Allison The Sermon on the Mount

Inspiring the Moral Imagination
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-0-8245-9883-9
Verlag: Crossroad Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 200 Seiten

Too often the Sermon on the Mount has been interpreted as though it were a book itself rather than a portion of a book. Dale Allison insists on the contrary that the full meaning of these chapters in Matthew's Gospel can be seen only in relation to the broader literary context of the Gospel as a whole, with its Jewish Christian orientation. Indeed, the Sermon and the moral imperatives it contains must be understood: 1) in relation to the example provided by Jesus' words and deeds elsewhere in the Gospel; 2) with reference to the community of believers that constitutes the intended audience of Matthew's Gospel; and 3) in terms of what the Gospel says elsewhere about the end of the age. The Sermon does not present a simple set of rules, perhaps only intended for a small and select group within the Christian community, but seeks to instill a moral vision and to inspire the moral imagination of all who would follow Jesus.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Allison, Dale

Leseproben

2

The Structure of the Sermon on the Mount and Its Meaning

APART FROM THE WOES (Luke 6:24–26) and two short proverbs (Luke 6:39–40), all of the units in Luke’s Sermon on the Plain have parallels in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, and even the two proverbs appear elsewhere in Matthew (10:24–25; 15:14). Indeed, all of the materials common to the two sermons, with the sole exception of the golden rule, are in the same order:

Luke 6:20a

cf. Matt. 5:1–2

Luke 6:20b–23

cf. Matt. 5:3–12

Luke 6:24–26

——

Luke 6:27–36

cf. Matt. 5:38–48; 7:12

Luke 6:37–38

cf. Matt. 7:1

Luke 6:39

(cf. Matt. 15:14)

Luke 6:40

(cf. Matt. 10:24–25)

Luke 6:41–42

cf. Matt. 7:3–5

Luke 6:43–45

cf. Matt. 7:16–18

Luke 6:46

cf. Matt. 7:21

Luke 6:47–49

cf. Matt. 7:24–27

Luke 7:1

cf. Matt. 7:28–8:1

Luke 6:20–49 is usually regarded as a speech that Luke only lightly retouched: it brings us very close to part of an old source (conventionally called “Q”) that both Matthew and Luke used in constructing their sermons. The Sermon on the Mount, on the other hand, is most commonly attributed to the author of the rest of the Gospel. Drawing upon Mark, Q, and distinctive traditions, our evangelist forged a new discourse in accord with his own interests. On this account the Sermon is not the transcript of one of Jesus’ sermons but, in Calvin’s words, “a brief summary of the doctrine of Christ . . . collected out of his many and various discourses” (Commentary, 259). Modern scholars would only add that one must investigate the history of each saying to determine whether it goes back to Jesus. But however interesting such investigation is, our focus herein will be on the Sermon as it stands.

BEGINNING AND END

The Sermon on the Mount opens with a short narrative introduction (4:23–5:2) and ends with a brief narrative conclusion (7:28–8:1). The two units clearly correspond to each other, for the latter takes up the vocabulary of the former:

4:23-5:2

7:28-8:1

“great crowds followed him” “the mountain” “going up” “teaching”

“great crowds followed him” “the mountain” “going down” “teaching”

Moreover, when 7:28 tells us that Jesus “finished these words,” this is the closing counterpart of 5:2, “opening his mouth.”

Two results—one literary, the other theological—follow from the observation that 4:23–5:2 and 7:28–8:1 mirror one another. First, it is evident that the two corresponding units mark off 5:3–7:27 as a distinct literary unit. This in turn means that the simplest outline of the Sermon is this triad: Introduction (4:23–5:2), Discourse (5:3–7:27), Conclusion (7:28–8:1).

The second result is that if indeed 4:23–5:2 is the introduction to the Sermon, then it can help us with interpretation. Often expression has been given to the conviction that the Sermon on the Mount is unremitting in its requirements, that it does nothing more than make demands. But this overlooks, among other things, the role of 4:23–5:2. For this last tells us that the Sermon was addressed not only to the disciples but also to “the crowds,” and that among these crowds were people who had been healed by Jesus: he went throughout Galilee “curing every disease and every sickness among the people . . . and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them.” So before Jesus makes any demands, he shows his compassion by healing the sick among the crowds. The act is pure grace, for the crowds have done nothing. The implicit lesson is that grace comes before task, succor before demand. Jesus’ first act is not the imposition of difficult imperatives but the selfless service of others. Today’s command presupposes yesterday’s gift.

BLESSINGS AND WARNINGS

Following the narrative introduction, Jesus’ first words are the beatitudes, the nine sentences that open with “Blessed are . . . .” Whether there is any significance to the number nine is unclear. Further, although attempts have been made, no one has yet succeeded in discovering the key to the arrangement of the nine sentences. The one sure fact is that the last beatitude (5:11–12) is much the longest and in other respects different from the rest. Whereas the first eight all have “Blessed are the . . . for theirs/they,” 5:11–12 has “Blessed are you when” plus a command (“rejoice and be glad”). We have here a rhetorical convention, for there are other ancient texts—including collections of beatitudes—which add emphasis to the concluding member of a series by making it long and irregular (see 4Q525; 1 Enoch 99:10–15; Matt. 1:2–16; 23:13–36; Luke 6:24–26, 37–38; 1 Clement 13.2; Polycarp, Letter 2.3; Didache 1.3–5; Acts of Paul and Thecla 5–6; 2 Enoch 42:6–14 J).

In one respect the beatitudes function similarly to 4:23–5:2. For they too speak the language of grace. Matt. 5:3–12 does not, as we shall see, so much list the entrance requirements for the kingdom as it offers comfort to the saints, to the poor in spirit, to those hungering and thirsting after righteousness. The first half of each beatitude depicts the community’s present; the second half foretells the community’s future; and the juxtaposition of the two radically different situations permits the trials of everyday life to be muted by contemplation of the world to come. This hardly excludes the implicit moral demand: one is certainly called to become what the beatitudes praise. But Matthew’s beatitudes are not formally imperatives. Like the eschatological blessings in 13:16 as well as Rev. 19:9 and 22:14, they offer hope and indeed function as a practical theodicy. Although there is no explanation of evil, the imagination, through contemplation of God’s future, discovers hope and so finds the present tolerable. In other words, before readers face Jesus’ hard imperatives they are built up, encouraged, consoled.

One cannot fail to see that the promises paint a very happy picture indeed of the disciples’ future in the kingdom of heaven. The congregation of the righteous will inherit the earth (5:5), see God (5:8), and receive a grand and glorious reward (5:12). One also cannot fail to see that none of these things could be obtained by purely human effort. If they are to be gained at all it is only because they will have been given. The beatitudes proclaim that someday God will give human beings what they cannot obtain for themselves on their own. Again the lesson is grace.

If Jesus’ commands come after beatitudes, they are in turn followed by stern warnings. Matt. 7:13–14 (on the two ways), 7:15–23 (on false prophets), and 7:24–27 (on hearers and doers of the word) confront readers with strong exhortations that underscore the importance of doing the will of the Father in heaven as this is set forth in 5:13–7:12. “Enter through the narrow gate” means one must follow the way set forth in the Sermon. “Beware of false prophets” means that one must pay heed to the truth as revealed by Jesus and not be deceived by those whose teachings contradict it. Lastly, one must be like the wise who built upon rock, that is, one must hear Jesus’ words and do them. There is a path to perdition. There are heretical teachers. And there are fools whose destiny is destruction. Obviously the grace of the Sermon does not mean one can take it easy. Grace is rather the strength to do the difficult.

SALT AND LIGHT

Between the introductory eschatological...