The Mountain of New Beginnings
If I were preaching at your worship service next Sunday, and I began my sermon with the words, “He went up on the mountain,” I suppose that many of you might think I was about to talk about Moses on Mount Sinai when he went up to receive the Ten Commandments. But I could also be preaching from Matthew 5, when Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down to deliver what we now call the Sermon on the Mount.
In the middle of the long sermon of Moses, called Deuteronomy, Moses told the Israelites that a new prophet was coming who would be like him. God indeed used Moses to deliver the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, but in this verse, we discover that Moses is a forerunner for a new prophet who would come in the future. In Acts 3, we learn that Jesus was the prophet Moses said would come.
Throughout the book of Matthew, we see the hints that Matthew included which allowed the Jewish audience to make the connection of Jesus to Moses. As Jesus sat down on the mountain, his audience heard him teach about how his kingdom was based on a new covenant. A key theme of all of Matthew’s gospel is that Jesus is the fulfillment of all Moses had taught and predicted.
It must have been both startling and refreshing to hear Jesus begin his sermon. Instead of a list of commandments, Jesus offered a way of life that would bring blessing and joy and would result in experiencing the kingdom of God.
As we read through the Sermon on the Mount, make note of the many ways Jesus shows a contrast to the old covenant versus a new way of having a relationship with God that reflects a life of righteousness.
The beatitudes were counter-cultural in Jesus’ time, and they continue to be in current culture as well. Our culture constantly tempts us to consider power, wealth, control, and revenge. Yet Jesus described a life that is blessed when we demonstrate humility, surrender, purity of motive, and a genuine love for others, even our enemies.
Father, as we read through the beatitudes today, show us the places where we need to repent and realign ourselves with your kingdom instead of the many kingdoms of this world. Guide us to the people you want us to bless and introduce to you as we surrender more fully to your reign in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Matthew 5:1-16; Deuteronomy 18:15-22 ESV
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