Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Now we get into a part of the book of Matthew that we will probably be in for a while, and one that is very important to Matthew is displaying the Gospel of Christ and the nature of the new covenant to his readers.

Jesus: The New Moses

The Setting: Jesus Galilean Ministry

Jesus teaching on the OT in such a way that drew people to himself as the ultimate fulfilment of it.

The covenants, the promises, the law, and the prophets had all anticipated his coming, and now he has come and brought the Kingdom.

Great crowds followed Jesus, composed of Jew intrigued by his teaching and the miraculous power with which it came and gentiles amazed by the miracles and desperate to have their own diseases healed.

When Jeses sees this crowd, he goes up a mountain, likely near Capurnaum where the hills create a natural ampetheatre, and sits down in the normal fashion of a Jewish Rabbi teaching his followers.

Flight to and return to Egypt, miraculous saving from infanticidal ruler, Baptism, wandering in the wilderness, and conquering the promised like in the peaceful power of the Spirit give us both a strong parallel and an interesting contrast with the history of Israel and the person of Moses.

Parallels and Contrasts with the old covenant

Jesus a new and better Moses.

Jesus faithful in the wildernesss.

Jesus effectively defeating the satanic powers in the world by drawing the gentiles to the promised land rather than driving them out.

A set of blessings but no curses.

This fits with what we already know is a key difference between the old and new covenant

A key difference between the Old covenant and the New is the fact that those in the New covenant won’t break the covenant.

Therefore, curses are not needed except for those who are not truly in the New and are still in the Old, like the Pharisees who have woes pronounced on them in chapter 23.

The purpose: describing a new creature in a new covenant

What Jesus is doing is establishing a code of living for the new covenant.

This is not a law code, but it does replace the need for the law.

Old Testament law was for a people that was constantly rebelling against God, but what we read in this sermon is the loving instruction for a people that have repented and become part of the new covenant people in Christ.

What these blessings do is describe a new creature in a new covenant.

Jesus is not preaching some works-based aecesticism where those who live poor and miserable can earn their way into blessings.

Rather,

These attitudes characterize those who are new creations.

They are poor in spirit because they don’t value material things, they mourn over their remaining sin, they are meek and not self-important, they desire righteousness above all else, they show mercy because of the mercy they have experienced, they are pure in their intensions and fully devoted to God ect.

They don’t fit in this world and so their behaviour will be confusing and unexplanable to those who are citizens of this age.

They see themselves rightly, and this manifests most often in a lowly spirit.

They act and think in a way that they know pleases their Lord.

The Audience

Finally, we get to the audience that Jesus is addressing.

The Disciples

The Crowds

Conclusion