The Sermon on the Mount comforts and provokes. It is quiet and loud, tender and powerful, personal, but also political. The Sermon on the Mount has it all - in every respect.
Friedrich Dürrenmatt called it the "speech of all speeches". Indeed, the Sermon on the Mount is different from all other speeches. The very fact that it has been writing history and shaping biographies for 2000 years makes it so special.
Their linguistic splendour, their density of content, their wisdom congealed into letters have fascinated monks and powerful people, private individuals and politicians, pacifists and communists, scientists and writers, women and men across all religious and denominational boundaries throughout the centuries.
With this year's Biblical Days, we are focussing on what is probably the most striking text in the entire New Testament: the Sermon on the Mount.
The versatility of the Sermon on the Mount is reflected in the topics covered. The range of topics extends from the question of the content and themes of the Sermon on the Mount, to the origin and tradition of this great speech, to the multifaceted history of its interpretation and impact, to the question of the meaning of the Sermon on the Mount - in interreligious dialogue, for today's church and for personal faith.
The topics
In the Gospel of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus' first major public discourse. It starts the Gospel of Matthew like a programme, like a manifesto. It is intended to summarise everything that Jesus stands for, what he is on the road for, what his proclamation constitutes and contains.
The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes (Mt 5:3-12): "Blessed are the poor in God's sight; blessed are those who mourn; blessed are the peacemakers; blessed are those who are persecuted..." You have to imagine: in ancient times, gods or heroes were called "blessed". Here Jesus praises and ennobles the hungry have-nots, night owls of all kinds, people you really wouldn't want to swap places with. This is an unparalleled re-evaluation, a completely different perspective: if this is true, then the usual trump cards of our world no longer work. Then everything is upside down.
The words about the light and salt of the earth (Mt 5:13-16) are probably no less well known: Farmers and day labourers and the (homeless) disciples of Jesus are called salt and light. They are the decisive seasoning and the rays of sunshine for this world.
The so-called antitheses seem radical (Mt 5:21-48): Jesus contrasts common commandments with his view of things, for example: "You have heard that it was once said to the ancients, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Mt 5:43-44) Not only the murderer, but anyone who is even angry with his brother is to be condemned. The old principle of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" is thrown overboard. Instead, the following should now apply: "If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other one to him. (...) If anyone wants your shirt, give him your cloak as well." (Mt 5:39-40)
Is that realistic? Does it work? Bismarck once said, shaking his head at such sentences: "You can't make policy with the Sermon on the Mount!" The question is justified: How practicable is the Sermon on the Mount?
Part of the Sermon on the Mount is the Lord's Prayer (Mt 6:9-13): the plea for daily bread and the forgiveness of sins. So many sentences and passages from the Sermon on the Mount have become part of the collective memory of Christianity: "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Mt 6:20), or "Ask and it will be given to you" (Mt 7:7), but also "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Mt 7:1). There is talk of a house set in the sand or built on solid rock (Mt 7:24-27). And finally, the Sermon on the Mount also includes the golden rule: "Do to others as you would have them do to you!" (Mt 7:12)
It is not just individual books, but entire libraries that have been written about the Sermon on the Mount. It is as relevant today as it was then: especially today in the midst of all the conflicts, in the midst of the challenges of our time. Admittedly: The Sermon on the Mount does not go down like oil, sometimes it is heavy on the stomach. But it always entices with the vision of a better, fairer world!
The origin
The Sermon on the Mount is a skilfully crafted speech. It is the mature theological fruit of an author who combines different traditions, text types, themes and motifs to form a great whole.
However, this also means that the Sermon on the Mount as it appears in the Gospel of Matthew was probably never delivered by the historical Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount is not a shorthand text, not a verbatim recording. It is an exemplary textual unit that has been shaped from the traditions handed down by Jesus, literarily modelled and designed with the addressees in mind.
At the same time, however, there is a general consensus among researchers: the basic content, core and approach of the Sermon on the Mount can be traced back to the historical Jesus. His idea of "greater justice", of love even for enemies, but also his view of God as "Abba" (as "beloved Father"), his special attention to outsiders - all of this is part of the bedrock of Jesus' preaching. These themes were woven together in the Sermon on the Mount to form an artful discourse.
Statements and sentences spoken by Jesus on various occasions form the material from which the Sermon on the Mount was created. Some of these sentences come from oral tradition, others from early written notes and sources. However, the Sermon on the Mount is not just a collection and stringing together of Jesus' original tones. It is already a translation of Jesus' message: Matthew translates Jesus' proclamation for his addressees, into a changing time. He makes the consequences of Jesus' proclamation clear. He structures and creates a dynamic, well-thought-out arc of suspense that maximises the effect on the addressees.
This becomes clear when you compare, for example, the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew with the field discourse in the Gospel of Luke. Both speeches draw on the same stream of tradition. However, the translation of the evangelists results in striking differences. While Luke's Gospel says: "Blessed are you poor" (Luke 6:20), the sentence in Matthew's Gospel reads "Blessed are the poor in God's sight" (Matthew 5:3). Matthew deepens the statement: it is no longer just about sheer physical poverty ("blessed are you poor"), but also about one's own self-image, about the awareness of one's own poverty, about humility in the face of God ("blessed are the poor in God's sight").
The words of Jesus have passed through the pen of the evangelist: Whoever hears the Sermon on the Mount therefore not only hears the voice of the historical Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount already represents a first confrontation with Jesus' proclamation: a translation in changing circumstances and for the lives of the addressees.
The interpretation
The question of how the Sermon on the Mount is to be understood and interpreted has been hotly debated at all times. Can the Sermon on the Mount be taken literally? Or is it not meant literally at all: rather as an offence, as a provocation that "only" wants to set things in motion and provoke debate? But doesn't this defuse the Sermon on the Mount and declare it completely irrelevant or impractical?
Does the Sermon on the Mount apply to all Christians or only to those who want to follow Jesus radically: in a religious order, as ascetics, with above-average rigour and seriousness? Throughout history, attempts have been made to understand the Sermon on the Mount in terms of a two-level ethic: the rather easy demands are intended for the general public, while the challenging sentences are aimed at those who want to follow Jesus radically. However, there is no mention of different audiences and target groups in the Sermon on the Mount.
How far does the relevance of the Sermon on the Mount extend? Is it "only" intended to characterise the private and personal sphere? Is it also suitable as a set of rules for shaping the state and society? How political is the Sermon on the Mount? Luther spoke of two realms in which every Christian lives: in a spiritual and personal realm (in which one can adhere to the Sermon on the Mount) and in a secular and political realm (which functions according to other state rules and laws and cannot pay attention to the demands of the Sermon on the Mount).
Finally, the question arises as to whether the Sermon on the Mount is still valid today. Do the radical demands only work if we reckon with the imminent end of the world? Albert Schweitzer spoke of an "interim ethic": as radical as the Sermon on the Mount is, it can only be observed for a limited transitional period at best. However, the Sermon on the Mount was not intended or suitable for an entire world or church history, for centuries and millennia.
The meaning
The different approaches to interpreting the Sermon on the Mount make it clear how much people have struggled at all times to find the right interpretation. What is the meaning of the Sermon on the Mount? This question is not only asked by Christians. The Sermon on the Mount is also a topic of interreligious dialogue: Could the Sermon on the Mount not bring religions together and strengthen them in their common endeavour to create peace and seek justice?
The Sermon on the Mount reflects the ideas and discussions of Judaism at the time of Jesus. It connects Jews and Christians - from its Jewish roots and through its Christian tradition. But Mahatma Gandhi was also inspired by the Sermon on the Mount. "It is," he once said, "the Sermon on the Mount that made me love Jesus."
How is the Sermon on the Mount perceived by other religions? Does it have the potential to unite people and groups and to establish a cross-denominational and cross-religious practice?
There is no doubt that the Sermon on the Mount is radical. It demands a profound confrontation from all listeners. The word "radical" is derived from the Latin word "radix" ("root"). This is the point: the Sermon on the Mount is aimed at the root, at the fundamental attitude and behaviour of human beings. It is about a new view of things and not just a superficial observance of individual rules. It is no coincidence that the Sermon on the Mount says: "Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Mt 5:48) The Sermon on the Mount aims to reach the whole person: their thoughts, endeavours and actions. This is what makes it so radical and challenging. The Sermon on the Mount is not just about superficial attention to the letter, but about the whole person. It reaches its goal when it is able to change attitudes and modify behaviour.
The beginning
Over the course of the Biblical Days, various texts of the Sermon on the Mount will be examined more closely and analysed exegetically. The question will always be how this "speech of all speeches" can be understood today: What current inspirational potential does the Sermon on the Mount possess?
Before we begin with the Sermon on the Mount in the actual sense, I would like to climb the mountain with you and listen to the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew carefully shapes the first verses before the actual discourse begins: with a great deal of theological sensitivity and literary-narrative skill. The description of the context provides crucial reading keys for understanding Jesus' words.
"But when he saw the multitude, he went up into the mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying." (Mt 5:1-2)
The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount refers back to the immediately preceding verse (Mt 4:25). It speaks of a "large crowd" - "from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan". Many people follow Jesus. They now gather together and are assumed to be listening to the Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon on the Mount - if we take the audience indicated by Matthew seriously - is not a speech for a small circle. On the contrary: Jesus delivers his first programmatic discourse to a very mixed audience, which is by no means only Jewish, but rather wide-ranging.
The reference to "his disciples coming to him" from the crowd has provoked debate among researchers. Is this intended to emphasise the special relevance of the sermon for the disciples? Does Matthew want to make it clear that the disciples in particular have to fulfil the demands of the Sermon on the Mount?
It is illuminating in this respect how Matthew concludes the Sermon on the Mount: "When Jesus had finished speaking, the crowds were greatly moved by his teaching." (Mt 7:28) So it is by no means only the disciples who hear Jesus' discourse. The consternation of the crowd reflects the comprehensive relevance of the words: What Jesus said applies to all listeners. In addition, the Sermon on the Mount - in contrast to Luke's field discourse - is given in the third person. Matthew does not speak of "you" or "her", but in general terms of "the poor", "the rich", "the bad and the good"... Finally, the end of Matthew's Gospel extends Jesus' proclamation to all people when it says: "Make disciples of all nations (...) and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Mt 28:19-20) What was said to the disciples does not only apply to them. What they were commanded also applies to all people. The Sermon on the Mount would be misunderstood if it were restricted to a particular group of listeners. It applies - according to Jesus' intention and the presentation of Matthew's Gospel - to all people of good will.
The location of the speech, the mountain that Jesus climbs, may initially simply pursue the goal of being more audible in the midst of the large crowd. The mountain offers Jesus a suitable platform for the presumed size of the audience.
In addition to this practical reason, however, the mountain is likely to have a theological significance - especially for the Jewish-Christian addressees of Matthew's Gospel. In the Old Testament, mountains are places of revelation. The mountain evokes memories: just as Moses gives the law to the people of Israel on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:3), Jesus addresses the people with the Sermon on the Mount. The place lends Jesus' words claim and authority. The definite article - "the" mountain - can also be read as a clear indication of the significance of the place. It is not just any mountain, not just a geographical place: in Matthew's Gospel (cf. Mt 28:16), the mountain is a theological place full of dignity and authority. The place emphasises the special relevance, the revelatory character of the speech.
The reference to Jesus sitting down is significant. Jesus' sitting down is contrary to the contemporary idea and practice of a teacher standing and lecturing while standing. In other places in the New Testament tradition, Peter (Acts 1:15; 15:7) or Paul (Acts 13:16) stand up to give a speech. Jesus' seated posture, on the other hand, is reminiscent of a majestic enthronement, of a ruling gesture (cf. Mt 25:31; 27:19). Jesus' place and posture lend weight to his words. What Jesus says here is emphasised.
The phrase that Jesus "opens his mouth" sounds somewhat cumbersome. This expression is more than just a casual introduction to the speech. In these short verses, Matthew leaves nothing to chance. Every statement is carefully chosen and placed. Matthew makes it solemn: the speech begins as if in slow motion. The wording lends the words a particularly solemn aura and emphasises the importance of the speech.
Jesus' words are called "teaching": "He taught them and said." This expression is also chosen with care. The Gospel of Matthew distinguishes between "teaching" and "preaching". The difference becomes clear if you follow the first summarised descriptions of Jesus' ministry in Matthew's Gospel: "He went about all Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people." (Mt 4:23) The proclamation is of a fundamental nature and concerns the announcement of the kingdom of heaven. Teaching, however, is indicated when the kingdom of heaven has already been proclaimed. Teaching is the unfolding and explanation, the instruction for proclamation. Since the proximity of the kingdom of heaven has already been proclaimed (Mt 4:23), the "teaching" of the Sermon on the Mount now unfolds the inner logic, the values and the programme of the reign of heaven.
We have arrived on the mountain. Matthew introduces the Sermon on the Mount with a few powerful and deliberate brushstrokes. The narrative opening of the discourse makes it clear that the words of Jesus that now follow are weighty and of crucial importance, that it is worth listening to this "discourse of all discourses".
