INTRODUCTION
“Follow Me,” Jesus said as the new Moses, leading a restored Israel out of the old Egypt-Israel that was under the reign of Death. How do we follow Him? That’s what the Sermon on the Mount is all about.

THE TEXT
“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven . . . .’” (Matthew 5:1-16).

STRUCTURE
The sermon is framed by references to multitudes (5:1; 7:28-29), and by Jesus’ ascent (5:1) and descent from the mountain (8:1). Further the concluding warning and promise (7:24-27) echoes some themes of the Beatitudes (5:1-12). Within this frame, the structure of the sermon is roughly chiastic (NB: this is a preliminary outline!):

A. Beatitudes, 5:1-12.
B. Salt and Light, 5:13-16.
C. Jesus fulfills law and prophets, 5:17-20.
D. “You have heard that it was said” (so-called “antitheses”), 5:21-48.
E. Righteousness before God/hypocrisy, 6:1-18.
F. Seek the kingdom/no worry, 6:19-34
E’. Judgment and hypocrisy, 7:1-5.
D’. Prayer, 7:6-11.
C’. Doing the law and prophets, 7:12-14.
B’. False prophets/bad fruit, 7:15-23.
A’. Hear Jesus’ words and do them, 7:24-27.

THE SERMON AND THE TORAH
Christians have often interpreted the sermon on the mount as an attack on Israel’s Torah. This is contrary to Jesus’ own statements (5:17-20), and also contrary to the details of the sermon. When Jesus says that we are not to hate, He is echoing Leviticus (Leviticus 19:17-18). When Jesus says, “Love your enemy,” He’s saying nothing that Moses (Exodus 23:4) and Solomon (Proverbs 25:21-22) had not said before Him. When He teaches us that lust is a form of adultery, He’s saying no more than what the Tenth Commandment required (Exodus 20:17). Jesus is not correcting the law, but the practical and pedagogical distortions of the law that were widespread in Judaism.

THE SERMON IN JUDAISM AND TODAY
Jesus’ teaching in the sermon on the mount and elsewhere must be understood in the light of the situation of first-century Judaism. The Jews were a subject people under the Romans, and many of the Jews plotted to overthrow the Romans or engaged in forms of civil disobedience. Jesus teaches His disciples to resist oppression not by adopting the violent methods of the oppressor but through humility, mercy, purity, passion for righteousness, joy in the midst of persecution. Though the sermon on the mount had specific application to first-century Judaism, it was not for them only. The sermon is among Jesus’ teachings that must be taught to all the nations (Matthew 28:18-20).