Demand and Grace: the Sermon on the Mount (Biblical Studies / New Testament)

Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount are foundational to all that it means to be Christian. Here the Sermon is read in the context of its setting in the world of Matthew's Gospel. Four concepts guide this study: 1. The key dynamic of the Sermon is found in its unique understanding of God. 2. The program for implementation of God's will is the Kingdom. 3. The radical demands of the Kingdom are rooted in the extraordinary gift of God's grace. 4. The demands of the Sermon remain relevant only as they are reinterpreted and actualized within contemporary life. Following this analysis, the continuing impact of the Sermon is traced through the experience of significant groups and individuals, such as the Anabaptists, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Clarence Jordan. Central to both lines of study is the overarching question of what the Sermon means for us and how its values may be realized in our world.