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INTRODUCTION
Ahh, this week, my friends we begin our study of the Sermon on the Mount which I consider to be the greatest masterpiece of Christian literature. So we, as teachers, have the unenviable task of preparing to teach a lesson on the greatest lesson ever given. I mean, it’s almost tempting to just say to your class, “If you want a great lesson on the Sermon on the Mount, go read the Sermon on the Mount.” I mean, who am I to add to Jesus’s teachings? Or try to give a sermon on the sermon of sermons. However, that being said, we know that that’s not really our role as teachers to just send our students in to read the scriptures on their own. In fact, we’re hoping that they’ve actually already done that homework before they’ve come to class and now, they’re ready to come discuss it and learn more about it. But wow! It is a tough week to teach because there is so much you could talk about. It’s like trying to dig down a mountain with a spoon. Jeffrey R. Holland said this about it:
“The masterful Sermon on the Mount, six and a half pages that would take six and a half years to teach properly."
(Ensign, January 2003)
Well we’re going to try to cover some thoughts from it with the understanding that we will not do it justice. As a teacher, you will not do it justice, and you’re not meant to. So you can relieve yourself of that anxiety. What I try to do is cover some highlights and do a few things well, rather than a lot of things poorly.
You’ll also notice that I don’t spend time in Luke 6 here this week. Many of the stories that we read in that chapter will be covered in other weeks and Luke 6 also contains many similar teachings to the Sermon on the Mount and is sometimes referred to as the Sermon on the Plain. There are some nice additional thoughts on the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount there, so I encourage you to read it after you study Matthew 5. Look for what it adds. But we won’t cover those things here.
One more note, you might notice that some of the thoughts and ideas here sound familiar to you. And that would be because if you studied the Book of Mormon with me a few years ago, Jesus teaches almost the exact same sermon in 3 Nephi to the Nephites. So you’ll see that I’m going to approach teaching it here in a similar way to how I taught it there. Although we do get to go into a little more depth here because the Book of Mormon lesson covered the entire sermon in one lesson whereas here it’s divided into two weeks. With that said, grab your scriptures and your marking pencils. It’s time to dig deep.
BE YE THERFORE PERFECT
ICEBREAKER
For an initial icebreaker, I just like to ask my class a simple question. Is there anyone out there who is the type of person that likes to read the last page of a book first? And inevitably, there are usually at least a few people who do this, or who have done it before. And then I ask them why? And some of the answers I’ve gotten over the years are:
Because I like to know if reading the book is going to be worth it
I don’t like surprises
I don’t like to wait
Because it lets me know what the whole book is leading to or what it’s going to be about.
TRANSITION
Well, regardless of what kind of person you are, today we are going to approach Matthew 5 like that. We’re going to start with the last verse first which I feel is going to reveal what the rest of the chapter is all about. So please read Matthew 5:48. And what does it say?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Now that verse can sometimes give us fits. And we say, “Really? Does he really mean that?” Do I have to be perfect in order to go to heaven? And the surprising answer to that question is, YES. Technically speaking, we do have to be perfect in order to enter the kingdom of God. We know from the scriptures that no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of heaven. The Lord cannot look on sin with the least degree of allowance. Celestial beings are perfect beings, meaning, without sin. But, before we throw up our hands and say, “Well I might as well give up now then”, let me rephrase the question. Must I be perfect IN THIS LIFE in order to go to heaven? And the answer to that, is “Of course not”.
So what does the Savior mean here then? Let me give you just three thoughts on this. One, take a look at the footnote for Matthew 5:48 “b”. And that tells that the original Greek word used here could also be translated as “complete, finished, or fully developed.” Therefore, one way of looking at this verse is to say that Christ is inviting us to strive towards completeness, to finish our course, or to seek to develop ourselves towards perfection. It doesn’t mean to be without sin, weakness, or fault.
Also in that footnote, you’ll see that it sends us to Doctrine and Covenants 67:13. Which reads:
13 Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected.
That sure seems to suggest that this is a process we’re talking about here. We become perfected over a long period of time. Grace to grace, line upon line, precept upon precept. And that process is going to require what quality? Patience. Patience in who particularly? Patience with ourselves. Patience with the process. Patience with others who are also on that path and require time to become what they are capable of becoming.
And then, perhaps my favorite cross reference for this verse is Doctrine and Covenants 76:69 where we also see the word “perfect” used in the scriptures. And it’s a verse that describes the kinds of people that will inherit Celestial glory or exaltation. But how does this verse use the word perfect? It says:
69 These are they (the souls who inherit the Celestial Glory) who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood.
How do you feel this verse sheds light on our understanding of Matthew 5:48? What is it that’s perfect? It’s the atonement that’s perfect—not us. And that perfect atonement is what makes it possible for us to be MADE perfect or “perfected in patience”. And what kind of people are made perfect? Just people. And that means righteous people. So, if I want to go to the Celestial Kingdom, I don’t have to be perfect in this life, I just have to be . . .just. I just have to be just, and then Christ’s atonement will come along and “perfect” me, make me whole, or complete, fully developed. I believe that’s Christ’s intent with the Sermon on the Mount. He’s going to teach us how to do this—how to be just. And since that’s how the chapter ends, everything that comes before it is going to help us to learn how to be “just.” Jesus is going to teach us how to be just. And that’s fitting because Jesus himself is the greatest example of “just-ness”. And in a sense, what he’s doing here is revealing his OWN character. He’s translating who he IS into words for us. Since he is the Word made flesh, here we see him making flesh the Word, so that we can understand it and live it. And as we study the Word, I believe you’ll notice that the things taught in the Sermon on the Mount are focused on who we ARE as Christians rather than what we believe as Christians. The Sermon on the Mount is not a big list of tenets or policies or even doctrines so much. It’s a discourse on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Who we are meant to be, not just know, or believe, or even just do. It’s a sermon on becoming.
BLESSED AND HAPPY-BEATITUDES
SEARCH
So speaking of BEcoming something, Christ begins the sermon with a set of verses that have been labeled “the BEatitudes.” That’s verses 1-12. And that word derives from the Latin word “beatus” which means “to be fortunate, or “to be happy”, or “to be blessed”. You can see that in footnote 3a. And I like that idea in conjunction with what we just talked about. Yes, this sermon is about becoming just and righteous and Christlike. But what will that becoming lead to? What’s the attached result of living that way? Happiness and Blessedness. We’ll be fortunate. Righteousness always was happiness. In fact, that’s another way that you could approach this entire sermon. We go through and look for all the things that will make us happier. If I control my anger, if I control lust, if I love my enemies, if I’m not judgmental, if I treat others how I want to be treated, I will be happy. I suggest we approach these first twelve verses as a marking activity. First, have them find all the blessings first in verses 1-12. That’s where I like to start, and we create a large list on the board. So here are the blessings.
Theirs is the kingdom of heaven
They shall be comforted
They shall inherit the earth
They shall be filled
They shall obtain mercy
They shall see God
They shall be called the children of God
Theirs is the kingdom of heaven (again)
Great is your reward in heaven.
These are the promises for becoming more like Christ. Do they look like pretty good wages to you? After listing those blessings, I ask them which blessing they would most like to receive and why.
Then we do the other half. If we wish to receive these blessings, then what must we do? What attitudes must we develop in order to be happy and blessed and fortunate? Then have them mark the attitudes in a different color.
So we find,
BE poor in spirit
Mourn
BE meek
Hunger and thirst after righteousness
BE merciful
BE a peacemaker
Be persecuted for Righteousness sake. And he goes into a little more detail on that one: Be reviled, persecuted, and have all manner of evil said against you falsely, for his sake.
These are the attitudes and conditions under which we can be happier. Now I know that some of those conditions aren’t conditions we would normally consider to be blessed. Being poor, mourning, and being persecuted aren’t usually considered to be a fortunate state of being. But that’s the thing about Christ’s gospel. The world’s definition of “blessed” is different from the Lord’s. This requires a higher or an eternal perspective.
Now, every single statement in this section is a lesson in and of itself and you could dedicate an hour or more discussing each one, what they mean, and why the Lord wants us to live that way. In a class, you probably won’t have time to do that. But you could ask your class if THEY have any questions about the meaning of any of the beatitudes. Be prepared to answer those. And allow me to give you just a few brief insights that you might want to include in a discussion of them.
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? I don’t think Matthew is using the word “poor” in terms of how much money we have in our bank accounts. I believe that both rich and poor monetarily can be “poor in spirit”. It means to be humble, submissive, and reliant on God. These are the people who know they depend on a power higher than themselves. Just like those who are financially poor are more likely to be humble and willing to reach out for help from another source. Those that are financially rich or more likely to be tempted by pride and a feeling that they don’t need anybody else, including God, to help them. And the JST adds an important phrase to that verse. It adds, blessed are the poor in spirit “who come unto me,” for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. They go to Christ because they humbly recognize that there are things that money simply cannot buy. That know that they need Christ every step of the way and that God is the source of everything they do have.
Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted? Mourn for what? Is it just referring to the mourning we undergo when a loved one dies? I believe that’s included. What greater comfort does one have in that position than a knowledge of the resurrection? But could it mean more? How about mourning for our sins, or for the sins of those we love? Or the grief we feel for whatever trials life throws at us? I believe this promise of comfort applies to all of that. Also, keep in mind, that being comforted does not mean living a comfortable life. We’re talking about an inner peace here, and peace in the eternities.
I love the beatitude in verse 6. Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness. I love that description. One of the qualities that will most make us happy is to desire righteousness. To hunger and thirst after it. Think of a time that you were really hungry. After a long day of work? Fast Sunday? How about thirsty? Ever been dehydrated and all you wanted was a cool drink of water? Do you feel that same way about choosing the right? Do you desire righteousness like you do food or drink? A wonderful thing about our Heavenly Father is that, in his judgment, he takes our desires for righteousness into consideration. He even says that in D&C 137:9 which contains my favorite punctuation mark of all scripture. He says “For I the lord, will judge all men according to their works (but what punctuation mark follows? Is it a period? Thank heavens it’s a comma. I love that comma. Because if it’s a period, you and I are in a great deal of trouble. If I’m only judged for my works, I’m not sure I’m going to make it. But there is a comma, and what does he add to his consideration in the judgment? “According to the desire of their hearts”. My desires do count for something. I know that sometimes it’s said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Well, so is the road to heaven. And that is something I hope we can honestly say about ourselves; that we want to be good. It's just that our works probably aren’t always good. But maybe, if our desires are also considered, we might just stand a chance. And the promise for this beatitude? They shall be filled. But the JST adds a nice phrase to the end of that phrase. They shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.
One more thought. What does it mean to be a peacemaker? I think it’s more than just being someone who breaks up fights. It means being the type of person that brings peace to others. Through the service they give, the comfort they offer, the gospel message they share, their happy and gracious attitude. Through these things, they distribute peace throughout the world.
TRUTH
As I seek to reflect the qualities of the Beatitudes, I will be more happy, fortunate, and blessed.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
To liken the scriptures, you might invite them to ponder the following application handout. It lists the eight beatitudes and a description of what living that beatitude might look like. And then offers them a chance to choose two that they feel they are doing well at. And then, encourage them to choose two that they feel they could work on.
Beatitude
Description
Poor in Spirit
I recognize my need for God and Christ in my life. I seek to be humble, and I give God the glory for all my blessings, talents, and gifts.
Mourn
I feel godly sorrow for my own sins and the sins of others. I recognize that grief over sin, death, and trials is a part of mortality and maintain my faith in a loving God while in those circumstances. I seek to mourn with those that mourn.
Meek
I am teachable and submissive to God’s authority. I have a great degree of self-mastery and control with the powers and gifts God has given me.
Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness
I have a great desire to do what’s right, even when I don’t always do so. I want to be good. I want to know God and to do his will more than anything else, including my own pleasure, status, or success.
Merciful
I can forgive others. I don’t always have to retaliate or get even. I don’t focus on the shortcomings or weaknesses of others.
Pure in Heart
I strive to do the right things for the right reasons. My life is marked by openness and integrity.
Peacemaker
I work hard to bring peace to the lives of those around me through service, comfort, sharing the gospel, and having an attitude of gratitude. I seek to help those around me to work out their differences constructively and without fighting.
Persecution
I am willing to stand for truth and righteousness and my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ even if it means persecution, ridicule, or suffering.
And with that, invite them to ponder what they could do that week that they feel would help them to develop that quality more fully.
CONCLUSION
Joseph Smith once said that “"Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it . . .” (History of the Church, 5:134-135.) Well Jesus has just given us a great idea of what that path looks like. These qualities known as the beatitudes are certain to bring us the happiness that they promise us. Let’s be all that we can be, by living the Beatitudes.
SALT, LIGHT, CITY
ICEBREAKER
Following the beatitudes, we have this incredibly motivating section. It’s like Jesus really wants to build us up and inspire us before he gets into the meat of the higher law. He’s going to give his disciples, which I hope includes you and me, a vision of what we are or what we’re meant to be. And he’s going to compare his disciples to three different things; each one helping us to better understand our identity and purpose.
So for an icebreaker I do an object lesson. But before I pull out the objects, I ask my students to read Matthew 5:13-16 with the following 2 questions in mind.
What three things does the Savior compare us [his disciples] to in Matthew 5:13-16?
What two warnings does he give to his disciples in these same verses?
And as they answer, I pull out the objects.
And the three objects are salt, light (or a candle, I put those two together), and a city set on a hill. So as they answer, I pull out a jar of salt, a lamp, and then usually I display a picture of a city on a hill.
And what are the 2 warnings he gives?
One, as the salt of the world, don’t lose your savor.
Then two, don’t put your light or candle under a bushel.
DISCUSS
Now we can build on these ideas. Why do you think he would compare us to those particular objects?
Pick at least one and explain why He would want us to be like that object.
Why salt? Well, what does salt do? It brings out the flavor or the savor of food. It makes things better. What does God intend his disciples to do with the earth? To make it better. To bring out the goodness. And the JST changes the wording of that a little bit. It says, “I give unto you to be the salt of the earth”. Like, it’s a gift, it’s a privilege to be put in this position. I picture God up there with a jar of good souls looking down at the earth and saying. Things look pretty bland and bleak down there. Ah, I know what I’ll do. I’ll sprinkle it with these great souls, these noble and great ones, and he tips it upside down and starts shaking the salt of the earth onto it. And we fall down to the earth, ahhhh, and hopefully, we bring out the goodness. We lift others up. We make their lives better. We help them to savor their lives. There’s a warning there though. What is it? If the salt shall lose its savor, the salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. I think what he’s saying there is if we, as his disciples, fail in our commission to bring out the best in the world, then what good are we as his disciples? We’ve got to be different from the world. If his disciples are just like everybody else, and we mirror and reflect the attitudes and behaviors of the world, what good are we. The salt has no effect. Also, in Christ’s day, salt was used to preserve things and was used as an antiseptic to heal things as well. You could explore that symbolism with your students. How do we preserve the world, and how do we heal it?
Why a light? Light guides. Light comforts. Light reveals obstacles. Light stands out. Light and dispels darkness. Then our other warning here. What should we not do with that light of ours? We’re warned not to put our light under a bushel, but rather, on a candlestick. What’s he saying there? Don’t hide your light. I think sometimes we don’t wrestle so much with the desire to be good, but more worried about letting everybody else know that we have that desire. We’d rather fade into the background and sit under our bushel instead of letting our light so shine before the world. A bushel is a basket. We want to put our little basket over our head and just shine our light in that small space for only ourselves. We say, “Lord, I do want to shine my light, but isn’t it ok if I just shine it in here? Nobody needs to know my standards. Nobody needs to know that I’m different, right?” The problem with that is what will happen to a candle if you do cover it or put a basket over it? I remember one of my children in a Family Home Evening shouted out, “It will light the basket on fire!” And yes, I suppose that’s possible but more likely, the point I think being made is that it will eventually go out. And isn’t the same is true spiritually. The less we’re willing to shine our light, the more we hide it, the dimmer and dimmer it becomes. On the other hand, what happens when we put it up on a candlestick? The answer is in 15 and 16. We give light to ALL that are in the house. And when they see that light, those good works, hopefully, it helps to lead THEM to glorify their Father who is in heaven. So just like the salt, it’s about blessing others as well as ourselves.
And the Book of Mormon adds to our understanding of that light. In 3 Nephi 18:24 Jesus says, “24 Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed.
So what is the actual light we are holding up to the world? It’s Jesus Christ, the things which we have seen him do. When we seek to act in the way Christ would act, we are holding up his light to the world.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
And here I find it a good place to share a modern example of an individual who let their light shine. Perhaps you could share an experience from your own life with them. A time when you had the courage to stand up for what was right in front of your peers, or coworkers, or family members even. What happened? What gave you the strength to do that? And what effect did it have? Or invite your students to share a time when they or someone they know let their light shine to the world.
I might share an experience that I had in high school where I was in a computer class and the teacher left the room. And while she was gone, I saw a crowd of students starting to form around one of the computers. Naturally I went over to go see what was up and one of the students had connected to the internet (which was a fairly new concept back in those days) and was bringing up a pornographic picture. I decided that I wasn’t interested in taking part in that and so I turned around and walked back to my desk and didn’t think much more of it. But at church the next Sunday, a young lady from my ward that was also in that class walked up to me and passed me a note. And in it, she thanked me for being a good example and that when she saw me walk away from the group, it gave her the courage to do the same. We never who’s watching, and we may never know the impact and influence we can have on the people that surround us. But if we let our light shine before men, it may very well lead them to glorify God and give them the strength to do what’s right as well.
How are we like a city set on a hill? Again, it can’t be hid. It’s out in the open for all to see. Also, in ancient times, cities were built on hills as a defensive strategy. It placed you on the high ground and made it much more difficult for your enemies to attack. We too can find protection from the adversary as we unify ourselves with other Saints in his holy city on the high ground of our beliefs and standards.
And one more clarifying thought before we continue here. Is the major thrust of these verses that we are just so much better than the rest of the world and favored above everybody else? No. This is not an invitation to self-righteousness or pride. Because what good is salt all by itself without any food for it to flavor? Do you like to eat salt plain? I might even pour some salt into my hand at that point and ask if anyone would like to come and try. What good is a light if there is nobody to see it. What good is a city set on a hill if there are no citizens to live in it. God loves all of his children, so he calls his disciples to bring goodness and light, and protection to ALL that they can. This is a call to lift others, not to look down on them. He’s calling us to influence and share and invite.
TRUTH
IF I seek to bring the good out in others and the world around me,
And let the light of my example and testimony of Christ shine,
And seek not to hide my good works from others,
THEN I may lead THEM to glorify God.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
How would you describe the light of your life right now? A flickering candle? A steady campfire? A blazing furnace? How could you add fuel to that fire?
CONCLUSION
I encourage all of us then, to be that salt, to be that light, to be that city. Let’s not be ashamed of who we are or what we believe. If you bought a fancy new sports car, would you hide it in the garage and leave it there? No. Women, if you bought a beautiful new dress or some nice jewelry, would you just leave it in your closet? No. So let’s do the same kind of thing with our example and our faith. The Lord needs us to show the world who we are and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and how happy it makes us, without self-righteousness or pride. Let’s reach out and bring goodness to the world around us. We’ve been sent to this earth at this time for a very special purpose. To be witnesses of Jesus Christ at all times, in all things, and in all places. And if we can catch the vision of that, of who we are, we will be a great force in this world for good.
THE NEXT STEP
ICEBREAKER
Now to introduce this final section of Matthew 5, I like to give my students a few examples of the importance of making progress in talents, sports, interests, or other endeavors. Choose something you love and are good at and share with them how you’ve gotten better at that thing over time. I like rock climbing and different climbs are given different ratings of difficulty. The first climb I ever attempted was rated a 5.6. And it was hard for me. The next time I went climbing, I did another 5.6. And that continued for some time until they became quite easy for me. Then I tried 5.7’s. Then 5.8’s, and on and on up the scale. But what if I had decided to myself that since I knew I could climb them; I spent the rest of my life only climbing 5.6’s. Could I ever consider myself a great climber? No. How about playing the piano? Could you ever consider yourself a great piano player if all you ever practiced was “Chopsticks” and “Mary had a Little Lamb”? No. Could you ever consider yourself a great basketball player if all you ever worked on was dribbling and layups. If you’re into video games, would you be satisfied if all you ever did was play the first level? No. In any endeavor we seek to improve, we try harder and harder things, we aspire to be greater and become more skilled. I believe that’s the Spirit of the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is going to attempt to lift them and us to the next level of discipleship. To give us a greater goal and vision of who we can become.
TRANSITION
I think that’s what he means when he says in verse 17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets, I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Jesus wasn’t overhauling the law of Moses or changing the decrees of God; he was seeking to raise his people to the next level. If I’m walking up steps, I don’t destroy the step below me in order to move to the next. It remains there as a foundation. The people of Christ’s day still needed to live the 10 commandments and the principles upon which the law of Moses was based, but now it was time to lift them to a higher law. To the Celestial law. The law of Moses was a bit more Terrestrial in nature. Sometimes as an illustration of this principle I will take one of my students desks and stand on the seat of it and say, if this seat represents the Law of Moses, something that raised the people above Telestial or a worldly identity, then the Sermon on the Mount, or the Higher Law would be taking them up a step. At that point I step up onto the desk (very carefully mind you. Don’t hurt yourself if you try this. Make sure it’s sturdy) and say that this is what Jesus was doing with his people. Or you could bring a ladder in to your class and do the same. Now did Jesus destroy the other step below him as he introduced them to the higher law? No it’s all a part of the same structure leading us back to God. The law was created to help us to get closer and closer to our Heavenly Father and our own divine potential.
SEARCH
Now, I think you might be a little surprised by Matthew 5 if you haven’t really dug deep into it before. I believe you’re going to find that the higher or Celestial law is REALLY challenging. I think we sometimes pat ourselves on the back for being good people because we don’t break certain commandments. And that’s good that we don’t break the commandments. God’s very pleased that we don’t. But we shouldn’t just stop there and be satisfied with that. Jesus is always seeking to lift our sights higher.
To help my students better understand that lifting of expectations and why it matters, I teach the higher law against the backdrop of the plan of salvation and the three degrees of glory, because that’s an idea that we’re more familiar with. As a non-Jewish audience, we may not relate as well to the Mosaic Law, higher law model. Therefore, which kingdom would the higher law be associated with? The Celestial. The higher law is the Celestial law. People who break God’s laws are living a Telestial law. Terrestrial law is a little harder to pinpoint for us though-that middle kingdom. What kinds of people go there? The Sermon on the Mount can shed some on light on that for us. And you’re going to notice a pattern in the language of Matthew 5. The flag phrases you should look for are “it hath been said" or “It hath been written of them of old time” or something like it, and then, “But I say unto you”. So, in other words, Jesus is saying, "they used to say this, but I say this". I’m raising the bar; taking you up the next step.
And I like to provide my students with this handout to help them identify and understand that pattern.
The first example of this comes in verse 21.
21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
So they used to say. Don’t kill. All right, I think we can all agree that murder is wrong. But compare this to the laws of the degrees of glory. If I kill, what law am I living? That’s a telestial law. But if I go throughout my life and I don’t kill, what law is that? That is just a Terrestrial law. If I live my entire life without murdering anyone, then I have lived a law that will gain me at least a Terrestrial kingdom. But what is the Celestial law? Verse 22
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
The Celestial law is don’t even get angry. Don’t insult your brother. Raca was an insult that meant empty headed. Now that’s a little bit of a tougher law, isn’t it? So we might be tempted to say to Jesus, “I’ve gone through my whole life without murdering anybody, aren’t I a good boy?” And he says, “that’s good, I’m proud of you that haven’t murdered anyone. But can we raise our standard of righteousness a little higher, can we take it to the next level? Let’s seek to control our anger and our words.” That’s a Celestial law. And in that, do you see how he’s not destroying the law like the Pharisees accused him of? The rule not to kill is still in total force, but the next level of discipleship is to control anger. Also, there’s an interesting phrase removed by the JST from this verse, which makes it even harder. Can you find that in the footnotes. Footnote 22b tells us to omit the words ‘without a cause’. Oh man. I thought I was going to be ok because as long as I have a reason to be angry, I guess I’m justified. But nope. The JST comes along and says, no, control your anger, even if there is a cause. I can just imagine some little translator or monk somewhere in history looking at that verse and saying, “Oh, he can’t actually mean never get angry. What if someone has really given me a cause to get angry? Then that would be ok, right?” And so he casually added the words “without a cause” to the verse. Who knows?
But do you see how this works? Let’s try this pattern on another one together. Verse 27
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Ok, there’s the Mosaic law. So if I commit adultery, what kind of law am I living? That’s telestial. If I don’t commit adultery, what law is that? That’s a Terrestrial law. But watch how Jesus lifts us higher. What’s the Celestial law? Verse 28
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
The Celestial law is to not even look upon another person with lust in your heart. So, they used to say, control your actions, but I say, control your thoughts. A bit more challenging right? Avoiding pornography would certainly apply here. That would be “looking on [a person] to lust after [them]” wouldn’t it? I imagine most of us listening here could say that we’re probably doing pretty well at living the Terrestrial law in this, but do we struggle with living the Celestial one.
Now you take that pattern and try it yourselves with some of the other examples on the chart. And if you did that, here’s what you may have found:
33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
The law here. Keep your oaths. Back then, an oath was a very serious commitment. If you made an oath, you were expected to keep it. So if you broke your oaths, that’s telestial. If you kept your oaths, your special promises, that’s Terrestrial. But what’s the Celestial law?
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
I’ll admit this one is a little tougher to understand. But what he’s saying is, you shouldn’t have to make oaths. Don’t swear by anything to assure people that you mean what you say. So he says don’t swear at all, by God’s throne, by the earth, or by your own head. Somebody back then might say, I swear by God’s throne that I will keep this commitment to you. And that was to show you were really serious about your promise. The Celestial law then is “let your communication be yea, yea, or nay, nay”. In other words, “Let your yes, mean yes, and your no, mean no.” You don’t need to add this swearing business to show people you're in earnest. Always be in earnest. Say what you mean. They used to say, keep your oaths, but I say, keep your word.
Another one. Verse 38
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Now, the way many of Israelites interpreted this was the law of retaliation. If you remember back in our Old Testament study, we saw that this phrase really was more about restitution than retaliation. But based on how Jesus is applying the higher law, it’s apparent that they were using it to justify revenge. So the idea is , Don’t start fights. Don’t be the aggressor. But if they start it, you are justified in your retaliation. Make sure your retaliation is just. What’s the Telestial law then? I start the problems. I’m the instigator. I sow the seeds of conflict. The Terrestrial law? I only retaliate when somebody else started it. But what’s the Celestial law? This one’s really challenging. What is it?
39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Woah. Now if that’s easy for you, you’re a better person than I am. They used to say, “make sure your retaliation is just, but I say, forget your retaliation, turn the other cheek.” Don’t feel the need to get them back.
Next: verse 43
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
The Telestial law then? I hate everybody, including my neighbor. The Terrestrial. I love my neighbor, but I’m justified in hating my enemy. What’s the Celestial law? I know you know what’s coming and it’s a hard pill to swallow:
Verse 44
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
And then he continues to teach this principle:
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
In other words, if you only love the people that love you, how much better are you than the people we would consider to be evil? Even Osama Bin Laden had friends. God expects us to do and be something more than your average person. We’re not only going to pray for the people we love, but for the people who don’t love us.
And how many of us have really attained to that level of discipleship? And Jesus is going to walk the walk and talk to the talk. Can you think of a time when he prayed for his enemies, or people that persecuted him? While on the cross, he says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
The Celestial law is really quite a high bar, isn’t it? Now a warning here. I don’t think the takeaway message from this is: “If you aren’t living this Celestial law exactly as it is described here, then good luck ever getting into the Celestial Kingdom. That’s not the spirit of this. Remember what we started talking about at the beginning. This is not about being perfect, this is about striving towards perfection. About being just. About hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Jesus isn’t giving us a set of clubs to beat ourselves down with. So why do you think he’s doing this? Why set the bar so high? He’s giving us inspiration. He’s giving us a target to aim at. And no, we probably won’t ever reach it in this life, his atonement is going to take us there eventually. But he needs us to be always moving in that direction. What we don’t want to do is plateau in our spiritual progress or feel like we’ve "arrived" in this life. He doesn’t want us to settle, rest on our laurels, or be satisfied with our current performance. That’s why it’s set so high! That way, we’ll always have something to work on. inspiration to move us forward. We can be pleased with and celebrate our progress and our successes but still remain unsatisfied with our current state of discipleship. Just like I do with rock climbing, or you do with basketball or playing the piano or whatever you spend your time working on. We can always get better, and hopefully we want to. Living the gospel is not meant to be a checklist but a quest. A mission. An epic journey towards godhood. And hopefully this chapter has just provided us with some ample inspiration.
TRUTH
We can use all of our outcomes we’ve discussed so far in our principle
As I strive to live the higher law, the happier I will be, the brighter my light will shine, the more just I will become, the more Christlike I will grow.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Some questions you might consider asking:
• What teaching from the Sermon on the Mount did you most need to hear today? Has the Spirit prompted you in anything as we’ve studied?
• Is there anything you plan to do differently because of that?
CONCLUSION
I’d like to conclude this section of our lesson with two quotes. One from C.S. Lewis and one from prophet Joseph Smith. I feel they really capture the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount.
C.S. Lewis said:
The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were “gods” and He is going to make good his words. If we let Him — for we can prevent Him, if we choose — He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly . . . The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what he said.
[Mere Christianity (New York, Macmillan, 1952) pp. 172-175)?
And then the prophet Joseph Smith said:
“Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, . . .
When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the gospel--you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave."
(History of the Church, 6:306-307)
That’s how I hope we can all approach these teachings. Let’s continue onward and upward, getting a little better each day, month by month and year by year. And realize that this process of becoming like Christ and God will be long and challenging. But by the same token, let’s not beat ourselves up or get impatient with our progress. We may not reach the highest heights of righteousness while in this life, but I believe we can get closer and closer to it over the course of our lives. And if we strive to do just that, I believe with all my heart that Christ will lovingly take us the rest of the way. We will be perfected in Christ. But until then, let’s keep climbing those steps.
