Sermon on the Plain

He has a broader notion of poor, which basically corresponds to poor in spirit.

Now, of course, it could be that Luke's version, which is sometimes called the Sermon on the Plain, maybe this is an entirely different speech.

And that is quite possible because Jesus would have given similar teachings on different occasions.

And in that case, we don't have a problem.

Now, this is interesting and this gets a lot of discussion about in terms of the synoptic gospels and are there contradictions and things like that.

Because here Luke says he's going to a piece of level ground and he's just about to give the Sermon on the Mount or more properly in Luke's version it's called the Sermon on the Plain.

Now if you compare Matthew's account here when Jesus gives the sermon in Matthew's account it's very clear that it takes place on a mountain.

Whereas here Luke says he went down to a piece of level ground.

And so a lot of conflict here.

Then in Luke 6, we get what has been sometimes called the Sermon on the Plain with a lot of similarities to the Sermon on the Mount and Matthew's Gospel.

Yeah, we don't know for sure.

Is this a different event? Is this Luke's condensed account of the same moment? But a lot of similarities we've seen already with Matthew and Mark here in Luke in these chapters.

These are the words of Christ, words for us who belong to the kingdom community of his people.

And now in this very final section of the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus concludes his message and he is not messing about.

He doesn't struggle to finish the sermon.

Jesus brings this in the land and it's a really strong and a very clear conclusion that he brings to us as he calls his hearers and those gathered around him in that day and us today to put his words into practice.

Of course, Jesus' teaching often is.

Imagine being in the crowd for His Sermon on the Plain when He commanded His listeners to love their enemies.

That was a shocking command back then, and it's no less challenging for us today.

So how can Jesus' teaching transform the way we live and love and respond to others? Well, today on Truth For Life, we're offering a free e-book and a study guide.

It's Alistair's book, The Christian Manifesto: Jesus' Life-Changing Words from the Sermon on the Plain.

And in this book, Alistair walks you through the lessons found in Luke, chapter 6.

As you read, you'll learn why Jesus calls us to be generous and kind and forgiving, even to those who hurt us.

TODAY WE ARE STARTING IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 5, AND WE'RE DEALING WITH THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

LET ME JUST POINT OUT THAT THERE IS A PARALLEL PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE, LUKE CHAPTER 6, THAT IS BASICALLY THE EXACT SAME TEACHING, BUT IT'S CALLED THE SERMON ON THE PLAIN.

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS IN LUKE CHAPTER 6.

AND SO THEY ARE IN TWO DIFFERENT PLACES AT TWO DIFFERENT TIMES.