What impression of Jesus’ outlook on life do you form from the themes of the Sermon on the Mount? Analyse with close textual references.

What impression of Jesus’ outlook on life do you form from the themes of the Sermon on the Mount? Analyse with close textual references.

The Sermon on the Mount is the first of Jesus’ five long speeches in the Gospel of Matthew. It is a three-chapter summary of Jesus’ moral instruction. One of its chief subjects is the Law of Moses (Matt 5:17-48). The speech is controversial because it seems to assert, contrary to Paul and most later Christian tradition, that followers of Jesus should still observe the entirety of the Law, which would seemingly include circumcision and dietary regulations (Matt 5:17-20). At the same time, it also appears to dispense with several parts of the Law (Matt 5:31-48). Does the passage contradict itself? Or is it consistent with the perspective of Matthew’s gospel as a whole?

Does the Sermon on the Mount teach that Christians should still observe the Law of Moses?

The six paragraphs addressing the law concern anger (Matt 5:21-26), lust (Matt 5:27-30), divorce (Matt 5:31-32), oaths (Matt 5:33-37), revenge (Matt 5:38-42), and love (Matt 5:43-48). Many biblical scholars label these paragraphs “antitheses,” because in their view Jesus and Moses are at odds with each other. The Law of Moses permits divorce (Deut 24:1-4), oaths (Lev 19:12; Num 30:2-3; Deut 23:22), and retaliation (Exod 21:24-25; Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21). Jesus, with his repeated “but I say to you,” prohibits all of them.

Yet there are problems with supposing that Jesus contradicts the Law of Moses. Matt 5:17-20 says explicitly that Jesus has not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. To the contrary, people should obey and teach them. One could scarcely be any clearer. It looks very much as though Matt 5:17-20 is located precisely where it is in order to prevent readers from imagining that Jesus, in the paragraphs that follow, intends to undo the teachings of Moses.........................

TO GET COMPLETE STUDY MATERIAL JOIN NSOU ENGLISH COACHING

SHARE

Milan Tomic

Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•