Mountain Sermon


Matthew 5:1 "Seeing the crowds he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him."
Who is the Sermon on the Mount addressed to? Disciples go up on the Mount but the crowds are 1st seen. The people of the world seem to be addressed at times. But only the people of God also seem to be separated out.

Are their different levels to being part of the audience? Jesus ascends to the Heights to express his words. The crowds are at the bottom of the Mount and the disciples climb closer. These disciples and the crowd climb to the Summit. They are moving closer to the LORD.

Is this just another Mountain top experience? In Chapter 4 Jesus is taken up on a very high mountain and tempted with all the Kingdoms of the known world. In Chapter 14 Jesus goes up on a Mountain to be by himself. Chapter 17 Jesus goes up on a high mountain to be transfigured with Moses and Elijah there. In Chapter 21 he starts from the Mount of Olives. As he closes his ministry in Chapter 24 he talks on the Mount of Olives. After the Passover celebration in Chapter 26 they sing a hymn and go back to the Mount of Olives. Finally, Chapter 28 on the Mountain in Galilee he gives the Disciples their commission.

Going back to Moses who has several mountain top experiments, Exodus chapter 3 Moses finds himself confronted by a Burning Bush on the Mount of God. Exodus 20 back to Mount Sinai he was given the Ten Commandments as well as the Instructions about the Tabernacle. Moses in Deuteronomy 34 dies on Mount Nebo talking with God. 1 Kings 18 Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. The LORD speaks to Elijah in 1 Kings 19 as he stands on the Mount before the LORD. The LORD speaks in a still small voice.

Mountains seem to be a place where God reveals his will to people. He also reveals the parts of the Catechism such as the 10 Commandments, LORD's prayer, Baptism, and even after the LORD's Supper.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Set Theory on the Trinity

Many Theologians are not Mathematicians. But Theologies are really into Science. For some reason there is a greater cross over between Theology and Science than any other fields unless you Separate Math and Physic into different fields. But Set Theory at its basic is the idea of taking sets of numbers or things and showing relationships. We see this in Matrices or Venn-Diagrams. Now Theologians generally speaking would use a Venn-Diagram to describe the Trinity. A Theologian would usually talk about three circles one being the Father and another being the Holy Spirit and the Other being the Son. Thus, where these circles connect that is then called God. But this means that there is part of the Son which is not God. Part of the Holy Spirit which is not God. And part of the Father which is not God. This is not true. Rather you take a list of Sets. Take Set God which contains all the attributes of God. Then you take a Set called Holy Spirit it would contain all the attributes of God and y...
Read more

The Death of the Holy Innocents

Many people die for what they believe in. Some die for righteous people. But these chosen few die on behalf of the one who will save us all. These children have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. But these children die on account of the Christ Child. Many people have been martyred because they confessed the faith. These children did not stand or even get a chance to stand. They were cut down because they were seen as the threat to King Herod. Rachael mourns for her children. Rachael died giving life to Benjamin near Bethlehem. Rachael now weeps as all the children of this town are slaughtered. But just as Rachael died giving birth to life. These children die to protect the Christ Child who left the town and will die to give all of us life. St Peter once said that he would not allow Christ to go to the cross. St Peter drew his sword in the garden to die for Christ. But only these Children truly give their life for Jesus Christ to live. Their sacrifice should b...
Read more

Biblical Marriage

Marriage is defined in Genesis as a man clinging to his wife and the two becoming one flesh. This definition is standardized even in the New Testament by both Jesus and St Paul. Therefore, we have generally said Marriage is defined as one Man and one Woman being joined together in a life long union. Most people think that this Marriage union is created through a man dressed in black and woman dressed in white walking down an aisle to be joined together before some kind of altar. But this is only a ceremony of marriage. The Bride and bridegroom are actually joined together through what is known as consummation, or proper sexual relations.  Thus, St Paul can even talk in reference to a marriage bed. This concept may be overlooked by a culture that no longer views the bed as the place where a majority of sexual activity takes place. But he states this because the marriage bed is the location in which a man and woman are joined together. Just as it was Rachael or Leah's tent in which t...
Read more