Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Introduction
There are two more instances where Jesus gets in trouble for breaking the rules of the Sabbath.
Last week we read the first of these in John 5:1-47.
As we continue to survey the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, we see a few more instances:
Plucking the ears of corn on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28; Matthew 12:1-8; Luke 6:1-5)
Healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6; Matthew 12:9-14; Luke 6:6-11)
The Personality of Jesus
Next, we discover a very interesting note about Jesus’ ministry and personality.
Isaiah spoke of this more than any other prophet.
He spoke of how the Messiah’s ministry would be of lowly and humble estate (Matthew 12:15-21, c.f. Isaiah 42:1-4).
Isaiah’s reference is enigmatic until you understand the language of the times.
Leon Morris writes,
19.
Those who lead the nations are mostly forceful characters, insistent on getting their own way.
They tend to quarrel with anyone who hinders them, so sure are they that what they are seeking to accomplish is the right thing for the people they lead.
The prophecy points out that God’s servant is not set in this mold.
He will not quarrel means that his mission is one of peace.
It does not, of course, mean that he will not strongly oppose those who do evil.
But it affirms in strong terms that he will not try to impose his will on everybody regardless of their desires.
JB’s “He will not brawl” and GNB’s “He will not argue” represent different ways of bringing out the servant’s quiet approach.
Nor will he shout carries on with the same idea.
He will do his work quietly, making no loud claims to underline his importance.
So, too, his voice will not be raised in the streets (GNB, “will not … make loud speeches in the streets”).
So far from fanfares and the like, there will not even be a voice in the streets.
The Lord’s work will be done without noise and publicity.
20.
And it will be done in gentleness.
A reed might be used as a flute, a measuring rod, a pen, and in many other ways.
But for whatever purpose it was wanted, a whole reed was desirable.
Reeds grew plentifully and were cheap.
“The reed, growing by millions in every marsh and riverside, was a type of commonplace insignificance” (Glover).
The natural thing was to discard an imperfect reed and replace it with a better one.
But the Lord’s servant does not discard those who can be likened to shattered reeds, earth’s “broken” ones.
A perfect reed is at best fragile, so the imagery emphasizes weakness and helplessness.
The same truth is brought out with the reference to a smoking wick.52
A wick that functioned imperfectly was a nuisance: it would not give out good light and its smoldering released a certain amount of smoke.
The simple thing was to snuff it out and throw it away.
A little bit of flax did not cost much, so replacing it was the normal procedure.
It took time and patience and the willingness to take pains to make anything useful out of a bruised reed or a smoking wick.
People in general would not take the trouble.
In a similar fashion most of us regard the world’s down-and-outs as not worth troubling ourselves over; we do not see how anything can be made of them.
But love and care and patience can do wonders, and that is what the prophet is talking about.
God’s servant will persevere to the end.
He will persist until he brings out54 justice into victory.
The prophet cannot acquiesce in the thought that evil will finally have the victory.
For him it is clear that in the end the servant will bring about the triumph of justice.
The care and passion of Jesus’ ministry; the great gentleness by which His ministry was conducted is admirable.
Furthermore, it teaches how we should approach our ministerial responsibilities and endeavors.
After Jesus has frustrated the religious climate of His day, He moves on to selecting those that were first appointed as followers and disciples to become apostles.
The Selection of the Apostles
The selection of the apostles is told in Mark 3:13-19 and Luke 6:12-16.
One must question the motive of Jesus behind selecting such individuals.
The Sermon on the Mount seems to carry a different significance when considered among the selection of the apostles.
An apostle is an envoy of Jesus Christ commissioned directly by Him or by other apostles; normally someone who has been taught directly by Jesus and who is invested with the authority to speak on His behalf.
So, we can conclude that Jesus was selecting those who would be instrumental in carrying the things taught.
This selection began early and lasted throughout the time of His earthly ministry.
So, apostles are not creators of their own message.
Rather, they are carriers of the message taught by Jesus Christ.
The goal of the church must always be equipping and commissioning.
When we make it our business to equip those we plan to send out, we are walking in the model of Jesus Christ best.
The Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount takes place in Capernaum (Matthew 5:1-2; Luke 6:17-19).
According to France,
The mountain is not a specific place, but a general term, as we might say ‘into the hills’ (cf.
14:23; 15:29; 28:16, none of which specifies the exact place; contrast 4:8; 17:1, where ‘a high mountain’ indicates a specific, though unidentified, peak).
It indicates the steeply rising ground to the west of the lake of Galilee.
Such ‘retreats’ to the quiet of the hills, for prayer and teaching, are a regular feature of Jesus’ ministry.
(France, R. T. (1985).
Matthew: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 1, p. 112).
InterVarsity Press.)
The mountain was very likely “the high ground behind Capernaum as distinguished from the low land near the shore” (Sloman, A., Westcott, B. F., & Hort, F. J. A. (1912).
The gospel according to St Matthew: being the Greek text (Rev.
and repr.
with additional notes., p. 85).
Macmillan.)
If you could just picture this scene, it helps us identify what “going to church” with Jesus might have been like.
Here, Jesus holds Bible study outside on a hill or in a mountain.
It would have been a common place to gather, but not for all.
I am fascinated by the unorthodox mannerisms of the New Testament leaders.
They were innovative and different.
Now, what do we make of the actual sermon Jesus preached?
The Beatitudes
BEATITUDES The group of “blessed are” statements that open the Sermon on the Mount in Matt 5:3–12.
The term also refers to the four “blessed are” statements that open the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6:20–23.
The word “beatitude” originates from the Latin word beatitudo (Betz, The Sermon on the Mount, 92).
They are also called “macarisms,” a label that corresponds to the Greek word usually translated “blessed” (μακάριος, makarios) that begins each of the beatitudes.
Form and Source
The form of the statements in the Beatitudes has parallels in ancient Egyptian literature, Hellenistic literature, the Old Testament, and was used by rabbis (Betz, The Sermon on the Mount, 92; Hagner, Matthew, 88).
Since the Beatitudes come from an Egyptian background, we can identify the concept in the Hebrew writings: Job 5:17, Psalm 1:1, Proverbs 3:13.
Leon Morris makes a profound statement concerning the teaching of Jesus here,
Together with the following woes these beatitudes make a mockery of the world’s values.
They exalt what the world despises and reject what the world admires.
Matthew 5:3-12 uses the word “blessed”, which means happy or fortunate on the basis of circumstances.
It denotes the transcendent happiness of a life beyond care, labour and death (Hauck, F., & Bertram, G. (1964–).
μακάριος, μακαρίζω, μακαρισμός.
In G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.),
Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 4, p. 362).
Eerdmans.)
The following blessings are afforded to those who are
Poor: Those having little money or possessing little.
(This could be referring to those that are lacking in their souls or spirit, due to their literal poverty.
One’s emotions and disposition struggles when they are impoverished.)
Poverty is often associated with piety, thus, the “in spirit...” Consequently, they get the kingdom of God.
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