To read the texts click on the texts: Isa 26:1-6; Mt 7:21,24-27
The three chapters beginning from 5:1 and ending at 7:29 contain one of
the most famous discourses of Matthew, known as “The Sermon on the Mount”. This is the first of the five great
discourses in the Gospel of Matthew.
Each of the five ends with the phrase, “and when Jesus had finished…”
(7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). The Sermon on the Mount begins by showing
Jesus as a Rabbi, teaching ex-cathedra (5:1) and ends by showing Jesus as the
Messianic prophet, addressing the crowds (7:28). The Sermon is a composition of
Matthew. An analysis of similar texts in the Gospels of Mark and Luke indicate
that many verses found here in Matthew are also found in Mark and Luke in
different contexts. This does not mean that Jesus did not say these words. It
means that Matthew has put them together in this manner. Most are agreed that
the theme of the Sermon is found in 5:17-20, in which Jesus speaks about having
come, not to abolish but to fulfil the Law and Prophets. He issues a challenge to those listening to
let their “righteousness” be greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees in
order to enter the kingdom. This they
will do if they internalize the law rather than if they simply follow it as a set
of rules and regulations.
The text of today is from
the conclusion of the Sermon. It begins with Jesus stating emphatically that
mere words on the part of people, even if one addresses him with lofty titles
and fervent pleas, will not gain one entry into the kingdom. Entry into the kingdom is determined by
“doing” the Father’s will. Right action is more important than right words.
What it means to do the
Father’s will is brought out clearly in the parable of the two builders. The
point here, besides action, is one of foresight. The builder who builds his
house on sand is doing, at first glance, as well as the one who builds his
house on rock. It is only when the rain falls, the storm comes, and the wind
blows, that the difference is seen. The house built on rock continues to stand,
whereas the one built on sand falls. The wise person represents those who put
Jesus' words into practice; they too are building to withstand anything. Those
who pretend to have faith, which is a mere intellectual commitment, or who
enjoy Jesus in small doses as and when it suits them, are foolish builders.
When the storms of life come, their structures fool no one; above all, they do
not fool God.
The sermon speaks of grace,
but the grace of God is known only in that community committed to doing God’s
will, as revealed in Jesus. There can
be no calculating “cheap grace.” One
must take the Sermon on the Mount seriously as the revealed will of God to be
lived. The subject matter of the sermon is not the person of Christ, but the
kind of life Christ’s disciples are called to live. One cannot avoid
Christology and appeal only to the teaching or great principles of Jesus, for
these are inseparable from the claims of his person. But, for Matthew, the
converse is also true: “Correct” Christological understanding can never be a
substitute for the ethical living to which Jesus calls his disciples.
Christology and ethics, like Christology and discipleship, are inseparable for
Matthew.
While some regard the Sermon
as an ideal to be read and not lived, others see it as being capable of being
lived out by only a select few. These kinds of interpretations miss the point.
Since the Sermon is addressed to both the disciples and the crowd, there is no
doubt that it is meant for all. It is a challenge to be lived out by anyone who
professes to be a disciple of Jesus.
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