57 - Sermon on the Mount - Pt 2

Matthew 6:5-7:29


New Testament scholar N.T. Wright argues in Jesus and the Victory of God that the Sermon on the Mount primarily was meant to provide instruction to Jews on "how to survive and be faithful to YHWH in a time of great stress and ambiguity, a time when many thought the climax of Israel's history was upon them."   He was telling his followers not to treat God as a suzerain to be bribed with fancy worship, but rather to regard God as Father, and act accordingly.


But it turns out that Jesus sermon is generally applicable as a universal ethic:

• Be simple, not ostentatious, with your prayer, your fasting, your almsgiving
• Know that your heart is where your treasure is
• Fear not, trust in God to provide
• Don't judge others, lest you be judged
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
• Beware of false prophets - you shall know them by their products

And Jesus provided a form for regular prayer.  It was very simple, with three petitions acknowledging God as father and seeking God's kingdom, and three petitions acknowledging our dependence on God, the necessity of forgiving others, and asking God's protection.  

Lord's Prayer in Aramaic

At times we have difficulty deciphering Jesus' teaching in parables and agricultural references.  But in the end, it's really pretty simple.  Not easy, but simple.