The sermon was said to have been the greatest Jesus ever gave thus making in an incredibly influential part of Christian religious thought.
This sermon was rumored to have been given by Jesus himself after he had spent a solitary night meditating in the mountains near Capernaum. The sermon can be broken up as follows.
The Beatitudes
This is a list of very specific blessings to be given with people fitting certain descriptions. A few examples of “Beatitudes” would be:
- Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed are they that morn: for they shall be comforted.
- Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the Earth.
- Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
The bible holds two different accounts, thus two different forms of the “Beatitudes.” This is a selection from the account of Matthew, but there was also an account written by Luke. Luke’s version was unique in that it included a list of woes.
New Laws
The sermon contains what some would consider an “upgrade” to the Ten Commandments.
- Anger and hatred are forbidden, not only killing.
- Contentiousness is forbidden.
- Lust and not just adultery is forbidden.
- Divorce is to be considered adultery.
The principles of “loving your neighbors” and “turning the other cheek” also rear their heads in this section of the sermon. They are meant as a replacement for the “les talionis” concept.
- Do good deeds.
- Forgive and be forgiven.
- Do nothing for public reward.
- Build your treasures in Heaven, not on Earth.
- There can be only one God and he is the only God you can serve.
- Seek and you shall find.
- Be weary of false prophets.
- Do the will of God.
And perhaps most importantly, “The Golden Rule” (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you). This is far from a complete list, but is adequate enough to get the point across.
The Lord’s Prayer
The sermon brought about the birth of “The Lord’s Prayer,” which is potentially the most well known prayer of the Christian Faith. It is, in essence, a plea to God for the forgiveness of sins. There are, again, two versions of this prayer (Matthew and Luke), but the same general idea exists in both.
While the “Sermon On The Mount” is often looked at as one whole idea, it can be broken down into several different sections. While the ideas may all lead towards the same goal/conclusion, they exist as separate entities and should be dissected as such. In analyzing the literature this way, we gain a greater perspective on what the author's were trying to accomplish.
