotion?

2. How does the metaphor of salt and light help you understand your role and influence as a follower of Christ in today’s world?

3. Why is character foundational in Jesus’ teaching, and how can you cultivate the Beatitudes in your own life?

4. How does understanding Christ's fulfillment of the Law affect your view of grace, righteousness, and justification?