The Sermon on the Mount by Jesus Christ is one of the most famous and at the same time most misunderstood texts in the Bible. It occupies three chapters in the Gospel of Matthew and ends with a striking reaction from the audience:
“The crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matt. 7:28–29).
The unusual nature of this sermon begins with the very first words. Jesus went up on a mountain, sat down, and began to teach his disciples, unfolding the Beatitudes before them. And what they heard directly contradicted all their life experience and the culture of that time. And our culture today as well.
“Blessed are the poor… Blessed are those who mourn… Blessed are those who are persecuted…”
Anyone who seriously encounters these statements inevitably comes to one of two conclusions. On the one hand, one can consider this a kind of sophistry, beautiful words that have nothing to do with harsh reality. After all, our experience tells us that happiness is success, wealth, carelessness, and recognition. The world defines happiness through strength and independence.
On the other hand, we can see here a complete redefinition of the very concept of happiness. But even having accepted this intellectually, we find how difficult it is to fulfill. Even as believers, we continue to want to be strong, well-fed, and needed, and by no means poor, mourning, or rejected.
The Sermon on the Mount forces us to stop and ask ourselves uncomfortable questions. We love the doctrines of grace when God loves and forgives us. But here the same God says that we also need to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, and give our all. As theologian D.A. Carson noted: “There is a light in these chapters that draws Christians to it, but the light is so bright it sears and burns and shames.”