Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount Essay

To what extent was The sermon on the deal (Matthew 5-7) intended to be a unmistakableive honourable teaching for all lot?Matthews dissertation on the Mount is one of the 5 main blocks of teaching in the gospel- emulating Torah. Without our noticing, faith can deviate into religiosityThat is when the teaching of messiah brings us up with a jerk.1 The oration presents the reader with a radical teaching from savior, completely divergent to any preliminary teaching in Judaism it offers a stark contrast to the Old Testament. The radical change is the shift between legalism and obstinate Jewish law to an wildness on person and relationship with idol and neighbour. It is important, firstly, to understand Matthews purpose in including the Sermon on the Mount For Mt, saviour, not the law, stands as the decisive centre of his phantasmal universethe criterion of judgement, the norm to be taught.The Sermon on the Mount opens with the beatitudes, which describe all types of people as happy happy argon the brusque in spiritgentle mercifulpersecuted (Mt 5 13) These beatitudes include all people, they start the sermon as it means to go on its intention is to entrust respectable teaching to all people. In this essay I string out explore and aim to decipher the extent of which the sermon presents a distinct ethical teaching with the aid of diverse and important viewpoints. The first view, of the sermons ethical teaching, is the Absolutist View. This view rejects compromise all the precepts in the Sermon mustiness be taken literally and utilize universallyIf obeying the scripture costs the welfare of the believer, then that is a reasonable sacrifice for salvation. 2 The last part of the retell almost replicates Mt 530if your right hand should cause you to sin, cut it off and throw it away for it will do you less slander to lose one part of you than to arrive your whole body go to hell. There are traces of absolutism deep down the sermon a deontological u ndertone to it. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones would struggle that The principles, it was said, were there laid down as to how life should be lived by men, and all we have to do is apply the Sermon on the Mount. 3 John P. Meier states that Mt has spiritualised and generalised the beatitudes, making them applicable to the spiritual needs and moral endeavour of every member of his church.4 It is by this that he indirectly suggeststhat they should/must be applied by every member of Matthews church. These two scholars would break through to support the tyrannical view that the sermon was greatly intended to be a distinct ethical teaching for all people.In Salt of the Earth and Light of the World and The Fulfilment of the jurisprudence the reader may feel a loyal sense of personal witness the need to stand up for what is clearly right and what is clearly wrong your light must shine in the tummy of men, so that, come uponing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in Heaven (M t 516) There is an element of prescriptivism in this text Jesus was confirming a place for the law and a clear sense of absolute right and wrong in the Kingdom of Heaven.His intentions were not to annihilate the Law further to complete them (Mt 517-18) His teaching was an invitation to behave in a certain way. the man who infringes even the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 519)There is as well an absolute message in The Golden RuleSo always treat others as you would like them to treat you would like them to treat you that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets. (Mt 712) Jesus words are direct to his people and it is hard to argue that this is not a distinctive ethical teaching to all people because of the absolute and universal qualities held in words like So always treat his instructions account f or all cartridge clip, people and place. Jeromes biblical explanation on The True Disciple could be seen to uphold literal living out of the sermon The words of Jesus are a call and a challenge to action they are not mere teaching, and understanding them is an insufficient response. The challenge is serious failure to meet it is followed by catastrophe.5Some would argue that the absolute view of the Sermon on the Mount is ridiculous, that people cannot be expected to literally live out the strenuous commands of the sermon. This is supported by a view, which is much common, the Hyperbole View. It contends that Jesus deliberately overstated His demands. Jesus demonstrated this kind of teaching technique outside the Sermon 6 If readers are to live out the sermons ethics they need to be toned-down to modern society standards. Keith Ward appears to support thisin his book, where he maintains that The sermon is utilise properly when it is taken as a guide for meditation and for moral self-examination.7 It is clear to see why some of the examples given by Jesus are seen as hyperbole, because of the extreme solutions Jesus provides to problems of moral actionsIf your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away (Mt 530)if a man panoramas at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Mt 528-29 It would be a ridiculous idea to take these two teachings literally, instead the Hyperbole view would suggest that these are exaggerations that carry a message. The message of the first is the severity of sinning and not to let evil and sin encompass you, if you sin once, cut yourself off from that experience, do not keep sinning. If the second reference was to be toned down to modern day society the message would not be that you shouldnt look at any woman (who is not your wife) in any way that could be seen as lustfully, rather one should devote their attention, loyalty and lust to their wife. This eschatological view, by maj or German thinker, Martin Dibelius, suggests that whilst the ethics within the Sermon are absolute, the current fallen state of the present day makes it impossible to live up to them.Their failure to live up to them is inevitable According to dispensationalism, this is the block of grace meaning that failure to live up to the sermon is justified, but a period in the future will see mankind able to live up to Jesus teaching. You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly father is perfect. (Mt 548) Rob Warner quotes The Sermon on the Mount is an ethic of extremism. Jesus demands are positively mountainous and his idealism may appear naive and unworkable. 8This may be due to the lack of emotions involved when examples of moral decisions are givenCome to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on your way to court with him (Mt 525) love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Mt 544-45)It is not only your actions that are scrutinized, but your though ts too.Again, emotions and human nature are not taken into account which makes the commands appear unattainableif a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Mt 528-29) The Unconditional Divine Will view is relateed to the Repentance View, the view which sees the Sermon as essentially Law in nature and is therefore designed, as Paul described in Galatians 324, to lead unto Christ to repent of their sins and believe on Christ. The final exam view, of the extent of ethical teaching in the sermon, is the General Principle view it argues that Jesus was not endowment special instructions, but general principles of how one should behave.The specific instances cited in the Sermon are simply examples of these general principles9 My interpretation of the sermon is in accordance with the General Principles view, a lot of the text can be seen to offer general codes of behaviour and description of character, the examples are not to be taken as literal actions, they put forward general principles that should be used when making moral judgements and actions.But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing. (Mt 63-4)go to your private room and, when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place (Mt 66)These are prime examples of ethical teaching by Jesus which should not unavoidably be taken literally they merely provide general principles. The general ethical principle provided is that prayer, fasting and almsgiving should be prompted by right spring and good will, not something to be done overtly in order to be hailed as a impeccant person. To be hailed as a virtuous man is a sufficient award for those who seek recognition they obtain what they seek and that is all they obtain.10 There are various ethical theories that arise throughout the sermon that portray its distinct ethical teachings. Motive and good will are general principles of Kantian ethics utilitarianis m and situation ethics also muster up up within the sermon, the general principles of these theories constitute the ethics that Jesus-in his teaching- and Matthew- in his recording- intended for all people to take away with them. Utilitarianism is raised by the emphasis on reward in Mt 5 and situation ethics arises within the text in talk about purity of heart and eyeif your eye is diseased, your whole body will be all darkness. (Mt 623)Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your brothers eye. (Mt 75)Jesus warned the Pharisees not to become absorbed in questions of external cleanliness.11 For Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven, it is inner cleanliness, of the heart and mind, which matter For Mt, purity of the heart involves a simple directness in ones intentions and attitudes, an undivided heart 12 This quotation from Meier sums up the sermons structure I associate the simple directness with the lower, working class a udience of which the sermon is directed to teaching which (unlike the built-in moral tradition of antiquity) was addressed to the lower strata of society. Jesus demonstrated the blessedness of the poor by showing that actions of profound moral import lay within their power. 13The simple directness of intentions and attitudes transpires in Jesus emphasis on right motive and good will. The question of an undivided heart is raised in Matthew 6- God and Money No one can be a slave to two mastersYou cannot be the slave of both God and money (Mt 624) Again, money could be meant in the literal sense (material goods coming between the relationship with God) but it also serves as a symbol for anything which becomes a barricade to God Jesus ethical teaching, the general principle, is that you cannot serve God with a divided heart.In the sermon, Christ does not really give us diminutive and detailed commands to be obeyed. He draws from us the inner resources of moral discernment which enabl es us to see what love is and should be.14 I think perhaps that the general principles link into the idea that the sermon was not intended as a distinct ethical teaching in the sense that they direct moral actions because one cannot invertebrate foot their actions around scripture alone.Christian ethical thinking remains a mixture of the application of human reason, the understanding of scripture, reflection on tradition and devotion to the magisterium of the Church. 15 Rather, it is a teaching that inspires man to practice his virtuous religious actions. Thomas Aquinas maintains that every moral question can be reduced to the term of the virtues16.According to J.F Keenan, the real question of ethics is not What should I do? but Who am I? Who ought I to become? and How am I to get there? Aristotle advocates that one reveals their true nature when one acts in spontaneous situations, in the unplanned and ordinary life. The sermon appears to support this Jesus presented his teaching s by giving examples of ordinary people acting morally in everyday circumstances. In practicing the seven scarlet tanager virtues (temperance, fortitude, prudence, justice, charity, hope and faith), right moral action comes naturally through clear judgement, good reason and a pure heart all the principles that propounded by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.Plato juxtaposed each cardinal virtue with the social classes. Temperance was associated with the working/producing classes i.e. the farmers and craftsmen, fortitude with the warrior class, prudence with the reasoned rulers and Justice did not form part of the class system it governs the relationship among the tether classes. Word Count 2155 with quotesBibliography1) Keith Ward- The Rule of Love- Reflections on the Sermon on the Mount2) Chp. 4 The Sermon and ethical motive(Part 1) Twelve Approaches to the Sermon on the Mount3) D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones- Studies in the Sermon on the Mount 4) John P. Meier- Matthew The Sermon on the Mount5) Jerome Biblical Commentary6) A.E Harvey, Strenuous Commands7) Rev. Patrick Allsop, M.A- Ethical Theory And New Testament Ethics8) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae Prologue, II-II9) Rob Warner- The Sermon on the Mount1 Keith Ward- The Rule of Love- Reflections on the Sermon on the Mount Chp.2, pg.7 2 Chp. 4 The Sermon and Ethics (Part 1) Twelve Approaches to the Sermon on the Mount 3 D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones- Studies in the Sermon on the Mount v1, pg 13 4 John P. Meier- Matthew The Sermon on the Mount, pg 39 5 Jerome Biblical Commentary6 Chp. 4 The Sermon and Ethics (Part 1) Twelve Approaches to the Sermon on the Mount 7 Keith Ward- The Rule of Love- Reflections on the Sermon on the Mount, introduction 8 Rob Warner- The Sermon on the Mount9 Chp. 4 The Sermon and Ethics (Part 1) Twelve Approaches to the Sermon on the Mount 10 Jerome Biblical Commentary11 John P. Meier- Matthew The Sermon on the Mount, pg 41 12 13 A.E Harvey, Strenuous Commands, pg. 7614 Keith Ward- The Rule o f Love- Reflections on the Sermon on the Mount, introduction 15 Rev. Patrick Allsop, M.A- Ethical Theory And New Testament Ethics 16 Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae Prologue, II-II