Jesus’ Teaching (Sermon) on the Mount

Jesus’ Teaching on “Forgiveness“ (Matthew 6:14-15):

In Hebrew, the word “nasa” is used to connote forgiveness. It means to “lift up”, to take hold of something and lift it, either to move or remove it. “Salakh” is another word used in Hebrew to connote to forgive and forget.

We read about forgiveness in the Old Testament first we learn that God forgives. In the New Testament, we learn forgiveness is a vital part of Christianity and is possible because Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins. We also read about forgiveness and repentance in the messages and teachings of John the Baptist, and various apostles like Paul, Stephen and many more.

Jesus teaches that if we forgive others when they do things we do not like or approve of God will also forgive us. However, if we do not forgive others when they hurt us or do wicked things to us, God will also not forgive our sins. We learn about this in Matthew 6 verses 14-15 (NKJV), which says, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses”.

God does not want us to ever get tired of forgiving people who offend us. In Matthew 18, Peter asked Jesus if he needed to forgive a person up to seven times (Peter must have thought forgiving a person seven times is a lot). However, Jesus responded in verse 22 saying, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven”. This shows us that forgiveness is very important in Christianity and we are never supposed to get tired of forgiving anyone.

Importance of Forgiveness:

1. It promotes love, unity and peace.

2. It helps to show people how to live true Christian lives and therefore, helps spread the Gospel.

3. It promotes good Christian relationships.

4. It makes Satan powerless because he cannot bring strife and conflict into your life.

5. It improves our connection with God and our spiritual life because our heart is not hardened towards anyone.

6. When we forgive others, we can receive forgiveness from God and other people.

Jesus’ Teaching on Revenge/Retaliation (Matthew 5:38-42):

Jesus also teaches us that if someone hurts us a certain way, we are not supposed to repay them with a punishment we feel is proportional to the way they hurt us. God does not want us to retaliate when people do us wrong. We learn about this in Matthew 5 verses 38-42, here Jesus puts an end to the law of Moses which says “an eye for an eye” and “a tooth” for a tooth”.

Jesus tells us that whoever slaps us on our right cheek we are to turn the other cheek to him also, if anyone wants to sue us and take away our blouse, we should let him have our cloak also. Whoever asks us to go one mile, we are to go with such a person two miles. We are to give to him who asks, and when someone wants to borrow something from us we should not turn away.

Therefore, we should not hold on to people’s transgressions and wrongdoings but we should forgive and do our best to love everyone.

Jesus’ Teaching on “Fasting & Prayer” (Matthew 6:5-18):

Jesus teaches us that when we pray, we do not need to pray in public and use big words, so our prayer is more like a performance. We are not supposed to want to demonstrate to people how well we pray, Jesus teaches us that this is how hypocrites pray. Jesus tells us that God wants us to make our prayer life with Him secret and private. We learn that God who sees things done in private will reward us openly.

Jesus teaches us how to pray by giving us Our Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 verses 9-13 (NKJV), “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Thy kingdom comes, Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

We also learn that when we fast we are supposed to behave like we normally would (as if we were not fasting). We need to act normal so we do not attract the attention of men and their praises, rather, we need to fast to attract God’s blessings. You are to wash your face and take care of yourself to avoid being noticed by people.

Jesus’ Teaching on “Love of Money” (Matthew 6: 19-21):

Jesus also teaches us in Matthew 6 that it is not worth it for us to accumulate treasures on earth (such as money, wealth and material things) where the items are perishable and can even be taken from us. We should instead accumulate treasures of heaven, these are things that are of importance in God’s Kingdom such as justice, provision for everyone’s needs, respect for everyone and so on.

Jesus teaches us that if we choose earthly treasures, our souls will receive earthly rewards. However, if we choose heavenly treasures, our souls will receive heavenly rewards. This is explained to us in Matthew 6 verses 19-21 where Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (NKJV).

Jesus’ Teaching on “Worrying & Anxiety” (Mathew 6: 25-34):

In Matthew Chapter 6, we learn that we are not supposed to worry about anything, that is, our health, money, school or our future. Jesus teaches us that we do not need to worry about what we will eat, drink or what clothes we will wear. We do not need to worry about money or how we will afford the things we want and need. Jesus tells us that birds do not plant or harvest crops nor do they store food for the future but every day God provides food for them. He also tells us that the lilies of the earth do not work hard, yet they are still so beautiful.

Jesus teaches us that worrying is useless because it does not bring results. We are supposed to be rest assured that since God provides for all living things He will definitely provide for us. We are to seek the Kingdom of God first and do what we can with each day we are given. We do not need to spend our time worrying about the future, we should have faith in God and know He will take care of us.