Why did the Sermon on the Mount take place?
What led to the Sermon on the Mount for it to take place?
What was the feeling within the Jewish communities in Galilee?
These are important questions before we move into the greatest sermon ever preached. It is the greatest sermon because in it are the words of life from Christ himself. Remember that the Apostles only gave witness to Christ, the One who can take away the sins of the world; The true Lamb of God that takes away our sins. This is the One who spoke these words of life or death.
In the middle of a foreign powers occupation of Galilee something big was going to take place something much bigger than anything in world history. This event had started, and a part of this event would mean great Rome would crumble and fall as Daniel had prophesied. In the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament indeed there had been many deliverers such as Moses, the Judges even the Maccabees but these deliverances did not last. In the past deliverances a lot of the time had been at the edge of the sword. How would this time of God’s visitation be any different?
You may have watched in the past some Jesus films and perhaps they try to show the Galileans craving and cramming to see Jesus. This is partly true. Even today one sees rock stars getting lots of adoration, but I have to say it is not the same!
- First of all, a rock star cannot save you!
- Secondly Jesus preaching brought about a spiritual awakening to the truths of Holy Scripture.
Here before the Jewish nation and Gentile nations was the Messiah and the expectations of salvation would be turned upside down and inside out. There was a time in world history that Jewish and Gentile Christians were brothers and sisters but by the time of Justin Martyr there was hostility between the Church and the Jewish community. We know this because St Paul raised money in Corinth and the local churches and sent the money to Jerusalem to help the Jewish Believers there.
These are important questions. It is wrong and a great sin to hate Jews which culminated in the Holocaust. The root of hate towards the Jews can be traced all the way back to Martin Luther and it ended with Adolf Hitler:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_and_antisemitism
As Christians we must remember that Jesus in his humanity was Jewish. We must remember that Jesus taught us to love our neighbour no matter who they are (enemies or friends!).
Let’s begin by looking at Marks Gospel:
35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. 36 Simon and his companions searched for Him; 37 they found Him, and *said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” 38 He *said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” 39 And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. Mark 1:35-39
Mark
35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
Here we see that Jesus had a mission from God. When he got up early in the morning it was still dark. While everyone was still sleeping, He was praying and communing with God the Father. Luke says ‘when day came’ but he didn’t go into any details.
36 Simon and his companions searched for Him;
Peter and his companions couldn’t find Jesus straight away! Obviously, he disappeared while they were still asleep.
37 they found Him, and *said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”
What an anti-climax! ‘Everyone is searching for you’. ‘Everyone’ means the crowds. They were hungry for God’s word. Jesus’ preaching was different because it touched the core of the human being, their person-hood, their soul.
38 He *said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.”
Here it says may preach. The word ‘may’, isn’t found but the use of ‘hina = ‘in order that’ and the ‘I may preach’ is in the subjunctive form.
Luke’s version has a stronger intention. He uses ‘δέω= bound’. It is much stronger.
https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/deo
Stylistically there is a difference, but the meaning is the same. Jesus has a purpose from the mandate of heaven ‘for that is what I came for.’
The mandate from heaven was for Jesus to preach that the kingdom of heaven was here now, live on earth, die on a cross, be resurrected and open the doors of salvation to the whole world through and in him. This mandate started from a backwater of the Roman Empire and the world would never be the same again.
39 And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. Mark 1:35-39
Galilee was actually according to Josephus a very productive area. It has a large lake that has a record of being a freshwater lake below sea level (the lowest in the world!). There were cities and towns on both side of the lake and I can imagine Jesus jumping in boats and crisscrossing the lake on a regular basis preaching the Gospel.
While doing this ministry of preaching his Apostles were learning how to preach. The rest of the New Testament is an explication of these teachings that have now changed the world.
REFLECTION
Let us walk in love towards everyone. Every human being including those who lost their life through abortion were created in the image of God. Love can take on various forms, but it ought to show respect towards the other person no matter who they are. This can be difficult at times as some people pull away from society and do atrocious acts. We can still show love and follow Jesus’ example by praying for them that God’s will, God’s kingdom could also break into them and change them inside out by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was a man who was driven by the mandate of heaven. He was preaching in those cities because out of these cities many people would repent and become children of God. 2000 years later and here we are still preaching the same Gospel Jesus taught. Jesus was special because while he walked this earth, he was like a mirror that showed people exactly what they were. They came face to face with their sins. It is by grace that we are saved. We cannot save ourselves. We are helpless. How helpless is the human race? The human race is completely helpless before a holy God and God started this plan from the time of the Fall of the earliest human beings found in Genesis.
Next time as we go through the Sermon on the Mount you will face a mirror that shows you your true self. My friends we have all turned away from God. As we look at the sermon on the mount we will be faced by the true ugliness of sin. We will also be faced with the opportunity to follow Christ into the celestial city.
Weaver1has's Blog 
January 30, 2022 at 4:26 pm |
This is very interesting Hasan.