About the Sermon on the Mount

Video Transcript

"Sermon on the Mount is a passage of scripture that is found in the gospel according to Matthew in the Christian tradition. Chapters five verse one through chapter seven verse twenty eight. There's also a parallel passage that's called in the gospel of Luke, the sermon on the plain. Which is very much abbreviated but gives you a different touch on the teachings of Jesus Christ. The portion in the gospel according to Matthew is the first part of five separate collections in the gospel of Matthew. And it speaks about the teachings of Christ beginning with the beatitudes which are known as the blessed part of the sermon on the mount. For example, blessed are the poor in spirits for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted and then blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. There are other beatitudes as well. But the one on the meekness, I was driving past the church the other day and they had a sign out that said, "If you think meek means weak, try being meek for a weak". And so I thought it was quite a challenge for us to think about, different ways of looking at the sermon on the mount from the environment in which we live. Our church speaks about the Lord's Prayer which is also in the sermon on the mount, found in chapter six. We also know that as the Our Father, which are the words that begins with Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. In contrast to the rule of the roman empire at the time of Jesus Christ, the sermon on the mount gives us an alternate lifestyle that was being offered by the empire that tried to control people's lives everywhere. The sermon on the mount provided instruction and catechisms down through the years. The sermon on the mount continues to inspire people and bring a sense of order, ethics, and a way of life that benefits all people instead of just one particular group. I would encourage you to not only read that section of scriptures but go to a Christian bookstore and look at the many books that are on the sermon on the mount. It's particularly important to follow your faith tradition. Whatever your denomination is, speak with your pastor about resources that will help you better understand the sermon on the mount."