They teach preachers to present their congregations with a choice in each sermon and to make that choice so powerful that no one can ignore it. An effective sermon is one out of which the congregation makes a decision to change; i.e. they've been confronted with a decision that would be too painful to avoid. And they teach preachers to keep those choices simple - either/or if at all possible (the application then comes out of that decision). Make such that the congregation cannot help but see the truth and what they need to do about it.
Most people recognize that Jesus has done just that in what we call the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). But they go to the very end of the Sermon for validation - "choose between the narrow gate and the wide gate" - as if that's where Jesus presents us with His "invitation." What I'm going to suggest is that we look at the entire Sermon on the Mount as one long presentation of a choice (the same choice). This approach will help us understand some of the harder teachings in the Sermon, and it will keep us from missing Jesus' point. But first, a little context. Matthew organized his Gospel in masterful form. Matthew begins his story of Jesus' ministry with a Sermon that would establish His entire teaching ministry (we know from Mark and Luke that Jesus repeated elements from this Sermon in many different settings; yes, this means I believe that this is a real sermon that really happened). Matthew then follows the Sermon with a tour de force of proof of Jesus' authority so say such monumental things (Matthew 8-9, power over diseases, power over nature, power over demons, power over sin, power over the law, power over death itself). Matthew was a sharp man. With help from the Spirit, he saw the grand patterns in what Jesus was doing and so made certain to put all of that into his Gospel. Likewise, he realized that Jesus' words were organized equally carefully, so he made certain to keep them all together as Jesus delivered them (it's possible, but not necessary, that Matthew heard Jesus give this Sermon). As a result, we cannot take the organization and wording of this Sermon too seriously. Let's start with a very simplified outline of the Sermon (I'm grouping the teachings by form and wording):
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Herod the Great is one of my favorite characters to use as an illustration of what happened to the Roman Republic-turned-Empire. His grandfather, Antipater, had connived his way into becoming a power broker in Judea. His father, Antipater II/Antipas, had supported Pompey and Caesar (which is apparently what led to his assassination the year after Caesar's). Herod himself had become friends with Caesar's protege, Octavian, who defeated Caesar's enemies and later appointed Herod "King of the Jews" in 40 BC. I think it's safe to say that Octavian (who would go on to become Augustus Caesar) was using Herod as much as he was rewarding him (else how do we explain pardoning the fact that Herod actually backed Mark Antony during that fuss?). He needed someone who could keep the traditionally unstable region of Judea under control and be a buffer against the Parthians so he could focus on more pressing enemies closer to home. In fact, he didn't particularly even like Herod, once saying that "it's safer to be one of Herod's pigs than one of his sons." But he couldn't argue with Herod's success. Because he was both a megalomaniac and paranoid, Herod used his long leash from Rome to rule Judea by terror, murdering any supposed threat and putting down any opposition to his reign. He managed to keep just enough favor with all parties by completing a number of massive building projects that employed lots of Jews, gave much pride to the region, and flattered their namesakes in Rome. If that's how things were in a true backwater of the Roman Empire, how much more dysfunctional must things have been closer to Rome? But that's not the point here. I want to tap into a fascinating exchange in Matthew 2. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” |
AuthorIf I ever say something in here that doesn't make sense, please ask me to clarify. It always makes sense in my head, but that doesn't necessary mean anything to you . . . Categories
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