There are many famous passages in the Bible. One only has to cite the title of one of these passages and a host of biblical themes come rushing into the mind from the memory, catalyzing soul and spirit. “The Creation Account” (Genesis 1:1-2:25), “The Flood” (Genesis 6:1-9:17), “The Plagues” (Exodus 7:14-12:30), “The Twenty-Third Psalm” (Psalm 23:1-6), “The Hundredth Psalm” (Psalm 100:1-5), “The Servant Songs” (Isaiah 40:1-55:13), “The Olivet Discourse” (Matthew 24:1-51; Mark 13:1-37; Luke 21:1-38), “The Passion” (Matthew 26:1-27:56; Mark 14:1-15:41; Luke 22:1-23:49; John 18:1-19:30), “Mars Hill” (Acts 17:16-34): all these are famous, but two even more recognizable are “The Ten Commandments” (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:1-21) and “The Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5:1-8:1). These passages are, of course, deeply related and only comprehensible in light of the finished person and work of Christ. Interestingly, even the Sermon on the Mount has famous passages within its famous passage—“The Beatitudes” (Matthew 5:1-16), “The Antitheses” (Matthew 5:21-48), “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13), and “The Golden Rule” (Matthew 7:12).
The Sermon on the Mount may have first received its name from a heading written in the Latin Vulgate by Jerome who completed his work in 405 AD. However, Augustine may also be credited with the title when he wrote a commentary on the Sermon on the Mount about ten years earlier. Origen’s Commentary on Matthew comprises our earliest extant sermons on the Sermon as he wrote a couple of hundred years earlier than both Jerome and Augustine. A search for books on the “Sermon on the Mount” today may offer you hundreds of different options to buy on Amazon, or one hundred thirty cited works in an annotated bibliography. Why this discourse of Jesus has been set apart by its own special title and why it receives so much praise from the Saints and sundry becomes obvious when the sermon is read and studied. The power and beauty of the text speaks for itself. Matthew 5:1-8:1 is set off by several intentional literary devices and contains some of the most beautiful and treasured teachings of Jesus Christ.
In this introduction we will first briefly survey the map of Matthew and locate the Sermon on the Mount as a major feature in this Gospel’s terrain. This mountain serves as a vital landmark. Second, we will make an account of the biblical-theological freight borne along by the Sermon’s first two verses (Matthew 5:1-2). This audit will be made largely by paying attention to the chapters which precede and follow the Sermon on the Mount, noting Matthew’s use of “fulfillment” and “kingdom” language. The third and final portion of our introduction will consider the literary structure of the Sermon itself and survey its significance within distinctive biblical schools of interpretation. In summary, we will take an hourglass shaped approach. We will think broadly about the Gospel of Matthew, then specifically about the Sermon’s context, then broadly again about the Sermon on the Mount as a whole. Along the way, my hope is that you, the reader of this introduction, will desire to be a more ardent reader of these sayings of Jesus, more convinced of their vital importance.
Book Introduction
The Gospel of Matthew is an old friend of mine. We really first met in late 2008 when I began preaching through the Gospel weekly in my first pastorate. When I completed the exposition in early 2012 I knew we would be lifelong friends, but there were many passages that still seemed remote to me. Jesus’ Kingdom parables and His Olivet Discourse remained out of focus. In several specific passages I only saw men like trees, walking. One of my most difficult times was in the Sermon on the Mount, as I tried to understand the supremacy of Jesus Christ and the relation of the new to the old. Many times, in my late twenties I just parroted the party line of the commentators, trusting in the safety of many counselors. The Gospel as a whole still fascinates me and I have often chosen research projects that bring me back to my old friend. Knowing its origin, purpose, location, cooperation and structure is a delight to my soul and a boon to my spirit. Such preparatory study will also help us better understand this Sermon.
Provenance
A brother in the early church named, Papias, was the first we know of to attribute the first Gospel to the Apostle Matthew as author. He said this sometime around AD 100. He claimed it was originally written in Hebrew for Jewish converts and translated for the sake of all the church. Other early writing and preaching servants in the church, such as Irenaeus, Origin and Eusebius repeated Papias’ testimony. Papias was born sometime around AD 60, a few years after Matthew’s Gospel was completed and a decade before the destruction of Jerusalem which Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24. Though many would reject Hebrew as the original language of the Gospel, reject an early date for writing and reject Matthew as the author altogether, I think there are good reasons to accept Papias’ testimony. This debate would take us far out of focus, but may provide profitable personal study.
Purpose
Matthew’s purpose in writing his Gospel is not so forthrightly stated as Luke’s (Luke 1:1-4) or John’s (John 20:30-31). We may deduce Matthew’s purpose from the repetition of his formulaic statements such as “That it might be fulfilled…” (Matthew 1:22; 2:15, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:54; 27:9-10, 35), and patterns such as, “Someone/something greater is here” (Matthew 3:11; 5:20; 8:10-12; 9:15-17; 11:11; 12:6, 8, 41-42; 16:13-16; 17:1-8; 23:8-12; 26:26-28; 28:18). The main theme of Matthew’s Gospel alerts us to his purpose, that of “Kingdom.” Used over fifty times, it is most often expressed in phrases such as “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” “The Gospel of the Kingdom,” and “The Kingdom of Heaven is like….” Many other repeated and related themes soak the discourses and deeds of Christ in Matthew’s composition. We may safely conclude that Matthew’s purpose was to demonstrate Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Covenant and the sovereign mediator of the New Covenant. His ministry of fulfillment comes in the form of the long promised Kingdom of God from Heaven (Daniel 2:44). Matthew wrote his Gospel to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. He wrote so that we all would know that Jesus Christ is the King, the fulfillment of God’s promises and the Savior for the world.
Placement
The provenance and purpose of Matthew’s Gospel accord perfectly with its placement in the New Testament and therefore the Biblical Canon. Somewhere along the line of grouping and translating the New Testament books, Matthew was given pride of place. The significance of this may be felt by asking the question, “Given the importance of understanding the New Testament’s relationship to the Old Testament, which book in the New is best suited to make that transition?” A different mind may propose Paul’s letter to the Romans, or Paul’s sermon to the Hebrews. Mark may have been more pithy, Luke more chronologically focused, John more theologically profound. Yet, Matthew’s focus on Christ as King fulfilling the Old Covenant in superlative fashion gives the proper hermeneutical approach for reading and understanding the Bible’s message as a whole. Matthew does not stand alone, however. This gospel is in bountiful and necessary partnership with the other three, Mark, Luke and John.
Partners
Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the “Synoptic Gospels.” They share many of the same stories and sermons of Jesus. John does not contradict but seems to enhance much of the Synoptic material with several robust theological discourses. It is best to view the Gospels not as security footage from four cameras to be spliced together, but as four thoughtful and accurate documentaries which are meant to be taken in as a full series. Each Gospel is to be received both as whole and as in partnership. This approach answers an important question about Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Luke 6:17-49) and its relationship to Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount.” (Matthew 5:1-8:1) There is no need to “harmonize” these two sermons which include similar themes but feature different emphases. It should be unsurprising to find the Master Teacher repeating His favorite ideas on different occasions. It is almost as if Matthew and Luke wanted their audiences to know these were separate sermons by carefully denoting the different locations where they were delivered. This conclusion is supported by the fact that the Gospel writers are not shy in specifying when a discourse is given on the same occasion, such as the Olivet Discourse. While appreciating the similarities and uniqueness of both sermons we will not be constrained to unnaturally change the meaning of the Beatitudes in Matthew to “conform” to the Beatitudes in Luke. Their harmony in Christ is demonstrated by reading them in agreement with their own contexts, as each Gospel progresses the story and significance of Christ.
Progression
The Gospel of Matthew begins and ends with a focus on Jesus Christ as King. His genealogy and advent are paired wonderfully with His death and resurrection to show that He has been given all authority in Heaven and on Earth (Matthew 28:18). All along the way, His miracles and ministry are built around five major discourses: “The Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5:1-8:1), “The Missionary Discourse” (Matthew 10:1-42), “The Parabolic Discourse” (Matthew 13:1-35), “The Discourse on the Church” (Matthew 18:1-35), and “The Olivet Discourse” (Matthew 24:1-51). Each of these are concerned with the Kingdom of Heaven, Christ’s position as King and what it all means for those who follow Christ and reject Christ. The principles laid down in the first discourse serve to define and bolster the teaching expanded on in the latter discourses. The Olivet Discourse is the last discourse of the five, and it does not achieve escape velocity from the others, not even the Sermon on the Mount. Several connection points will be worth considering and the progression of Jesus’ teaching will be appreciated. One example is the theme of opposition. In the Olivet Discourse Jesus declares the culminating Judgment of God upon the Old Covenant transgressors in Jerusalem. This teaching is preceded in chapters 21-23 by a series of importunate events which ramp up the animosity of the Jewish religious leaders toward Christ. This theme, however, is not late in developing. Jesus addresses how to understand and respond to opposition and does so early in the first Sermon. Such animosity is anticipated by Herod’s murderous scheming in chapter 2 and John the Baptist’s opposition in chapter 3. In fact, a great deal of what we read in Matthew 5-7 has deep roots in the rich soil of Matthew 1-4. Before we can understand the people, precepts, piety and principles of the Kingdom, we must first be enthralled with the Person of the King. The King is Who makes the Kingdom.
