The Sermon

I was reading the sermon on the mount a couple of nights ago. It is found in the book of Matthew starting at chapter 5 verse 1 and goes on to chapter 7 verse 27. I think it is good to reread it from time to time as it is the longest sermon we have by Yeshua. It struck me as I read, that It encapsulates the teachings and moral standards he requires of those that follow him. Which brings me to my point. Many people that claim to follow him do not seem to obey his teachings. I am no one’s judge. But, it is difficult not to notice the stark difference between what Yeshua taught and what many of his followers seem to think he wants of them. This should be perplexing. After all Yeshua is said to be the founder of and reason for the Christian religion. He has been deified by the Christian Church and is worshiped by millions. But, the answer is simple. The Christian Religion only pays lip service to Yeshua. The real founder and principle teacher of Christianity is none other than Saul of Tarsus also known as the “apostle” Paul. Paul claims that one only needs to believe in the death burial and resurrection of Yeshua and confess him with their mouth and they will be saved. He claimed that Yeshua paid the penalty for sin and his righteousness is somehow granted to them without any requirements, no strings attached. After reading Yeshua’s sermon I am amazed at the mental gymnastics it takes to accept Paul’s doctrine and abandon Yeshua’s very clear teachings. 

I would now like to go through the sermon on the mount and point out some of the inconsistencies between Yeshua’s teachings and Christian’s behavior. Let’s start with verses three through ten. They are frequently called “the beatitudes”. In the International Standard version of the Bible they are called “The blessed attitudes”. I like that. It really is a better way of conveying the true meaning of them.

The Beatitudes

3“How blessed are those who are destitute in spirit,

because the kingdom from heaven belongs to them!  (Destitute in spirit means lacking in spiritual arrogance)

4“How blessed are those who mourn,

because it is they who will be comforted!

5“How blessed are those who are humble,

because it is they who will inherit the earth!

6“How blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness,

because it is they who will be satisfied!

7“How blessed are those who are merciful,

because it is they who will receive mercy!

8“How blessed are those who are pure in heart,

because it is they who will see God!

9“How blessed are those who make peace,

because it is they who will be called God’s children!

10“How blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

because the kingdom from heaven belongs to them!

Lacking in spiritual arrogance, not self righteous, humble, hungry to be right in Gods eyes, merciful, pure in heart (which means those with integrity, moral courage, and good character), peacemakers and bearers of persecution. These are the qualities Yeshua said God wants his followers to have. But every day on television or in social media you will see people that claim to be Christians that are arrogant, self righteous and seemingly filled with hate, calling people ugly names and advocating unkind and uncharitable acts. Yeshua was from an oppressed minority in the Roman Empire. He was not wealthy, in fact he was quite poor. Yet, his supposed followers seem to hate minorities and the poor. It is beyond my understanding that Christians can be so full of hatred and vitriol for others. They have become persecutors and seem to delight in “one upping” those that don’t agree with them. Christian culture has grown more and more toxic in the last forty years or so. 

The Light of the world

13 “You are the salt of the world. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty again? It’s good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled on by people. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. 15 People don’t light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people in such a way that they will see your good actions and glorify your Father in heaven.”

This needs little commentary. Yeshua teaches to live your life as his follower in such a way that others will be impressed by your goodness and kindness and you will cause others to want to be a follower also.

Jesus Fulfills the Law and the Prophets

17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I didn’t come to destroy them, but to fulfill them, 18 because I tell all of you with certainty that until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter or one stroke of a letter will disappear from the Law until everything has been accomplished. 19 So whoever sets aside one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom from heaven. But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom from heaven 20 because I tell you, unless your righteousness greatly exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom from heaven!”

This one is controversial. The reason it is controversial is that here Yeshua and Paul are in opposition to one another. Yeshua clearly teaches that the Laws of Moses are still to be obeyed by those that are his followers. Paul says that the Law is abolished.

Ephesians 2:14 For it is he who is our peace. Through his mortality he made both groups one by tearing down the wall of hostility that divided them. 15 He rendered the Law inoperative, along with its commandments and regulations,

Again, Christians choose to disregard Yeshua’s words and choose to follow Paul’s doctrine. Very simply put, Yeshua’s followers are expected to obey the Laws of Moses and teach others of the necessity of following them also. Righteousness is a requirement. It can be inconvenient to keep the Laws but it isn’t undoable.

Deuteronomy 30:10 if you obey him and keep his commands and statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, and if you return to him with all your heart and soul. 11 Indeed, these commands that I’m giving you today are neither confusing nor unattainable for you.

Teaching about Anger

21 “You have heard that it was told those who lived long ago, ‘You are not to commit murder,’ and, ‘Whoever murders will be subject to punishment.’ 22 But I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother without a causer will be subject to punishment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raka!’ (Empty headed, worthless) will be subject to the Council. And whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hell fire. 23 “So if you are presenting your gift at the altar and remember there that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled to your brother. Then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your opponent while you are on the way to court, or your opponent may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you with certainty, you will not get out of there until you pay back the last coin!”

Do not be an angry person. Do not call others names. Be reconciled to those that you have disagreements with. Be agreeable and come to terms quickly when you have a dispute with others. Don’t be a jerk.

Teaching about Adultery

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You are not to commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you, anyone who stares at a woman (a married woman) with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your body parts than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to lose one of your body parts than to have your whole body go into hell.”

Don’t lust after someone else’s spouse. Do not be promiscuous. 

Teaching about Divorce

31“ It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you, any man who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

The only valid reason for divorce is sexual immorality on the part of your spouse.

Teaching about Oaths

33 “Again, you have heard that it was told those who lived long ago, ‘You must not swear an oath falsely,’ but, ‘You must fulfill your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you not to swear at all, neither by heaven, because it is God’s throne, 35 nor by the earth, because it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the Great King. 36 Nor should you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Instead, let your message be ‘Yes’ for ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ for ‘No.’ Anything more than that comes from the evil one.”

Don’t swear. Your yes should mean yes and you no should mean no. Say what you mean clearly.

Teaching about Retaliation

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you not to resist an evildoer. On the contrary, whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go two with him. 42 Give to the person who asks you for something, and do not turn away from the person who wants to borrow something from you.”

Don’t take revenge on others, Be generous and help those in need.

Teaching about Love for Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you will become children of your Father in heaven, because he makes his sun rise on both evil and good people, and he lets rain fall on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? 47 And if you greet only your relatives, that’s no great thing you’re doing, is it? Even the unbelievers do the same, don’t they? 48 So be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Love, Pray for those you don’t like, be a good person.

Teaching about Giving to the Poor

1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people in order to be noticed by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow a trumpet before you like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they will be praised by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward! 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be done in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Don’t be self righteous and do good things just to make yourself look good in other people’s eyes.

Teaching about Prayer

5 “And whenever you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward! 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees from the hidden place will reward you. 7 “When you are praying, don’t say meaningless things like the unbelievers do, because they think they will be heard by being so wordy. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Therefore, this is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven,

may your name be kept holy.

10 May your kingdom come.

May your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread,

12 and forgive us our sins,

as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.

13 And never bring us into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.’

14 Because if you forgive people their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive people their offenses, your Father will not forgive your offenses.”

Don’t make a big show of praying (I see this one a lot among televangelists and politicians). Pray simply and earnestly.

Teaching about Fasting

16 “Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites, because they put on sad faces to show others they are fasting. I tell all of you with certainty, they have their full reward! 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by others but by your Father who is in the hidden place. And your Father who watches from the hidden place will reward you.”

Again, don’t put on a show of being religious.

Teaching about wealth

19 “Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But keep on storing up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, 21 because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light within you has turned into darkness, how great is that darkness!” 24 “No one can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!”

Don’t seek wealth. Instead do good to others and God will reward you.

Teaching about worry

25 “That’s why I’m telling you to stop worrying about your life—what you will eat or what you will drink —or about your body—what you will wear. Life is more than food, isn’t it, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t plant or harvest or gather food into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. You are more valuable than they are, aren’t you? 27 Can any of you add a single hour to the length of your life by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Consider the lilies in the field and how they grow. They don’t work or spin yarn, 29 but I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30 Now if that is the way God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and thrown into an oven tomorrow, won’t he clothe you much better—you who have little faith? 31 “So don’t ever worry by saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 because it is the unbelievers who are eager for all those things. Surely your heavenly Father knows that you need all of them! 33 But first be concerned about God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be provided for you as well. 34 So never worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Don’t worry. I have noticed that those that worry most seem to have the most mental issues. I count myself among this group. It is a difficult thing to change and I believe it stems from a lack of trust in God.

Judging Others

7:1 “Stop judging, so that you won’t be judged, 2 because the way that you judge others will be the way that you will be judged, and you will be evaluated by the standard with which you evaluate others. 3 “Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when the beam is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Don’t judge and you won’t be judged. If you are critical of others that same criticism will come back on you. Being critical of others without it being constructive (with the intent to help) is in a word sinful. 

Holy Things

6 “Never give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them with their feet and then turn around and attack you.”

If someone doesn’t want to listen to what is true and Holy them leave them alone, don’t try to preach to them. This could also be saying don’t try to force your religion on others. A lot of bad things have come of that. That was done in the past and we call that period the “dark ages”. You shouldn’t try to impose your faith on others. That’s in God’s hands.

Teaching on seeking

7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you. 8 Because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door opened. 9 “There isn’t a person among you who would give his son a stone if he asked for bread, is there? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he wouldn’t give him a snake, would he? 11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who keep on asking him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them, because this summarizes the Law and the Prophets.”

Seek God through prayer and make it a habit. Trust Him. Verse 12 is extremely important. It is the last half of the “Shema”. It is the first and second commandment and it is the greatest of the commandments. 

 In Mark 12:29, Yeshua testifies:

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

This still applies to us all.

How difficult is salvation really?

13 “Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the road is spacious that leads to destruction, and many people are entering by it. 14 How narrow is the gate and how constricted is the road that leads to life, and there aren’t many people who find it!”

Saying a “sinners prayer” or a one time confession of faith Isn’t enough to secure salvation. This is again contrary to Paul’s doctrine. 

A Tree is Known by Its Fruit

15 “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are savage wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruit. Grapes aren’t gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles, are they? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire. 20 So by their fruit you will know them.”

This gets back to a statement I made earlier. I am no one’s judge, But, it is plain to see that Yeshua’s teachings are going unheeded by some of those that present themselves as his followers. It has turned many good people away. When Christians are full of hate and are hard hearted and self righteous it becomes a way of taking God’s name in vain.

Do God’s will

21 “Not everyone who keeps saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom from heaven, but only the person who keeps doing the will of my Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, drove out demons in your name, and performed many miracles in your name, didn’t we?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who practice evil!’”

Well, there it is. Many of these people claiming to be Yeshua’s followers are not. Even ones doing seemingly great works for good. It seems to me that many people do not obey the scriptures but appropriate a christian identity because it serves their interest. The Christian ethos is used to implement rules and laws that they want to see enacted. Many politicians see the value of a Christian identity. It makes them more electable and their cruel policies more acceptable. Look at their fruits. If they spew hatred and are morally lax in their private life then beware.

The Two Foundations

24 “Therefore, everyone who listens to these messages of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation was on the rock.

26 “Everyone who keeps on hearing these messages of mine and never puts them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew and battered that house, and it collapsed—and its collapse was total.”

Please put Yeshua’s message into practice. A storm is surely coming.