7. the Sermon on the Mount, Part 2

8/13/2019 7. the Sermon on the Mount, Part 2

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Lesson #7The Sermon on the Mount, Part 2.

(Matthew 5: 17-48)


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In Lesson #6 we joined the crowd on the hillside of the Mt. of

Beatitudes as Jesus began his brilliant expository teaching, The

Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), the first of five Great

Discourses that comprise the core of Matthews narrative

structure.

In Lesson #6 we focused on Jesus clever and memorable

introduction to the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes,

nine counter-intuitive statements that repeat in pattern and

sound: Blessed is A, for they shall be B; blessed is C, for they

shall be D; and so on.

And we learned that with blessedness comes responsibility:

You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world.


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In Lesson #7 we move from Jesus clever and

memorable introduction to the main body of his

teaching: six propositions that exceed the Law.

The six propositions echo the repetitive structure andsound that we saw in the Beatitudes: You have heard

it said A, but I tell you B; you have heard it said C, but I

tell you D and so on.

The six propositions do not abolish the Law; rather, theytake us into the inner dynamics of the Law, fulfilling and

transforming it.


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Recall the Gospel according to Matthews overall

mirrored chiastic structure

A Narrative: Jesus as Messiah, Son of God (1-4)

Minor discourse: John the Baptist identifies the authority of Jesus (3:7-12)

B Great Discourse #1: Demands of true discipleship (5-7) [SERMON ON THE MOUNT]

C Narrative: The supernatural authority of Jesus (8-9)

D Great Discourse #2: Charge and authority of disciples (10)E Narrative: Jews reject Jesus (11-12)

F Great Discourse #3: Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven (13)

E Narrative: Disciples accept Jesus (14-17)

D Great Discourse #4: Charge and authority of church (18)

C Narrative: Authority and invitation (19-22)

B Great Discourse #5: Judgment on false discipleship (23-25)A Narrative: Jesus as Messiah, suffering and vindicated (26-28)

Minor discourse: Jesus identifies the authority of the church (28:18-20)


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1. A clever and memorable introduction (5: 2-16)

2. Six propositions that exceed the law (5: 17-48)

3. Six concrete actions that implement the Law (6: 17: 6)4. A dramatic call to action (7: 7-29).


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Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Simon Bolivar orchestra of

Venezuela at Carnegie Hall


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J.S. Bach, opening Praeludium from Partita No. 1, BMV 825, 1stedition, 1731.


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Six Propositions that Exceed the Law

(Matthew 5: 17-48)

Prologue (5:17-20)

Proposition #1: Murder (5:21-26)

Proposition #2: Adultery (5:27-30)Proposition #3: Divorce (5:31-32)

Proposition #4: Oaths (5:33-37)

Proposition #5: Conflict (5:38-42)

Proposition #6: Love (5:43-48)


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The Prologue (Matthew 5: 17-20)

. . . not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass

away from the law, until all things have taken place(Matthew 5: 18).


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1. More narrowly, the Law refers to the Pentateuch, or the

five books of Moses, Genesis through Deuteronomy.

2. More narrowly yet, the Law refers to the Ten

Commandments listed in Exodus 20: 1-17 and repeated inDeuteronomy 5: 6-21.

3. In the 3rdcentury A.D. the Jewish sage Rabbi Simlai

mentioned in a sermon (Talmud Makkot 23b) that Torah

enumerates 613 specific mitzvot, or commandments.

4. The great medieval Spanish sage, Maimonides (A.D. 1125-1204), codified the commandments in Sefer Hamitzvot

(Book of Commandments).


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(Matthew 5: 17-48)

Prologue (5:17-20)







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Bartolomeo Manfredi, Cain Kills Abel (oil on canvas), c. 1600.

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.


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The Hebrew verb retzach in Exodus 20: 13 and

Deuteronomy 5: 17has a wide range of meaning in

Scripture including: to break, to smash, and to slay,kill and murder.

Context determines how retzach is translated.

In the context of the Ten Commandments retzach refers to:

The unlawful, premeditated taking of

another persons life.


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(Matthew 5: 17-48)

Prologue (5:17-20)







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Kevissimo [Kevin Rolly], The Story of Judah and Tamar (oilgraph on

wooden panel). Created in performance at Black Cat Gallery, Los

Angeles, June 2009.


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(Matthew 5: 17-48)

Prologue (5:17-20)







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Il Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri),Abraham Casting Out Hagar

and Ishmael(oil on canvas), 1657. Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan.


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(Matthew 5: 17-48)

Prologue (5:17-20)







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(Matthew 5: 17-48)

Prologue (5:17-20)







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So beperfect, just as your heavenly

father isperfect (Matthew 5: 48).

Perfect = Greek, telos. We get the English word telescope from

telos. It carries the sense of the end goal or completion.


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Bravo, Matthew!


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1. As Christians we are told we are saved by Grace,not by works of Law. So why does thePrologue to the Six Propositions emphasize theLaw?

2. The 1stproposition states: You shall not kill. Is

this a blanket condemnation of all killing, or areJesus words limited to a specific context?

3. The 2ndproposition says: If your right eyecauses you to sin, tear it our and throw it away.Should this be taken literally?

4. Likewise, should the 5thproposition about

retaliation be read literally. If not, how should itbe read?

5. What does Jesus mean when he says, beperfect?


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Copyright 2014 by William C. Creasy

All rights reserved. No part of this courseaudio, video,

photography, maps, timelines or other mediamay be

reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic

or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any

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7. the Sermon on the Mount, Part 2