The Sermon on the Mount: Study Guide

Given our recent conversations about the moral vision of Jesus--how Jesus envisioned uprightness before God--I spent some of my bible study time on Saturday making a study guide for the Sermon on the Mount. I wanted to make a condensed but comprehensive moral inventory of the Sermon.

So here it is, my Study Guide for the Sermon on the Mount:
Do not be egoistical or self-absorbed.
Weep over the pain of this world.
Be gentle, tender and kind.
Wake up wanting to be a better person.
Show mercy to others.
Be sincere, genuine and real.
Work for the cause of peace.
People should notice that you are different, in a good way.
Let go of your anger toward others.
If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything.
Reconciliation is more important than going to church.
Try to resolve conflicts face to face.
Do not sexually objectify others.
Honor, and do not easily break, your marital vows.
Live with integrity and be true to your word.
Practice non-violence.
Give and serve generously.
Love your enemies and pray for them.
In practicing your faith you should look religionless to the world.
Keep your prayers short.
Forgive.
Do not be materialistic.
Let go of worry.
Stop judging others and take a hard, honest look at yourself.
Guard your heart around the callous, hostile and brutal.
Ask, seek and knock trusting in God to care for you.
Don't follow the spirituality of the crowd. The way of the Kingdom will never be a fad.
Orthopraxy is the test of orthodoxy.
Obedience is where it all starts.
This isn't an academic exercise. This shall be your Rule of Life.
This was a fun and interesting thing to do. Sort of like making your own personal version of The Message. I'd encourage you to try it. If you post your study guide publicly please link to it in the comments so we can see, compare, learn, and be edified. I think someone with more poetry than I or with deeper biblical and theological insights could produce something really powerful and beautiful. It'd also be really cool to see someone turn the Sermon into a poem.

I also think this would be an interesting activity for a bible class or study group to do with people going around and sharing their summarizations aloud (e.g., what does it mean to be "pure in heart"?) 

For those wanting to correlate my Study Guide with the textbook, here's the key:
Do not be egoistical or self-absorbed. (5.3)
Weep over the pain in this world.(5.4)
Be gentle, tender and kind. (5.5)
Wake up wanting to be a better person. (5.6)
Show mercy to others. (5.7)
Be sincere, genuine and real. (5.8)
Work for the cause of peace. (5.9)
People should notice that you are different, in a good way. (5.13-16)
Let go of your anger toward others. (5.21-22)
If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything. (5.21-22)
Reconciliation is more important than going to church. (5.23-24)
Try to resolve conflicts face to face. (5.25-26)
Do not sexually objectify others. (5.27-30)
Honor, and do not easily break, your marital vows. (5.31-32)
Live with integrity and be true to your word. (5.33-37)
Practice non-violence. (5.38-39)
Give and serve generously. (5.40-42)
Love your enemies and pray for them. (5.43-48)
In practicing your faith you should look religionless to the world. (6.1-7,16-18)
Keep your prayers short. (6.7-8)
Forgive. (6.14-15)
Do not be materialistic. (6.19-24)
Let go of worry. (6.25-34)
Stop judging others and take a hard, honest look at yourself. (7.1-5)
Guard your heart around the callous, hostile and brutal. (7.6)
Ask, seek and knock trusting in God to care for you. (7.7-12)
Don't follow the spirituality of the crowd. The way of the Kingdom will never be a fad. (7.13-14)
Orthdopraxy is the test of orthodoxy. (7.15-20)
Obedience is where it all starts. (7.21-23)
This isn't an academic exercise. This shall be your Rule of Life. (7.24-27)

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16 thoughts on “The Sermon on the Mount: Study Guide”

  1. Thank you, Dr. Beck.  I'm humbled by these teachings.

    "But I Tell You: Jesus Introduces a Better Way to Live" by Karen Oberst (Klamath Falls Friends Church) is a study of The Sermon on the Mount that I have loved.  I used the book as a guide for a Bible study series with my nursing home friends a few years ago.  I notice for the first time that Walter Wink has written one of the reviews on the back cover in praise of the book.  :-)

    Some books -- like this one -- are treasures in my collection that I go to again and again.  I thought of it now, as I read this post.  The book opens with the poem "Outsider" written by the author.  It can be found in its entirety at this link:

    http://www.faith-writer.com/Outsider.html

    The author repeats the imagery of a beggar in her paraphrase of Matt. 5:3 -- and this is the part that I have memorized and which often comes to mind:  "You are blessed when you realize you are no more than a beggar before God's door.  The kingdom of heaven is made up of people just like you."

    As an aside on the subject of poetry, I came to know of Karen Oberst through L.L. Barkat, whose book "Stone Crossings: Finding Grace in Hard and Hidden Places" is another of my book treasures.  Her stories read like poetry.

    Yesterday, it was good to see you share your own poetry again.  Thank you.  ~Peace~

  2. I don't have time to write it up, but my favorite sermon on the Sermon on the Mount involved a preacher getting up in front of the congregation with all of his clothes on exactly inside out. And he began preaching a sermon that sounded eminently sensible, beginning with

    "Blessed are the rich in spirit; blessed are those who laugh"

    All the way down to

    "As long as you don't commit adultery, whatever you do with your eyes or your heart is just fine"

    And 

    "Do your acts of righteousness publicly, in order to have a bigger influence for good in the world."

    Then he said one sentence:  Our Master showed us a different way.

    And then he sat down.

  3. Love this. All of these things involve engaging your heart, mind, soul, and strengths, with/for God and with/for others. They come from a being a whole person, not from being assimilated into a mind-meld of groupianity, or a numbed, unfeeling obedience, or subject to authoritarian piety.

  4.  Thanks Richard and thanks Susan. I am about to start looking for resources around the sermon on the mount/plain to use in a tertiary Bible study. This post is serendipitous. I like the ease in which your rewrite Richard has captured the tenor of Jesus' teaching. You are a very astute interpreter.

  5. Amazing Dr. Beck. This is something that I believe people can get hold of and actually apply this stuff. I will print this out and hang it on my wall as a constant reminder.

  6. Good Susan. Steve Brown says that we are just beggars telling other beggars where we got the Bread!

  7. http://leahschouten.blogspot.ca/2012/05/matthew-5-reflections.html

  8. An attempt at a poem, although I'm surprised I didn't get into a serious mood.  More fun with words and concepts.

    http://www.saintmarkslutheran.org/2012/05/29/a-poem-on-the-mount/

  9.  Thanks Mark! I like how you used a conversational style, give and take, question and answer.

  10. I like your Study Guide very much; rich and condensed. I also liked the contributions from your inspired readers. Thanks!

    I still think the Gold Standard for teaching from the SOTM is The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard. Life-changing, at least for me.

  11. it will be cool if you:

    referred and compared it to
    a guide for living
    money
    displaying religion
    ???
    just suggestion 
    this is for Christians 

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