The Sermon on the Mount: The Character of a Disciple

Matthew 5 - 7 is well known for the Lord's Sermon on the Mount. The sermon kicks off with the eight beatitudes where Christ gives fresh revelation on the attributes of a true and humble heart towards God and fellow man. As He retreated on the mount, Christ's actual purpose was to teach the disciples. But as great multitudes followed Him, they heard the words of life as well. Jesus spoke in parables not only in order that people would fail to understand but also because people refuse to see or hear (Matt 13:13). When Jesus started to teach neither men nor women could grasp the extent of His reach, lest He draw them intimately and teach them singularly. All that time they saw God-in-the-flesh. All that time they heard Jesus teach and saw Him do many signs, wonders and miracles. Still many remained blind. So many would not hear. The multitudes' disbelief was evidence that they are not among those given to Christ by the Father. 'No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws Him.' John 6:43 'The miracles made Jesus popular. But Jesus wanted disciples, not crowds, so He called a few men to Himself. To do so, He separated them from the crowds, for the crowds did not necessarily follow Him for the best reasons.' p 13 The significance of the personal instruction given the apostles made their callings unique. John began his first epistle by making the apostolic office very distinctive: 'That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life.' The righteousness required is none less than exceeds that of the Pharisees - therefore perfection. Daniel Doriani compares that perfection as understood, taught and achieved by Christ, with those who do not make the grade - the church in general, and the disciples in particular. As to our status, Doriani agrees: 'what theologians call alien righteousness. That is the righteousness of Christ, bestowed on us when we believe in Him. The Bible calls it justification.' p 22 As to our character, and as pertaining to this study, Doriani states: 'there is personal righteousness...this hunger leads us to uproot our sin and become more like Jesus. It leads us to pray that God's Spirit will make us more holy. The Bible calls this sanctification.' p 22 And so, with Dr Doriani we enter what must be the 'self-examination' that the Messiah taught first-hand His disciples, the Bible speaks of to us, and what Charles Spurgeon so eloquently preached on in 'The Scales of Judgment'. Doriani puts the Sermon on the Mount in a context that it may become clear that we, once regenerated by the Holy Spirit, have a higher calling to live by. The application of the beatitudes is for us today, though we are well reminded that it is not the full revelation of God in the gospel: 'I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.' John 16:12 In itself, it is very difficult to live a life

Hyperbole in the review title? I don't think so-I'm not saying it is the best book on the S.O.T.M., but in my opinion, it is the best book on it that I would recommend to the people in my congregation, my former youth group students and others. Its strength is that it combines Biblical scholarship in clear, understandable language, and weds it to practical application and grace-centered interpretation. Here's two quotes from the section on "Do Not Worry" from Matt. 6:25-34: "At one level, worry is simply a human folly, roughly on the order of eating or drinking in excess, or staying up too late at night. Like overindulgence, worry is a self-destructive state we think we should be able to control. After all, we know that worry is pointless--no one can add even an hour to his life by worrying (v. 27). It `accomplishes nothing except to put God out of the picture.' But at another level, worry, like sensual indulgence, can be a symptom of allegiance to false gods. Self-indulgence may reveal a commitment to sensual pleasures. And worry can reveal a commitment to our personal security. That is, we may wish to ensure our personal security for ourselves, instead of trusting God." (pp. 170). Later he concludes: "Pagans logically toil and chase after material things, since they have little else to do with their lives. But when we know the King as our Father, who knows our needs and works to meet them, we can lead an anxiety-free life. Trust in God always casts out worry. One can always imagine the future and find a reason to fret. Or we can ponder God's protection of his birds and flowers and find peace. The carefree believer is not reckless. But we are calm as we look at the near horizon, our daily food, and look ahead to the distant horizon, the eternal kingdom." (pp. 178). Dan Doriani is a pastor and has been a seminary professor, and this work combines the two strands into one wonderful book! He is also an enjoyable writer, who blends real life illustrations into his teaching. I heard several of these chapters in sermon form back when I was in seminary, and they continue to be an encouragement and a challenge to me. I highly recommend Dr. Doriani's book to anyone who wants a pastoral, understandable and enjoyable book on the Sermon on the Mount and how it guides our Christian walks as we seek, by Christ's enabling, to be conformed to His image.