The Sermon on the Mount, Video iReport - 7/1/2010 11:23am

In Matthew 4: 23 we read, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” And the contemporary historian, Josephus (A.D. 37-95), writes in his Jewish Antiquities that there were 204 towns and villages in Galilee at the time of Jesus. We can imagine that Jesus taught in all of them at one time or another. And what was that teaching like?

Well, we have a good sample of it in Matthew 5: 1-7: 29, the “Sermon on the Mount.”

The Sermon on the Mount presents the work of a brilliant teacher. It is a simply structured 4-part teaching: 1) an exordium, 2) six propositions that exceed the Law; 3) six concrete actions that implement the Law; and 4) a call to action. The exordium is a clever, memorable introduction that gets our attention. It begins with nine statements that are counter-intuitive: “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” “blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” and so on. And each statement reflects a repetitive pattern: blessed is “A” for they shall be “B,” blessed is “C” for they shall be “D,” with the repetition of consonant sounds adding cohesion to the set. It is a brilliant beginning to a dazzling teaching.

On our Mediterranean cruise we visited Galilee. It was a Sunday morning, and we gathered at the Mount of Beatitudes for Dr. Creasy’s teaching and for a Sunday morning ecumenical communion service. The experience was a highlight of the tour.

In this video iReport, Dr. Creasy teaches the exordium to the Sermon on the Mount, the “Beatitudes.” Join us for this memorable experience!