Visiting the Sermon on the Mount

Just west of Capernaum is a hill that Jesus was said to have preached on. Here, he gave the longest of his sermons which turned out to be arguably the most significant component of Christianity as a whole. Many historians and scholars of biblical history have argued that this was the new equivalent to the laws that were given to the Jews in their 10 commandments. The Sermon on the Mount contained the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3–12 and Luke. 6:20–23), and in its totality, brought about a fundamental shift in human morality. 

"You have heard what the ancients said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' And I say unto you, resist not evil. But whosoever shall strike thee on thy right cheek, turn the other cheek unto him; And whoever wants to sue you, and take your shirt, give him the outer garment also; And whoever compels you to go with him one way, go with him two. Give it to him who asks you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have listened to what is said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." And I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despise you and persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father which is in heaven, for he commands his sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and sends his rain upon the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what is your reward? Don't publicans do the same? And if you greet only your brethren, what special thing are you doing? Don't the Gentiles do the same? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:38-48).

For those that are familiar with my scholarly research, among the first topics I engaged with was nonviolence -- specifically, civil resistance/protest and its interaction with state repression. In surveying a large literature on these phenomena, many references were made to Christ and the Sermon on the Mount -- then Tolstoy, Gandhi, MLK Jr. Principled nonviolence is a form of nonviolence that rejects violence on ethical grounds. Theorists from this tradition have provided interesting content that can be considered as theistic-rebuttals to evil, some of which contain metaphysical components.

The area in which this sermon was given is now covered by beautiful gardens and a Church of Beatitudes which is relatively new, yet the grounds of this area have been well kept for centuries. For hundreds of millions (if not billions) of people around the world, this is among the holiest places that exist on earth. 

People come up with justifications for inflicting punishment, when really they almost always punish out of the desire to do evil. – L. Tolstoy

Tolstoy’s work titled “The Kingdom of God is Within You” ([1927] 2006), was written over the course of many years and directly engaged with the Sermon on the Mount. Tolstoy noted that, "Christ's whole teaching is a pointing out of the way of emancipation from the power of the world" (Tolstoy 1968, 268). Power is assumed to exist in the authority of the state and this authority for Tolstoy is highly unjust. Similar to Gandhi, for Tolstoy, God is spirit and spirit is freedom. The many different forms of violence that get manifested in daily life for Tolstoy are assumed to operate and be caused by the power of the state and the coercive grip that state institutions have over civilians. This holds true whether it be the Roman state, the Tsarist state or a parliamentary democratic state. To overcome evil stemming from mass organized violence, one must turn to spirituality.

The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Nine Beatitudes, which set forth the New Testament law of spiritual regeneration. Then it speaks of the beneficial influence of Christians on the surrounding society and that the teaching of Christ does not cancel, but complements the Old Testament commandments. 

Here Jesus teaches us to overcome the feeling of malice, to be chaste, true to our word, to forgive everyone, to love even our enemies and strive for perfection. In the next part of His sermon, Christ teaches the need to pursue true righteousness, which is in the heart of man, as opposed to Jewish ostentatious righteousness. As an example, Christ explains how to give alms, pray and fast in order to please God. Further, he calls for non-acquisitiveness and hope in God. In the last part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches not to condemn one's neighbors, to protect the shrine from desecration, to be constant in good deeds. 

Christ shows the difference between the broad and narrow paths one can take in life, warns against false prophets, and explains how to strengthen oneself to overcome life's inevitable trials. He described the teaching that He brought to people from His Heavenly Father: "The world will pass away, but My words will not pass away." The Sermon on the Mount put forward an eternal heavenly truth that does not decay with time and which is equally applicable to people of all races and cultures. 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall have mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are cast out for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you, and speak evil against you in every way unrighteously for Me's sake. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven." (Matthew. 5:1–12)