Sermon On The Mount Analysis Essay

Matthew 7, in addition to emphasizing Jesus’ strong historical/cultural message on the Mount, makes use of some very poignant and effective literary devices to enhance and emphasize the message. Jesus is the one using these literary devices, as he concludes His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus uses a variety of metaphors, personifications, and parables to illustrate his message to and to teach the crowd in a coherent way that resonates with them. In verse 15, Jesus makes the notable comparison between the personified “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and the false prophet. The statement has historical and cultural significance, which we just addressed, but this example also allows the imagination of the audience to take shape. It acts as a profound literary …show more content…
The healthy believer “tree” bears good fruit, and this example found in verse 17 allows the audience to hear and to see what comes from form a fruit bearing tree (and what a sickly tree lacks). Jesus uses examples like these to connect with his audience, and the author of Matthew captures the literary and oratory skill Jesus possessed on that day preaching the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is able to align himself with his audience in a genuine and intellectually stimulating way, and it is important to see this passage as one where literary devices play an important role in the message’s delivery. It is also worth noting just how important it is to get an important message across to these people. Jesus knows his time among the people is short, and His aim is to leave the crowd with as much as possible before He goes to the cross. Jesus is able to accomplish his mission of conveying His wisdom during the Sermon on the Mount because of these brilliant uses of literary …show more content…
We have had the opportunity to examine the scripture from an archaeological, historical, and literary lens, and we have gleaned many insights regarding the passage by examining these details. However, a reader may be asking “so what?” concerning these historical and archaeological details. A contemporary reader of scripture may see these details as irrelevant, which is absolutely not the case. In fact, these small details give clues into the mind of Jesus Christ, who was very mindful of the historical (and looking back archaeological) and political influences. These influences shaped the worldview of Jesus’ audience. Not only does this passage give us insights into the heart and mind of the Son of God, but we also can learn a lot about how to address culturally relevant topics in the church. Jesus showed sensitivity and boldness by discussing topics and ideas that were relevant at that time to His audience. As followers of Christ, we too must use our conversations to spread the Good News, while addressing culturally relevant topics. If we are unable to participate in cultural, political, and historical dialogue, we are selling ourselves short on the relevance that scripture possesses