The Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5 to 7, is the longest collection of Jesus’ teaching in the New Testament. It is addressed first to his disciples, with the crowds listening in, and it describes what life in the kingdom of heaven looks like.
It opens with the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” These are not rules to earn favour, but a picture of those whom God draws near. Jesus then calls his followers salt and light, and shows how the commandments reach beyond actions to the heart, in matters of anger, faithfulness, honesty and love for enemies.
In the middle of the sermon sits the Lord’s Prayer, in Matthew 6:9-13, a short prayer that teaches us to ask for God’s name to be honoured, for daily bread and for forgiveness. Jesus then speaks about money and worry, and tells his listeners to seek first God’s kingdom, in Matthew 6:33.
The sermon ends with a picture of two builders, in Matthew 7:24-27. One builds on rock and the other on sand. The difference is not how well they heard the words, but whether they acted on them. It is a fitting end to a sermon that invites us not just to admire Jesus’ teaching, but to live it.
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