The Sermon on the Mount: An Evangelical Exposition of Matthew 5-7

Comparing D.A. Carson's expositional study of the Sermon on the Mount to the larger, more classic treatment by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a reader may initially conclude that Carson's book is probably an overview, rather than an in-depth study of the subject. That reader would be sorely mistaken. Carson's book originated from a series of messages he gave to several hundred students over a six-week period at Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union in 1974, and repeated at several churches located in British Columbia. He later revised the studies to suite a book format. I chose to take my time and methodically covered the material section by section, rather than simply reading through the book. In doing so, I found Carson's book both extremely informative and personally rewarding. His scholarship and exposition is outstanding. Carson begins with an Introduction (The Kingdom of Heaven: Its Norms and Witness) to establish the foundation of his exposition of the Sermon on the Mount. He uses the Beatitudes to describe the Norms of the Kingdom, and then follows them with a description of the Witness (salt & light) of those in the Kingdom. Carson continues to use this very practical method throughout the study. As with most studies of the Sermon on the Mount, not everyone will agree with Carson's viewpoint and the details of every section, and he clearly makes no attempt to satisfy everyone. For instance, one reviewer unnecessarily took exception with Carson over his treatment of a single (and obviously a personal favorite) text which coincided with the reviewer's lifestyle. Disagreements notwithstanding, I think Carson stayed true to the text and provided excellent word and theme exposition and analysis. I especially found Carson's Conclusion chapter helpful. I don't think I have ever seen such a profound method of teaching in any other book. I won't give away the details of this chapter here, so you will just have to get the book and read it for yourself. One additional point I especially benefited from was Carson's willingness to periodically provide other recommended books for further reading. This really showed me his skill as a teacher and concern for his readers. Carson concludes his study with two exceptionally relevant appendices. First: Critical Approaches to the Sermon on the Mount, and Second: Theological Interpretations of the Sermon on the Mount. Though there is not a lot of footnoting in this book, Carson usually provided his referenced material in the text or conveniently at the bottom of the applicable page. The only other material I would have appreciated in this book would have been the addition of an extensive bibliography. You can probably tell that I found very little wrong with Carson's expositional study. It is clearly presented and contains very sound scholarship. With the exception of some incidental minutiae in his interpretation, I highly recommend Carson's book on the Sermon on the Mount as a necessary addition to any