Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 7

Brene Brown is a social researcher and author, who writes and speaks about issues like shame and vulnerability. In one of her books she mentioned the very simple, but wildly scandalous idea that most people, most of the time, are just doing the best they can.[i]

This isn’t easy, because if we are honest, most of us are our own harshest critics. When we live with putting ourselves down, for each tiny failing, or perceived failing, it becomes easy to treat other people the same way.

As humans we also tend to be self-focused, so if someone cuts in front of me in traffic, I get annoyed and wonder who they think they are; but maybe …

And when children spill water on the table, they don’t do it to make my life difficult, though that thought has crossed my mind.  

The Mum in one of the Friday families was telling me how hard it is to go out with her children, one has special needs and can go from a happy child to having a meltdown in seconds, and people judge her for her child’s behaviour, often quite loudly.

What is everyone is doing the best they can with what they have. I then have a choice, if someone hurts me, I can forgive; if the relationship is toxic or dangerous, I can walk away. [ii]

The chapter this morning starts with a reminder that ‘God will be as hard on you as you are on others!” sometime this reading is about not judging others, in this translation it is about not condemning others.  From my reading the original meaning was about condemning to hell or judging harshly. We all make judgements, and we need to be discerning –

will I accept the invitation of a ride home from someone I know is drunk?
Will I attempt an open ocean swim when I am not a strong swimmer?
Will I discourage someone from entering a marathon who has not trained?

We make judgements all the time, here we are being reminded that when we condemn another, we are answerable to God.

This idea continues in the next part, don’t offer to remove the speck from your friend’s eye, without removing the log from your own. We are reminded how easy it is to see someone else’s shortcomings and not recognise our own faults.

These sayings are hard.

The Sermon on the Mount is not easy teaching.

Forgiving others, not condemning, recognising our own shortcomings – none of these are pleasant; but these are not ideas or theories. The Sermon on the Mount is about how we live, not what we believe.

Later in the chapter we heard that not everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, now that sounds weird to me, but it also reminds me of the teaching of the prophets, such as in Jeremiah [chapter 7]:

Don’t fool yourselves! My temple is here in Jerusalem, but that doesn’t mean I will protect you. I will keep you safe only if you change your ways. Be fair and honest with each other. Stop taking advantage of foreigners, orphans, and widows. Don’t kill innocent people. And stop worshiping other gods. Then I will let you enjoy a long life in this land I gave your ancestors….

You are thieves, and you have made my temple your hideout. But I’ve seen everything you have done….

.. I won’t accept sacrifices from you. So, don’t even bother bringing them to me. You might as well just cook the meat for yourselves.

The Sermon on the Mount is not easy to live up to.

It includes what has been called ‘the Golden Rule’, you may have grown up with ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’, but in this version it reads ‘Treat others as you want them to treat you.’

If you want to be forgiven, then forgive
If you want to be treated with kindness, then be kind
If you want to avoid being condemned, don’t condemn others

The section Ask, Seek, Knock, has often confused me, God hasn’t given me everything I have asked for.  But when we read it in the midst of the Sermon on the Mount, and look at the verses that follow Ask, Seek, Knock, we see something more nuanced.

In these three chapters we have been challenged to not condemn, to forgive and to love our enemies,

None of this is simple, and I would venture that it is impossible to live this way all the time, we are human. By asking, seeking and knocking, that is through prayer, through relationship with God we can find the grace to obey these impossible demands.[iii]

When we take seriously the demands of the Sermon on the Mount, we need to also take seriously God’s readiness to help us in living them out.[iv]

 [picture - from https://www.stevethomason.net/studies/the-bible-bookshelf-archive/loj/matthew/ ]

Looking again at the Sermon on the Mount as a whole:

We see who is blessed – the poor, the meek, those who mourn – not the wealthy or high status.

Then we are told we are salt and light, not for ourselves, but for all of creation.

Then a series of “You have heard what was said to people who lived long ago. ….. But here is what I tell you….”

Now not only do not murder, but also do not hate or become enraged

Not only do not commit adultery, but also do not lust after another

not hate your enemy, but now love your enemy.

Then the section we heard last Sunday:

Don’t show off

pray in private
give in private
fast in private

how to pray

Don’t worry about tomorrow.

Then this series of teaching

Do to others as you would have them do to you

The Sermon beginning in Matthew 5 addresses the question … what sort of life does God’s reign shape?[v]

Gracious

Forgiving

Generous

Self-aware

What would it look like to assume the best about people?
Who in your life needs you to assume the best about them- could it be yourself?
Where do you need an extra dose of forgiveness and freedom?[vi]

---

[i] http://www.hannahrcollins.com/blog/2016/5/8/what-if-everyone-is-just-doing-their-best

[ii] http://www.hannahrcollins.com/blog/2016/5/8/what-if-everyone-is-just-doing-their-best

[iii] Interpretation: Matthew, Douglas R. A. Hare, p 79

[iv] Interpretation: Matthew, Douglas R. A. Hare, p 79

[v] https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3863

[vi] http://www.hannahrcollins.com/blog/2016/5/8/what-if-everyone-is-just-doing-their-best