The Sermon on the Mount: a powerful message that is often misquoted and misunderstood

The Sermon on the Mount, featured in Matthew 5-7, is a message of love, compassion, and selflessness. Teaching over several days, Jesus encourages his listeners to love their enemies, to forgive others and to care for the poor. Beginning in Matthew 5 with the Beatitudes, which offer guidance on how to live a blessed life pleasing to God, the Sermon on the Mount was a radical teaching. It is a call to live wholeheartedly for God through faith not just the external actions of keeping the law. It is not just a list of rules to follow but a call to live under grace and experience the blessings and rewards of a Christ-like life. It is a call to make a difference in the world. It is taught and quoted often. However, verses of the Sermon of the Mount contain some of the most misquoted and misunderstood passages. From anger and lust, to prayer and the most famously misquoted and misunderstood, judge not. 

Anger and Lust, two sins that begin in the mind before leading to sinful actions. Jesus discusses anger in Matthew 5:21-27 with the bold statement that anyone who hates his brother will face judgment just as someone who murders another will face judgment (Matthew 5:21-22). Anger is a sin as it violates God’s command to love. It is the seething, burning anger. It is the brooding anger that builds resentment and bitterness. The anger may be justified; however, harboring it in our hearts and minds can lead to damaging effects. While anger may be justified, we are not to harbor it in our hearts as it can control us instead of us controlling it. Jesus tells us to reconcile with those who anger us (Matthew 5:23-24). After discussing anger, Jesus immediately jumps to lust. Telling his audience that anyone who lusts after another has already committed adultery in his heart (Matthew 5:28). The desire or the thought of possible sex with someone who isn’t your spouse is sinful. To be truly faithful is to be faithful in body and mind. Wrong desires can lead to wrong actions which damages our relationship with God and with others. When Jesus says it is better to lose a part of your body than to be thrown in hell (Matthew 5:29). He is speaking figuratively. It is better to experience the pain of removing the habit or the desire for sin than allow the sin to bring judgment on our souls. 

In Matthew 6:5-15, Jesus teaches on prayer. Right off the bat, Jesus tells us not to be like the hypocrites and make prayer a big show (verse 5). The essence of prayer is a private communication with God, not a public declaration. There is a place for public prayer, however, do not pray simply for others to notice you. This type of prayer indicates that people are your intended audience and not God. Everyone is familiar with the Lord’s Prayer (verses 9-13). It is an example of how we can pattern our prayers. First, praying for God’s work in the world (verse 10), is not a resignation to fate but for the accomplishment of His perfect purpose in this world and in heaven. Second, praying for our daily needs (verse 11) acknowledges God as the provider and sustainer of our daily lives. Lastly, praying for God’s help in our daily struggles (verse 12-13) as we seek forgiveness and deal with temptations. Asking Him to “lead us not into temptation,” is asking God to help us recognize our temptations and the strength to overcome them. In verses 14-15, Jesus gives a firm warning: be unforgiving to others and God will be unforgiving to you. By denying forgiveness, we are denying the common ground that all sinners need God’s forgiveness. And a spirit of unforgiveness often hurts us more than the person sinned against us. As it builds a spirit of anger and bitterness. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting. It means letting go. 

Many people quote Matthew 7:1, focusing on three words of verse 1, “Do not judge,” and claim “you can’t judge me” and yet ignores the rest of the verses. Jesus tells us that we will be judged in the same manner that we judge others (verse 2-3). He is speaking to those who judge with hypocrisy. Don’t judge someone’s sinful nature while ignoring your own sins. We are to fix our own sins before judging and confronting others (verses 3-5). “Do not judge” is against the hypocritical attitude that divides instead of forgives and unites. It is not a blanket statement against all judgment. It is a call to be discerning rather than negative. To be discerning is to have or show good judgment. For example, first, examining Bible teachers and calling out the false ones (Matthew 7:15-20). Second, trusting God to be the final judge (1 Corinthians 4:3-5). While we may be justified in our judgment, correcting our brothers and sisters in Christ, however, we only know in part. God knows in full. We need to trust Him to be Judge. Lastly, correcting someone in love. In 2 Timothy 2:24-25, Paul instructs us to be kind, gentle and teach or correct without resentment and in hope that God will lead others to repent with the knowledge of the truth. Truth from a friend, while hurtful, is better than an enemy who lets us live in sin (Proverbs 27:5-6). So, judge without hypocrisy and correct in love. 

In conclusion, there is so much in the Sermon on the Mount that I wasn’t able to cover. It is an important message to Christians, to focus on love, compassion and selflessness. A message that heartfelt observance is more important than a legalistic observance. Anger and lust are powerful feelings. Beginning in the mind, unchecked, can lead to sin. Prayer is the most important communication method with God. While public prayer is acceptable, remember you are speaking to God, a holy activity, not a method to get attention from others. Prayers don’t have to be fancy or repeated like the Lord’s Prayer. Praying with a sincere heart is more important than the words being said. While the most quoted, the “Do not judge” section of the Sermon on the Mount is also the most misunderstood. We are to judge with love and the right motive. Judge is to correct someone and bring them back to God from the sin in their lives.