is blog The Bible (Matthew 5-7)

When I think of the Sermon on the Mount’ I think of “the meek shall inherit the earth” and the Lord’s Prayer so I was surprised when I saw that it covers nine pages in my pocket book version of the New Testament.   This is Jesus’ first big public pronouncement; it must, therefore, be important.  I am not sure if I got everything, but here are some highlights.

Be humble and merciful; work for peace and do God’s work.  The Kingdom of Heaven is yours.

Murder is wrong but so is anger against others.  Settle disputes quickly.

Adultery is wrong, but it is just as wrong to think about adultery.  

Divorce is wrong except in the case of unfaithfulness.

Forget and eye for an eye.  Turn the other cheek.

Love your enemies.

Do charitable work but do it privately.  Only God needs to see.

Pray in private and keep it short.  God already knows what you want.

Don’t worry about being wealthy in this life.  Work on storing up riches in Heaven.

You can’t serve both God and money.

Don’t worry about tomorrow.  God looks after the birds and the flowers.  He will look after you.

Don’t judge others.  Especially don’t judge others when you have faults of your own.

Ask and you will receive.  Seek and you will find.  Knock and the door will be opened.

Do to others what you would want them to do to you.

The path to Hell is wide; the gate to heaven is narrow.

Beware of false prophets.

Only the people who do what God wants will enter heaven.

And after Jesus finished his sermon, the people were amazed and thought he spoke with authority.

Certainly, there is a lot of good stuff here: compassion, forgiveness, compromise, humility.  It is hard to argue with any of it.  Mind you, its tough controlling thoughts that zip through your mind or loving an enemy who continues to knock you down.  It is pretty hard not to worry about tomorrow when there are bills to be paid but I think I get the drift.   It is a remarkable document for any time period.

However, it still needs people to have faith in a god and a heaven if the rewards suggested are to come true.  There is no doubt that the world would be a better place if more people behaved in the way Jesus suggests.  Isn't that reward enough?