The Sermon on the Mount

Seeing the crowds, Jesus goes up on the mountain, sits down, and teaches his disciples. He begins with the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” His disciples are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it, and he reveals its full depth: anger and lustful looks are already sins of the heart; we are to love even our enemies. Giving, prayer, and fasting are to be practiced in secret, before the Father; he teaches the Lord’s Prayer. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness,” without worrying about tomorrow. Judge not; ask, seek, knock; enter by the narrow gate. Finally, whoever hears his words and does them is like the wise man who built his house upon a rock. The crowd is amazed: he teaches as one having authority.