The Sermon on the Mount

Read Matthew chapters 5-7. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand, the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash" (Matt 7:24-27).

Jesus knew how to tell a story that would clearly communicate a truth. He understood how to choose examples that could open the minds of his hearers. These were a people who grasped the consequences of building on a poor foundation. Jesus mastered how to use common metaphors, like salt in the soil and a light on a hill, to take hold of his audience's imagination. He could tell a good joke like the one about the poor fool with a two-by-four protruding out of his eye, groping around half-blind trying to pick some sawdust from his coworker's eye. He also knew how to make a point and make it succinctly. He could pack full meaning into a single idea, such as "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God" or "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?" Jesus was a crafter of words, one we can learn from.

But he was more than that. After he delivered his most famous teaching, the people observed that "he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." Jesus, like most teachers in his day, practiced midrash, a kind of commentary in which the rabbi expanded on the meaning of the scriptures. Yet Christ spoke with a real difference. He expanded those received truths in a way only God could do. "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." By speaking in this way, Jesus has done something more radical than simply explaining or interpreting a passage, he has asked for our obedience.