A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about the Sermon on the Mount. I titled it "It's All in the Details." In that essay, I mentioned Matthew 5:1 and said that I always thought the multitudes were there listening to Jesus as He taught from the mountain. I also said perhaps the multitudes were not there after all. I thought that because verse 1 says that "His disciples came to Him," and because I heard a sermon that said verses 2 through 16 was specifically spoken to them (the disciples).
Since that post, I read through the Chapters 5 through 7 several times. After discussing the idea with two men whose Bible knowledge I respect, I now realize I was probably wrong. The multitude was probably still there. It makes sense. Jesus went to the mountain to be able to teach all the people from there. Just because His disciples came to Him does not mean the multitudes went away.
So I apologize if I misled anyone at all with my previous post. It is extremely important to remember as we study the Bible that we "rightly divide the Word of Truth," especially when we discuss it with others. We all know how true this is. We will be held responsible for what we teach. I should have read and studied more carefully.
Whether or not there were many people present doesn't take away from the primary point of that earlier post. The detail regarding the disciples coming to Him is still very important. They were His followers. They wanted to be close to Him. The most important detail in our relationship with Jesus is still our obedience to Him. The disciples knew that. If we want to be one of his disciples, we must be ready to follow Him in every sense of the word.
Those who followed Jesus were just beginning to learn about Him. They did not yet understand His mission. The Jews had long awaited their Messiah. They had lived under submission to other governments now for hundreds of years. They were God's chosen people. Abraham had been promised long ago that through his descendants all the nations would be blessed. They were looking for an earthly kingdom.
Yet we know that many did not believe in Jesus. Maybe some of the multitude just didn't realize that He was indeed the Son of God. Matthew tells us in Chapter 7:28 - 29:
"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine. For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."
They were astonished? Of course, they were! He was quoting the law to them ... telling them what they had heard all their lives. He said, "Ye have heard it hath been said" and followed that with, "But I say unto you." Christ was teaching them something new.
The teaching of our Lord was definitely not the same old thing they had always heard from the scribes. The scribes only taught from what was already written. Jesus told them to go the extra mile, to love their enemies and pray for them. He taught that it was not only their acts that could endanger their souls; but their evil thoughts could also condemn them. He told them not to do things for show as the Pharisees did. I don't know for sure, but I don't think the scribes would have gone against the Pharisees.
Did Jesus have the authority to teach these new things? Did He have the power to give them teachings altogether different from anything they had ever heard? Of course He did! It is sad that so many of them could not or would not recognize His authority. They simply would not accept Him for who He was, is and always will be. He is the author of our eternal salvation. He is "the Christ the Son of the living God" as Peter confessed so long ago. Like the disciples who were with Him while He was alive, we are to follow His commandments today.
They were astonished. They did not understand His authority or where it came from. We were not there to hear this life changing sermon. We did not get to hear Jesus tell His disciples they were the salt of the earth and the light of the world. But we have a witness who told us that it happened. Matthew gave us his wonderful gospel that explains Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophets. He tells us that Jesus was the one who had been promised. He was the Christ.
Through the gospel of Matthew, we can understand just who Christ was. We realize He did have that authority to preach the Sermon on the Mount. He was not a mere scribe! He was the Word. He IS the Word. Do you want to know Jesus today? Read the Word. It's right there in the pages of the Bible. Christ is right there. You will find Him, if you only choose to see. Jesus is the Son of God. And all authority has been given to Him.
Christ above all things,
Robin
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