To read the texts click on the texts: Isa 55:10-11; Mt 6:7-15
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”.
It is important to have a
brief background of the Sermon in order to appreciate fully each separate text
within it. The first point that we note about the Sermon on the Mount is that
it is the first of the five great discourses in the Gospel of Matthew. Each of these
five ends with the phrase, “and when Jesus had finished…” (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). It 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 second point that must
be kept in mind is that 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 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.
The third point is the
theme, which will determine how one will interpret the Sermon as a whole. 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 fulfill the Law and Prophets, and 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.
The mountain is a
“theological topos” in the Gospel of Matthew (Luke’s Sermon is from “a level
place” see Lk 6:17) and
therefore means much more than simply a geographical location. Matthew does not
name the mountain, but by choosing it as the place from where Jesus delivers
the Sermon, he probably wants to portray Jesus as the New Moses delivering the
New Law from a New
Mountain. While Jesus in
the Gospel of Luke “stands” and delivers the Sermon (Lk 6:17), in Matthew, Jesus sits down. This is the
posture that the Jewish Rabbis adopted when communicating a teaching of
importance or connected with the Law. In Luke the crowd is addressed from the
beginning of the Sermon and addressed directly, “Blessed are you poor…” (Lk 6:20), but in Matthew, it is the
“disciples” who come to Jesus and whom he begins to teach.
The section on Prayer begins in 6:5 and Jesus contrasts the prayer of
his disciples with the prayer of hypocrites who like to be seen by all and also
Gentile prayer which heaps words upon words and may also mean a prayer made to
many “gods” to placate them. This kind of prayer is only for self gratification
or to receive favours. The prayer of the disciple is to God who is Father and
who knows what they need even before they can ask. Thus, prayer is not simply
to place the petition before God who is all knowing but primarily to
acknowledge dependence on God for everything.
What follows this contrast is the prayer that Jesus teaches his
disciples and which is commonly known as the "Our Father". However, a
better term for this would be "The Lord's Prayer". The reason for
this is because there are two versions of the same prayer. The other is found
in Lk. 11:2-4. There, the pronoun "Our" is missing and the prayer
begins simply with "Father". In Matthew this prayer is at the very
centre of the Sermon and must be read with that fact in mind. It begins with an
address and then goes on to make two sets of three petitions. The address of
God as “Father” brings out the intimacy of the relationship that disciples and
God share. The pronoun “Our” here indicates that God is not merely the father
of individual believers but of the community as a whole and therefore all in
the believing community are brothers and sisters.
The opening petitions indicate that prayer does not begin with one’s
needs, but with the glory and honour due to God. God’s name is and will be
honoured by all men and women, since God as revealed by Jesus is primarily a
God of mercy, forgiveness and unconditional love. The kingdom of God
has come in Jesus and is also in the future when God will be all and in all.
This is a situation in which God will show himself to be king as he has done in
the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. As Jesus constantly did
God’s will, so it will continue to be done both in heaven and on earth. It is
only when God’s will is done rather than one’s own that there can be true and
lasting peace and harmony.
Despite petitioning God for something as stupendous as the kingdom, the
disciple also acknowledges dependence on God for something as regular and
ordinary as bread. God’s forgiveness is unconditional and without any merit on
the part of the disciples. However, in order to receive this forgiveness which
God gives graciously and gratuitously, the disciple will have to remove from
his/her heart any unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness or anger that might be
present there. The prayer ends with a final petition that God, who always leads
the people, will not bring them into a time of testing, when the pressure might
be so great as to overcome faith itself, but that he will save them from the
ultimate power of evil.
The Lord’s Prayer is not
just a prayer; it is also a way of life. The words of the prayer communicate
the attitude that one must have toward God and others. While we must
acknowledge our dependence on God for everything that we need and regard him
always as the primary cause, our attitude to others must be one of acceptance
and forgiveness.
No comments:
Post a Comment
You may use the "Anonymous" option to leave a comment if you do not possess a Google Account. But please leave your name and URL as www.errolsj.com