Matthew 5:1–2
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth, and taught them.
Jesus' Teachings
The Sermon on the Mount
Jesus' fullest picture of what he asks of the people who follow him
Introduction
If you had to sum up everything Jesus asked of the people who followed him, where would you even start? Matthew answers that question by gathering Jesus' teaching into one long discourse, delivered from a hillside in Galilee — three chapters covering prayer, money, anger, worry, judgment, and what it means to build a life on rock instead of sand.
It isn't a stack of new rules added to the old law. It's Jesus describing the character of people who actually belong to God's kingdom — not admission requirements, but a picture of what citizens of that kingdom look like from the inside out.
Most of what Jesus taught elsewhere unpacks something first said here. This study is the map of the whole territory before you walk into any one part of it.
Scripture
Matthew 7:28–29
The people were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Matthew 7:24
Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.
Translation note: Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV). The King James Version is in the public domain.
Key insights
- Three chapters cover the whole shape of kingdom life
- Not new rules — a description of kingdom character
- Jesus taught with authority, unlike the scribes
- Hearing these words isn't the same as building on them
Related resources
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