The Sermon on the Mount
Religious Studies: KS3, topic 1.3.13
The Sermon on the Mount
In some of the Gospels, there is an account of a sermon given by Jesus on a hillside, called the Sermon on the Mount. A sermon is when a religious figure teaches a live audience.
The Beatitudes
- The sermon starts with The Beatitudes.
- The word Beatitudes comes from a Latin word that means ‘blessed’.
- Each of the Beatitudes describes some actions that will bring people inner happiness and will be pleasing to God.
- They say people should be peacemakers, be merciful, and work for a fair society.
- It also indicates that those who suffer are in God’s special care.
Teachings on forgiveness
- The Beatitudes are the most well-known part of the sermon, but Jesus also taught many other things:
- He said that the idea that people should retaliate when harmed was wrong. Instead, they should ‘turn the other cheek’.
- This means people should allow themselves to be hurt more if necessary, rather than demanding ‘an eye for an eye'.
Teachings on being religious
- Jesus taught that outward show of being religious was not enough. These things had to be done for the right reason, to help others and to get closer to God.
- This means that when we give to charity, it is better to do it privately than do it in public so that people praise us.
- It is important to pray to God, but in a private room, not in public on the street corners so that people praise us.
Other teachings
- Jesus said that we cannot take material possessions with us when we die, so they should not be an important part of our life now.
- We should be happy with few possessions and a simple life.
- Jesus was against judging others, too, as we have seen. He went further and said ‘do not judge because that will lead to others judging you’.
- It is better to be merciful and forgive, and that way you may also be shown mercy.
The importance of Jesus' teachings
- What was surprising about this Sermon was that it was a new expectation about how people should behave.
- In Jesus’ time it was common for people to condemn sinners, demand revenge, despise people they saw as inferior, to see being rich as a sign of God’s favour.
- Christians today try to live according to Jesus’ radical teaching. Sometimes people say that Jesus taught a very simple morality. This is because Jesus taught that everything we do should be based on love - love of God and love shown to each other.
Test yourself on The Sermon on the Mount
What does the word 'Beatitudes' mean?
Where did Jesus give the Sermon on the Mount?