The Mountain
Matthew 5:1–2
Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,
World English Bible
Before Jesus said a word, He did something significant: He went up on the mountain and sat down. In the ancient world, a teacher sat to deliver authoritative instruction. This was not a casual conversation on the hillside. This was a King taking His throne to announce the values of His kingdom. Everything that follows in Matthew 5 through 7 is the constitution of a new way of life.
Matthew wants us to see the echoes of Moses. Just as Moses went up on Mount Sinai and brought down the Law of God, Jesus ascends a mountain and delivers the definitive interpretation of what God has always intended. But there is a crucial difference: Moses was a messenger. Jesus is the Author. He does not say "Thus says the Lord." He says "I say to you." The authority is His own.
The crowds were there, but notice that it was His disciples who came to Him. The Sermon on the Mount is not addressed to the world at large—it is addressed to those who have chosen to follow. These are the marching orders for people who belong to Jesus. They describe not how to earn God's favor, but how to live as people who have already received it.
Over the next thirty days, we will walk through this sermon together, verse by verse. It will comfort you, challenge you, and confront you. It will turn your assumptions upside down and show you what life looks like when God is truly King. Come to this mountain the way the first disciples did—ready to sit at the feet of Jesus and be taught.
Reflect
- Am I approaching the words of Jesus as a casual listener, or as a disciple ready to be changed?
- What expectations do I bring to the Sermon on the Mount? Am I prepared to be surprised?
- What would it look like for me to truly let Jesus be the authoritative teacher of my life?
Pray
Ask God to prepare your heart for a month in the Sermon on the Mount. Pray that you would come not just to learn, but to be transformed—that the words of Jesus would reshape the way you think, act, and love.