The Beatitudes Page 1
The Sermon On The Mount was spoken in parables by Jesus of Nazareth nearly 2000 years ago, and millions of men and women who may of read parts or all of this historic sermon no doubt wondered about the courage of the man from Galilee who became the "Light Of The World" and who expounded a new way of life whereby men could live in peace.
The Sermon On The Mount is the most precious and inspiring portion of the Scriptures. It is like a flower that graces a plant with beauty. It is also the soul and spirit of the Sacred Word. Because Jesus was speaking to the souls of men and women yet unborn--he was speaking to the generations that were to come centuries after him--his words were so charged with spiritual power that they have come down from one generation to another without any loss in meaning. And they are still causing the greatest chain reaction that world has ever known. For two thousand years these living words, charged with hidden spiritual power, have penetrated the hearts of believers and have brought them hope and consolation.
The Hebrew prophets, like some of the great teachers of religion in our time, denounced wicked rulers, advocated reforms, and called on the people to return to God; but they failed to discover how to establish a universal kingdom that would lead men to God and remove the underlying causes that make life on this earth seem harsh and difficult. They have preached a wonderful gospel, but they were unable to live up to it as did Jesus. Perhaps the world was not ready for such a message. Jesus knew that the majority of his hearers would laugh at and scorn such a radical departure from the old, broad, and familiar way wherein millions of men and women had traveled for countless generations the pleasant and lavish way that the material world offered to mankind--the way that led only to destruction. Jesus also knew that his teachings, even though based on those of the prophets, were contrary to the prevailing concept of a political or a military Messiah. Because the Jewish teachers did not help those who were in need of healing -- the sick and the broken hearted -- as they only sought the righteous and those who were in power.