Matthew 5:1,2

CHAPTER FIVE
Section 11. JESUS PREACHES THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

(Parallels: Mark 3:13-19 a; Luke 6:12-49)

TEXT: 5:1, 2

1.

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: and when he had sat down, his disciples came unto him:

and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

THOUGHT QUESTIONS

a.

What do you suppose to have been Jesus' impression of this (Cf. Matthew 9:36)

b.

What was Jesus trying to accomplish by preaching this message?

c.

Why would it be important for Jesus to make the bold, almost shocking statements that are seen in this sermon? For whom were these words intended? the masses? the religious leaders? the disciples? enormous crowd of followers from near and far?

d.

How do you think that each group would react to what He said?

PARAPHRASE AND HARMONY

Then Jesus came down from the mountain top with His newly selected apostles and stood on a level place on the mountain where was a large concourse of His disciples and great numbers of people from Jerusalem and Judea and from the seaboard area of Tyre and Sidon. These all had come to listen to Him and to be cured of their diseases. Those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured; and everyone in the crowd was trying to touch Him, because power went out from Him and cured them all

After He had taken His seat, His disciples came up to Him and gathered around to listen. He looked over His audience, opened His mouth and began to address them.

NOTES

Matthew 5:1 Seeing the multitudes. Here is the Speaker sizing up His audience. Jesus had eyes that really perceived, for He was looking beyond the surface. He saw not merely a multitude to teach: He saw individual cases, real problems. (Give some thought to these passages: Matthew 4:18; Matthew 4:21; Matthew 8:14; Matthew 8:18; Matthew 9:2; Matthew 9:9; Matthew 9:36; Matthew 14:14; Mark 10:14; Mark 12:34; Luke 7:13; Luke 13:12; Luke 17:14; Luke 18:24; Luke 19:5; Luke 21:1-2) Onto what mountain in Galilee (Matthew 4:23; Matthew 8:5; Luke 7:1) He went up, nobody knows, although it was quite possibly within easy walking distance of Capernaum, assuming that He healed the centurion's servant on the same day. His choice of a tall hill may have been to obtain the best acoustics for this open-air meeting. There are no true mountains in Galilee: there are many hills which could easily fit the idea of the Greek word (oros; see Matthew 5:14 where the same word is translated hill), none of which is over 3000 foot altitude, But since the area around the Sea of Galilee is 682 feet below sea level and the Esdraelon Plain of lower Galilee lay at sea level or a little above, any tall hills in Galilee look like mountains.

Matthew 5:2 His disciples came to him. This cannot mean that only His disciples heard the sermon, since there were crowds who heard Him through to the end (Matthew 7:28). They were not merely a crowd of disciples, for there followed Him from the site of the Sermon great crowds. (Matthew 8:1; cf. Luke 6:17-19) When he had sat down, as would any oriental teacher, probably upon some eminence clearly visible to the audience, His disciples arranged themselves on the ground at the Master's feet. Opened his mouth and taught them, saying. By means of this seeming redundancy, Matthew gives the distinct impression that he is recording one single address, delivered on a specific occasion. (Cf. Matthew 7:28 - Matthew 8:1) Yet, many scholars assume that he has collected here isolated sayings from many occasions, on the basis of the fact that Luke does record some of these remarks as having also been said under different circumstances. But let us permit Matthew, who was present (Cf. Luke 6:15), tell his own story about what Jesus said, to us who were not there.