The Sermon on the Mount: Three Different Audiences

The Sermon on the Mount contains Jesus' important ministry of restoring the fullness of the Law, so that the Israelites of His day could understand that they needed a Savior. There is no amount of good deeds, great works, or law-keeping that one can do to be accepted before God.

We need His grace, we need His favor, and if we will just believe on His Son Jesus, then we will be saved!

So, what else do we see in the Sermon on the Mount which affirms the truth that much of that sermon is not written for the church to abide by today, but does exist to show the fullness of His ministry on earth, and what He accomplished at the Cross?

Consider the first few verses of Matthew 5:

"1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying," (Matthew 5:1-2)

There are two groups that I want to focus on here: the multitudes and the disciples.

Throughout the Gospels, when there are multitudes thronging after Jesus, our Savior reaches out to them and helps them in every way, whether with healing or provision. Yet this time, early in His earthly ministry, Jesus does not go towards this multitude, but goes away from them. Isn't that interesting!

What's going on here? The multitudes here are pictures of people who are "fans." They see Jesus as a celebrity, as an oddity, a curiosity. They want to get near Him, see Him so that they can brag about being something near Jesus. Any movie star can tell you that fans are often very selfish. They only care about their feelings and promoting their own reputations, their own interests. Basically, this multitude of fans wanted to use Jesus to further their own ends.

We see another example of this fleshly fan-dom in John 6:

"When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone." (John 6:15)

Jesus performed miracles and healed many, but there were still many in these crowds who just wanted to use Jesus to accomplish the narrow political goal of restoring Israel. Jesus' main mission during His earthly ministry was not Israel, but to fulfill the Old Covenant, enact the New Covenant, and provide salvation for the whole world! 

Then we have the second group: the disciples. When Jesus sat down on this mountain, all the people who saw Jesus as a pattern to follow, a teacher who could help them be more godly, they came up and sat around Him. These are the "followers." They want to be near Jesus so that they can hear His teachings and become just like Him ... through their efforts.

However, anyone who reads the Old Testament, as many of these disciples should have done by that time, would have learned that there is no keeping the Law in order to make oneself holy!

"And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins." (Joshua 24:19)

and

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)

Yet, these disciples come up to Jesus, they sit down around Him on that mountain, and they smugly distance themselves from the rest of the crowds, which only see Jesus as some curiosity. "Teach us how to be like you, Jesus!" You can kind of sense that arrogant eagerness about them.

In fact, there is also a third audience, but in the Sermon on the Mount account, he does not appear until the end, when Jesus goes away from the multitudes further and goes down the other side of the mountain:

"1When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them." (Matthew 8:1-4)

We have here a leper, in essence a failure who would later become family. He does not see Jesus as a Celebrity. He does not see Jesus as a Sage. He sees Jesus as He really is: a Savior! When you are dying from a deadly disease, or in bondage to sin, you need someone to save you, to set you free. You don't need a selfie with a celebrity. You don't seek advise from a sage. You need a SAVIOR who can save you! The leper asks Jesus to heal Him, and He not only heals him, but he touches the leper! This very act of touching the leper probably shocked the disciples whom He had been teaching, since in the Law it was unlawful to touch a leper. Not only that, but the leper should have never been around other people, but instead he should have shouted "Unclean! Unclean!" to warn and ward off everyone away from him. Jesus not only fulfilled the Law, but He took away all the sins of the world, and that included healing people of diverse diseases.

And there you have it. There are in total three key audiences throughout the Gospels when it comes to the people who interact with Jesus. In the midst of disciples generally, one can include the Pharisees and other religious leaders, who think that they can earn God's goodness, that they can keep God's law, that if they learned more and tried harder, they would be good, loved, accepted, and blessed. All of this is rank offense, of course, since it's only by God's grace that we receive, not achieve, His goodness.

With the three different audiences outlined, this revelation will further help us to see the full context of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was not speaking to the saved and resurrected Body of Christ who believes in Him. He was speaking to disciples who had gotten accustomed to this falsehood that if they could keep God's law as best as possible, then they would be accepted and favored. With them, He expounded on and restored the Law to its "unkeepable" heights. Keep in mind that when Jesus opens His mouth and speaks, that moment occurs when the disciples come up to Him. He doesn't say anything when He sees and walks away from the multitudes. He speaks to His disciples, and so with them He is restoring the full prominence, pre-eminence, and impossibilities of the Law.

The Sermon on the Mount: Restoring the Old Covenant, Preparing for the New Covenant

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

Too many Christians believe that we are supposed to live by everything that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

And yet, if we look closely at what Jesus says during His earthly ministry, then consider the revelations that Jesus gave to Paul in his epistles, we recognize that a change has taken place!

Consider this passage in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount:

"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:15)

Wow! We have to forgive, or God won't forgive us? How demanding!

And that's the point. Jesus was bringing the Law, the Old Covenant, back to its pristine wholeness again.

Remember what Jesus said about the Pharisees and their "brand" of righteousness:

"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:20)

But under grace, under the New Covenant, we are not trying to earn righteousness. In fact, because of Jesus, we have become THE righteousness of God in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Jesus restored the DEMANDS, the CLAIMS of the law, and Jesus would fulfill all those demands and claims.

In fact, He declared as much in the same Sermon on the Mount!

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Matthew 5:17)

What about the issue of forgiving others and being forgiven? Well, under grace, in the New Covenant, we forgive BECAUSE we have been so forgiven!

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:32)

You see? We forgive BECAUSE "God the Father for Christ's sake has forgiven" us!

There is no contradiction. There has been a CHANGE!

What has changed? The covenants!

The Old Covenant was cut between God and Israel at Mt. Sinai, and it was cut with blood, for all covenants come into being through the shedding of blood and the death which ensues:

"17For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. 18Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood." (Hebrews 9:17-18)

Consider what Jesus declared when He instituted communion in the Upper Room on the night of His betrayal:

"Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." (Luke 22:20)

That blood was shed at the Cross, and at the Cross, Jesus declared "It is Finished!" (John 19:30) because He fulfilled the Old Covenant and enacted the New Covenant!

So, there you have it. The Sermon on the Mount restores the pristine, unassailable, unachievable standards of the Old Covenant, and therefore, since we believe in Jesus and are no longer under law but under grace (Romans 6:14), we need to make sure that we understand what Jesus is saying, where, when, and to whom Jesus is saying things in the four Gospel accounts.

Peter Wanted to Build Tabernacles -- Jesus is Our Tabernacle

"Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias." (Matthew 17:4)

Peter wanted to put Moses, Elijah, and Jesus on the same plane.

The Law-Giver and the Law-Restorer, however, do not compare with the one the Law-Writer, and the Law-Fulfiller, Jesus!

God the Father responded to this unthinking suggestion from Peter:

"While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." (Matthew 17:5)

Not the Law, not the Prophets, but the Man and the Glory Jesus Christ -- We are called to hear Him!

And what was the first thing that Jesus said after His transfiguration?

"Arise, and be not afraid." (Matthew 17:7)

This point is really touching, because the very "arise" is literally "be risen."

Jesus brought them up!

While so many of us want to do something for Jesus, like Peter who wanted to build tabernacles, the truth is that Jesus wants to serve us.

In fact, He came to tabernacle over us!

John writes:

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, ) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

"Dwelt among us" is literally "tabernacled among us."

Jesus is our covering, and He wants to dwell with us.

For those who believe on Him, He also dwells within us!

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." (John 15:4)

and then

" For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." (2 Corinthians 6:16)

Jesus is our tabernacle. Let Him cover you. Let Him protect you!

Jesus Allows Us To Go Through Storms--That We May See Him As He Is

"And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away." (Matthew 14:22)

This passage struck out at me when I read it.

Jesus was hurrying His disciples to get into the boat to cross the sea to Gennesaret. Why?

What's also interesting, too, is that the disciples asked Jesus to send away the multitudes.

"15And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals." (Matthew 14:15)

Jesus did not send them away, but put the question to the disciples to provide them food. They had no idea how to do that, but Jesus simply directed the disciples to have the multitudes sit down. He would pray and provide bread for everyone there. 5,000 men were fed, and then there are the many women and children who were not counted. Jesus provided immense resources to these men and women seeking His help.

The disciples still did not see him as Son of God.

For this reason, Jesus sent them into the boat, and then the boat faced an intense storm. Their response to seeing Jesus walking on the storm is quite telling:

"24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." (Matthew 14: 24-27)

Notice that this time, they saw Jesus as a spirit first, then recognized Him when He said "I am".

Peter then called out to Jesus, that He would summon him to walk on the water to Him. Jesus called Peter, and he indeed walked on the water, and Jesus saved Peter when he stopped looking at Jesus as looked at the storm.

Notice that in this entire account, Jesus walks calmly through the storm. He assures His disciples not to be afraid, He welcomes Peter to walk on the water, too. He even rescues Peter when he fails and stops looking at the Savior.

Notice how the disciples respond to Jesus after they safely cross through the storm:

"32And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God." (Matthew 14: 32-33)

Notice that the storm ceased as soon as Jesus and Peter came into the boat. In the midst of the intense trial surrounding and pressuring the disciples in the ship, Jesus appeared, demonstrated his power over all nature. He also showed that He would extend the same power to His disciples, and that He would save them even when they failed.

How did they respond? "Surely you are the Son of God!"

Their faith increased! They saw Jesus as more than some Master or teacher. They saw Him as He truly is--Savior!

Whatever storm you are going through, Jesus wants you to see Him more fully, to see Him as He is--as Savior!