Seven Swords in the Sermon on the Mount

“As to 'caring for' the Sermon on the Mount, if 'caring for' here means 'liking' or enjoying, I suppose no one 'cares for' it. Who can like being knocked flat on his face by a sledge-hammer? I can hardly imagine a more deadly spiritual condition than that of the man who can read the passage with tranquil pleasure” (C.S. Lewis).

Christ’s Sermon on the Mount is one of the most widely cited passages in the world (Matthew chapters 5-7). Christians refer to it regularly, but so do those who are hostile to the Christian worldview. Every time a Christian stands against sin, someone is quoting Jesus from His famous sermon. Whether it’s “Turn the other cheek” (not an exact quote of Jesus but it’s what everyone says…5:39), “Love your enemies” (5:44), “Pray in your closet” (again, not precisely what He said but same as above…6:6), and/or the granddaddy of them all: “Judge not, that you be not judged” (7:1).

It’s great that a selfish world and the progressive churchgoer know those words from the Sermon on the Mount. I stand by those passages because they actually are the words of Christ. Of course, context is often ignored, which pretty much changes the meanings, but I am certainly not ashamed or afraid of being confronted with those words.

But I want to offer a counter to those oft-repeated sayings of Christ from His sermon by those who wish to scold Christian activists. The following seven sayings are also found in the Sermon on the Mount. They do not get a whole lot of circulation because they aren’t “Gotcha!” responses to those looking to justify their sin. It’s time that the faithful remnant start sharing these seven swords as much as we share the Beatitudes.

Sword #1: “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (5:11).

He goes on in verse 12 to say that “your reward in heaven is great.” The meek are promised to inherit the earth (5:5), but the faithful who are persecuted are promised great reward in heaven. Rare are the occasions when one is persecuted for being a doormat. Again, this world is the blessing for being meek. A great reward in heaven is promised for the persecuted.

Sword #2: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men” (5:13).

Wait a minute! Did Jesus say that some people might be good for nothing? He sure did. This isn’t the place to do a Greek word study on the word “salt,” but I encourage anyone who wants to to go right ahead. And if anyone wants to suggest that Jesus is describing an impossible scenario, then I suppose it could be said that those words themselves are good for nothing and should be trampled underfoot.

Sword #3: “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (5:20).

Two things about that statement. First, it is clear that in Jesus’ mind, righteousness is a fundamental requirement for eternal life. The rejection of righteousness by people, culture, and government is precisely why most evangelical Christians embrace Christian activism! Does anyone really wish to argue that abortion is “righteous”? Second, and even more jarring, is the realization that Christ Himself is acknowledging some people (even some who are religious) will never enter heaven. Without getting into a lengthy discussion about them, it is clear that the people He was addressing in the Sermon on the Mount needed to be made aware that they were facing the danger of being shut out too (else there would have been no need to say it).

Sword #4: If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell” (5:29-30).

Did we just hear Christ advise people to gouge out their own eyes and throw them away? Words paint pictures. What do you think about the picture Jesus just painted in your mind? Why would Jesus paint such a graphic and ugly picture for people listening to a sermon? Self-mutilation. Because it is preferable to hell. Want some context?

This saying follows His revelation that even a lustful look at another person other than one’s spouse is adultery in the eyes of God. And that opens up the whole issue of sexual immorality. An out-of-control libido can and will put one on the fast lane to hell. There is a good reason why the church cannot possibly buy into the “we’re not hurting anyone” argument fornicators, adulterers, and the LGBT have utilized. There is simply no way any faithful follower of Christ can embrace, advocate, or even ignore something Jesus said was so dangerous that self-mutilation was preferable to allowing it to continue.

Sword #5: "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (6:15).

The only commentary Jesus had about the model prayer He just shared with His listeners had to do with what it would happen if one chose to ignore forgiving others. Unbeknownst to the world and church progressives, this is actually the 7^th time in the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus has spoken of those who aren’t fit and will not be in God’s Kingdom (5:13, 20, 22, 29-30, 6:1, 15).

Sword #6: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (7:6).

We all realize that Christ is referring to some people as dogs and pigs, right? Now, where is this found in the Sermon on the Mount? It’s five sentences away from the quote the world loves to use so much on the Christian activist: “Judge not, that you be not judged” (7:1).

Sword #7: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” (7:21).

Wow. Apparently, Jesus thinks He has the final say on what’s what and who is who. How many times have you heard:

“Jesus never said he was the Son of God. That was something imposed on him by his followers later on.”

That is patently untrue.

“Jesus never spoke about homosexuality, so I believe it’s okay.”

Good luck with that.

“Jesus is the pathway to God for Christians, as Mohammad is for Muslims, as nirvana, Joseph Smith, etc., is for others.”

“Not everyone…will enter the kingdom of heaven.”

I don’t offer these “swords” to be used against that which we don’t like. I know Jesus said, “love your enemies.” I struggle with that. I know He said not to be anxious for anything. I’m a failure there, too. So, when the world and progressive churchgoers tell me to be meek, less judgmental, and more loving, I accept it as a fair admonition. It doesn’t matter who they come from when they are the words of Christ from the Sermon on the Mount.

However, it is time for the world and left-leaning church folk to start learning and considering all of the famous sermon by Jesus. Not just the parts that fit the liberal, pluralistic, global warming, “I have my rights!”, love equals acceptance narrative. There is too much at stake.

The Sermon on the Mount isn’t subject to liberals or conservatives or anyone else, for that matter. It is all of us who live in this world who are going to find out one way or another that we are subject to it and the One who preached it.

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