Sermon on the Mount

April 7, 2023

Matthew 7: 28

28 Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,

We have reached the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. If we were in a church service today, we would probably sing a hymn now. What I find interesting is that one of my sermons has around 2,000 words. It takes about 20 minutes to preach. It is on one topic from one verse in the Bible. And admittedly, these sermons do not offer clarity on the topic. Here, Jesus speaks 2,425 words. Not many more than one of mine. But Jesus’ sermon is not about one topic, it’s about all of the topics. Jesus tells the people that these are what they need to know about their relationship with God, Jesus and each other. I have an image of someone shaking Jesus’ hand after the “service” and mumbling, “Too much information.”

But that is not what seems to have happened. At the end of the sermon, the listeners were astounded! The words they heard had a kind of authority of their own. These were not mere words, they were God’s words. While my sermons are hopefully inspired, I pray they are, I admit they don’t have internal authority. Jesus’ words do. That is why the Bible is so important. It is inspired. And worth reading. 

Easter Peace.

Jeff