What the Sermon On The Mount Means to Me
A picture I took at the Sea of Galilee in the summer of 2010.
I reimagined the Sermon on the Mount as a sermon that I believe Jesus Christ might give today. I shared this as part of my sermon at Paradox on March 14, 2026. You can watch the full sermon here.
introduction
My Friends,
As we consider what it means to follow Jesus Christ in our modern world today,
we must examine some preconceived notions
about what it means to become a person of great fath.
matthew 5:3-12
3 We have this idea that the greatest Christians are the
ones who are the most certain of God’s existence.
But this is incorrect.
For it is only the ones who doubt
that truly understand what it means to believe.
4 We have this idea that the greatest Christians are the ones
who suppress tears at funerals because they believe Jesus is coming soon.
But this is incorrect.
For it is only the ones who grieve
that truly understand what it means to love.
5 We have this idea that the greatest Christians are the ones who tell the most people in the world about God’s love.
But this is incorrect.
For it is only the ones who listen that truly understand what it means to witness.
6 We have this idea that the greatest Christians are the ones
who take great pride in their church and in their country.
But this is incorrect.
For it is only the ones who empathize with other faiths and other countries
that truly understand what it means to belong.
7 We have this idea that the greatest Christians are the ones
who punish the people who commit sins.
But this is incorrect.
For it is only the ones who forgive that truly understand what it means to be resurrected.
8 We have this idea that the greatest Christians are the ones
who donate the most money to those who are in need.
But this is incorrect.
For it is only the ones who care about the people in need
that truly understand what it means to be generous.
9 We have this idea that the greatest Christians are the ones
who do not water down their faith in the presence of others.
But this is incorrect.
For it is only the ones who allow their actions to speak for them
that truly understand what it means to share their faith with another.
10 We have this idea that the greatest Christians are the ones
who are the most put together and look the best on their Christmas card.
But this is incorrect.
For it is only the ones who are present in the mess
that understand what it means to be whole.
11 We have this idea that the greatest Christians are the ones
who always get along with others and avoid conflict at all costs.
But this is incorrect.
12 For it is only the ones who wrestle with God w
ho understand what it means to hold the hand of God.
Therefore, embrace the challenges
because our tradition promises us that God is found in every struggle.
matthew 5:13-16
13 In all of the magnificent splendor of this planet,
few things give this world it’s distinct flavor more than humanity.
For if human beings ceased to exist on this planet,
wouldn’t this earth be a less wondrous place?
Imagine removing all of the greens from Michelangelo’s pallet…
or muting Kendrick Lamar’s mic on the fourth beat of every measure…
or telling Zaha Hadid that every corner can only be perpendicular…
…this is what the world would be without humankind.
14 Which means our humanity is not a curse, but a gift!
And we must not be ashamed of the person that God created us to be.
You are God’s masterpiece, walking around on this floating space rock
with eight billion other works of art who all deserve to be on display in the Louvre.
15 You do not need to be embarrassed for who you are.
You do not need to feel guilty for the pleasure you enjoy.
You do not need to hide how much you love this life.
For you are a gift to the world
and it is an act of grace for any one of us to be alive.
16 As unlikely as this may seem
you bring the greatest glory and honor to God…
…not by fitting in
…or toning down
…or sitting at your table when the dancing begins at the wedding
…but by being the exact person that only you be.
matthew 5:17-20
17 If all of this sounds like the opposite of what religion has told you,
then I want to assure you that this affirmation of your existence
is always what religion was supposed to be.
18 The Gospel of Jesus Christ is always good news.
And no matter who people tell you Jesus Christ was or was not,
the hope he brought to all of us existed long before you took your first breath
and will continue on long after you give your last.
19 And the good news at the center of the Gospel is this:
You do not need to wait until after you die
to live in the Kingdom of God.
For the Kingdom of God is here.
The Kingdom of God is now.
There is no separation between God and you or between God and me,
for God is with us in all that we experience.
And Jesus Christ walked among us
to show us how we can live in the Kingdom,
even with suffering,
death,
corruption,
greed,
and taxes
raging all around us.
Living in the Kingdom of God now is the point of the Christian tradition.
And the reason we follow Jesus Christ is so that we might
learn how to live in the perfect Kingdom in an imperfect world.
20 We often use the words, “Religious Fanatic”
to describe fundamentalist Christians with unhealthy goals.
But the pursuit of Kingdom life
requires a deep religious devotion similar to that of a religious fanatic
for it can be a harrowing journey to try and understand God’s kingdom
in the midst of our heartache and grief.
matthew 5:21-26
21 Jesus Christ taught us that in the Kingdom,
miracles happen every day
And the funny thing about miracles
is that Christians love to emphasize
God’s miracles that break the laws of physics.
But we must pause here and ask ourselves,
“Is it really impressive if God breaks the laws of physics?”
After all, airplanes defy gravity every day,
and as they zip back and forth across the sky in great numbers,
barely any of us give them notice as we walk to school.
22 For the Kingdom offers all of us miracles that are greater than physics.
Would you like to live with less anger?
In the Kingdom, you can!
For the miracle of human beings letting go of their anger
is performed every day in this community.
23 To give you an idea of how life in the Kingdom works,
let’s imagine a story where you are angry with your friend, who we will call Jesse.
Infantile religion encourages you to come to church
and pray for Jesse’s soul.
24 But inside the Kingdom, on the way to church, you think,
“Maybe I should skip church and try to make things right with Jesse.”
So you turn around, in your fancy church clothes,
go to Jesse’s house
and speak directly to Jesse.
Maybe you tell them what you feel,
or you apologize for what you can,
or you forgive without them asking,
but no matter what you do,
you understand that
the whole point of church in the Kingdom
is to help you experience the miracle of living with less anger,
to help you experience the miracle of giving and receiving forgiveness,
and to help you experience the miracle of the initiative of an apology.
25 So go ahead!
Skip church to make things right with your sister or brother or friend!
For making things right with someone else
is exactly where church in the Kingdom is trying to get you to go.
matthew 5:27-30
27 But the Kingdom can offer us more than one miracle.
Perhaps you have looked at another person in lust and thought,
“What is this madness of the gods?”
28 And then you feel disappointment
because you have difficulty doing anything
other than an obsessing over their body.
29 Infantile religion will shame you for even thinking such thoughts
and demand repentance from your wicked ways.
But in the Kingdom,
you can learn to see this insanely attractive person
as fully human
without abandoning your sexuality.
You might even ask them out to dinner…
…and maybe even get lucky at some point in the future.
What a miracle!
30 Why have we allowed religion to shame us for these things,
rather than asking our religion to help us with these things?
Yes, you are a human being with faults and weaknesses,
but you are also a human being filled with virtues and triumphs!
Both of these are true at the same time
and while we make peace with our humanity
the Kingdom sings a never-ending bass note which resonates with the words,
“Never forget that you are extravagantly loved by your Creator.”
matthew 5:31-32
31 Have you heard it said that divorce is against the will of God?
The nerve of these people!
In one of the most sensitive moments of a person’s life,
when they experience divorce,
Christians charge in and spew blanket judgments
without ever really seeing the person with a broken heart.
32 If we create blanket rules about the ethics of divorce,
then we set ourselves up to inflict wounds on others
and then to even wound ourselves.
But in the Kingdom,
we listen to each other’s stories,
we listen to their joys,
and we listen to their stories of when things don’t work out,
because we trust that God is with us
in all that we experience
and that includes both our marriages and our divorces.
matthew 5:33-37
33 In the Kingdom, the words we speak hold significant value.
Here, we want people to trust what we say
and we build trust by keeping our word.
34 Rather than saying, “Can I be honest with you?”
Just be honest all the time!
Mark Twain once wrote in a notebook,
“If you tell the truth, then you never have to remember anything (you said).”
35 When you are authentic with your words,
then you don’t have to swear on heaven,
or Jesus’ mother,
or on God’s sacred name
36 or on the hairs on your head.
Instead, honesty leads you to experience that people trust what you say,
for they learn that you speak consistently and plainly
whenever you open your mouth.
37 Strive to be a dependable person.
If you say you will be there for a friend, then be there.
If you say you won’t be there, then don’t.
These words and these actions may not feel like much
but dependable, honest, and good words
fuel the Kingdom of God.
matthew 5:38-42
38 At some point in your life, you have probably heard another person
quote the book of Leviticus and say,
“An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”
You may have even heard a President say it was his favorite verse in the Bible.
But the Kingdom reveals this is one of the worst verses in our sacred scriptures.
If you spend your whole life going to church,
and then, on your death bed
your last words are, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,”
then you, my friends, WASTED every hour you sat in a pew.
39 The Gospel of Jesus Christ leads us toward justice
that transcends transactional retribution.
The Kingdom is so powerful that
you can get punched square in the face
and then have the courage to not punch back.
40 The Kingdom is so powerful that
you can have things stolen from you
and then choose grace and decide not to press charges.
41 The Kingdom is so powerful that
you can be thrown in jail, with or without cause
and discover God’s presence behind bars.
42 The Kingdom is so powerful that
you will stop obsessing about whether or not people pay you back
or if your friends return the things they borrowed
because you will be given the perspective to see
money and possessions barely matters in the grand scheme of things.
matthew 5:43-48
43 A prevalent idea in Christian thought today is that
you must convert people to our religion
so that God can love them more.
Because if God doesn’t love someone here on earth,
then you don’t have to learn to love them.
44 But that concept is entirely backwards
from the way of the Kingdom.
45 In the Kingdom,
your testimony about the Gospel of Jesus Christ is found
not in the evangelistic sermons you preach
but in the way you treat the people who are not like you.
46 Do you really think it’s impressive
if your church leads you to love other people in your church?
It’s not.
The mafia loves the people who are like them.
And the Gospel of Jesus Christ offers us so much more than the mafia.
47 Do you really think it’s impressive
if you greet the people who are on your team with love and adoration?
It’s not.
Professional sports teaches us to love the people who wear the proper jerseys.
And the Gospel of Jesus Christ offers us so much more than the NFL.
48 In the Kingdom,
You can learn to love your enemies.
If that seems impossible, then let me assure you, it is.
But that’s why we call it a miracle,
and that miracle is truly impressive.
matthew 6:1-4
1 In the Kingdom, you will be inspired to give generously to those in need.
But the Gospel doesn’t stop when you hand another your money.
Jesus Christ shows us how we can help others
without being concerned with who gets all of the credit.
2 I bring good news!
You can help another human being
and through the transformational power of Jesus Christ,
you will discover a way of life in which you do not need to post it on Instagram!
3 A decade ago, a friend of mine posted on Twitter,
“Hanging out with my homeless friend Eric.”
Why?
Why can’t you just post on Twitter, “Hanging out with my friend Eric”?
Better yet, why can’t you just post, “Hanging out with Eric”?
BETTER YET, why can’t you just hang out with Eric and not tell us about it?
Before you help others in the Kingdom,
you should hold up a mirror and ask yourself,
“Am I only helping this person so I can tell others about it?”
If so, it is better if you stop helping the other
and engage in self-reflection about why you need this adoration from others
in order to care about a human in need.
4 In the Kingdom, good deeds are best done in secret.
matthew 6:5-15
5 Funny enough, prayer behaves much the same way as our good deeds.
At some point in your life, you will hear someone
who calls a great deal of unnecessary attention to their prayer.
I once heard a man pray for an interminably long time during a church service,
and in the middle of the prayer he said,
“God, let us not be afraid
of how our children might be harmed by the lead in our paints
but may we be afraid that our children might be led away from you.”
Why?
Why can’t you just pray, “
“God, thank you for the gift of our kids.”
6 In the Kingdom,
prayer is the inward journey all of us must experience
in order to make peace with the person God created us to be.
It’s best done in private, without bravado or performance.
For when you really examine who you are
and offer yourself grace,
and also challenge yourself to be a little more,
then you will discover the secret of what it means to be alive human being.
7 Anyone can say big fancy words in front of another person,
anyone can ask AI to write a prayer for them that makes them sound intelligent,
and anyone can pray with boldness as they make requests toward God.
8 But the one who seeks to understand God already knows
that God understands what we need before we even ask.
9 So when you pray, pray in a way similar to this.
Not in a way that recites these words mindlessly
but understands that these words inspire us to journey inward.
“Dear God,
may the mention of your name wake me up
and open my eyes to the splendor all around me.
10 Help me live in such a way that I trust love will win in the end.
Help me to trust in the things I believe will happen in heaven,
and may that trust inspire those things to become real in my life today.
11 Show me a higher perspective
so that I can see that I already have everything I need to live a fulfilling life.
12 Help me to forgive myself for the times I fell short
so that I might be strong enough to forgive others
for the times they fall short.
13 Help me to rise above the temptation to see others as a means to an end.
Rescue me from my despair that this world
is going to hell in a hand basket.
14 Teach me how to forgive the people who I do not feel deserve forgiveness,
help me to trust forgiveness does not require the abandonment of justice.
15 And may I always remember that I only deserve
the same kind of forgiveness from others
that I am willing to offer them in return.
Amen.
matthew 6:16-18
16 In this world of over indulgence,
the Kingdom encourages us to fast.
17 But when you fast,
just like when you pray,
and just like when you give to others,
abstain from food without any fanfare, calls for attention, or social media posts.
18 For the reward of fasting is not in the external praise,
but in the person you become.
For in fasting,
you will recognize society constantly says, “You need more,”
and then you will confidently reply “I have enough.”
matthew 6:19-21
19 My friends, no matter what for-profit corporations tell you,
the Gospel reminds all of us that we do not exist to buy things.
Even your most valuable possessions and family heirlooms
will not last more than a handful of generations.
20 The Kingdom beckons us to shift our relationship with our possessions.
Next time you walk into Target,
look at all of the products on all of the shelves
and all of the clothes on the racks
and all of the fluorescent tubes on the ceiling
in that moment, whisper a prayer from the Kingdom
and say to yourself,
“All of this will eventually be in a landfill.”
21 There’s something poetic about the idea that God, at the end of time,
performing a grand resurrection
as God raises us up from our graves
while leaving our material possessions in the ground.
And the good news of the Kingdom
is that you do not need to wait for the end of time to experience this miracle!
You can start living beyond your possessions in the here and now.
matthew 6:22-24
22 In our modern world, we endure a constant barrage of advertising.
Our eyes are bombarded with flashy, sugar-coated billboards
promising us a sense of fulfillment if we just pony up and buy something.
23 The subliminal message in the prevalence of these ads
is that any kind of contentment we feel must be a false reality.
24 But my friends,
in the kingdom, there are no advertisements.
I state this with certainty because
money does not drive the shape of the Gospel.
Instead, every decision in God’s Kingdom is a direct result
of the eternal
unlimited
and infinite love of God.
matthew 6:25-34
25 And if every decision in the Kingdom is based on the love of God
then I must invite you to examine your life and ask a pertinent question:
What are you worried about?
You will find food for tonight’s meal.
You will have enough water for today.
Your clothes may be slightly out of style, but you will not be naked.
You will have enough air to inflate your lungs on your next breath.
Your basic needs have been met.
You are here.
You made it this far.
And you can keep going.
You see, in the Kingdom, can offer you another miracle;
and that miracle is a life with less anxiety.
26 Our worries are a kind of cognitive loan that we take out
from the beauty of the present.
But have you ever taken your dog
to a big, open, grassy field, and just watched them run around?
In that moment,
your dog is thinking of nothing else
other than the sunshine on their fur
and the soft texture of grass underneath their paws.
Your dog is just so happy to be a dog.
And if God can give this gift to your dog,
then what makes you think God wouldn’t want to give that same gift to you?
27 Worrying does not add anything to your life.
Worrying only subtracts from it.
28 And the antidote to our worries is wonder.
When was the last time you experienced wonder first hand?
Was it when you kissed someone you loved for the first time?
Was it when you realized that your work actually makes a difference in the world?
Was it when you stood in the shadow of a mountain and felt how small you were?
29 Was it when you heard Justin Nishino play “Fake Plastic Trees” on the guitar?
In that moment, were you worried about anything?
Of course not!
Why?
Because worry and wonder
are two experiences which cannot occur at the same time.
30 The road to the Kingdom is paved with wonder.
And if you take in cable news and think to yourself,
“How can I possibly find wonder in this miserable world?”
then remember your dog,
filled with wonder at the site of an ordinary feel
and whisper a prayer to yourself
“If God gives this wonder to my dog,
then God will give this wonder to me.”
31 So the next time you feel tempted to worry,
remember the Gospel’s invitation to live with less anxiety.
32 This isn’t some pie in the sky invitation that asks you to repress your emotions.
No.
This invitation is real.
This invitation is trustworthy.
And this invitation is a miracle.
33 For if we truly desire a life with less anxiety,
then we can trust God will give us a life with less anxiety.
34 So let go of your worries,
give yourself to wonder,
and then look around and see
that you are suddenly in the town square of the Kingdom.
matthew 7:1-6
1 But the miracles don’t stop there,
for in the Kingdom, you and I can become less judgmental people.
2 Our quick judgments of others change something within us.
The harsh words we dispense on others
eventually become the harsh words we pour on ourselves.
3 But why bother yourself with the affairs of others?
Have you properly taken the time to consider your own affairs?
4 Why do you rush to be the teacher in every situation,
rather than the student who sees every person they encounter as their teacher?
5 You cannot expect others to learn from you,
any more than you are willing to learn from others.
6 There is something sacred about being a human being on this planet.
And when we judge people ruthlessly,
particularly on the internet today,
rather than beginning with an initial reverence toward others as children of God,
we take all that is holy
and treat it as casually as the food which we feed to our dogs.
matthew 7:7-14
7 I know it may seem impossible for us to find reverence for others
in a world that is so polarized, politicized, and polemicized.
But remember, the Kingdom overflows with miracles.
8 One of the basic truths of life is this:
You will find what you are looking for.
If you are convinced that the world is an evil place
and you want to find evidence to confirm your suspicions,
then you will find what you are looking for.
If you are convinced that the love will win in the end
and you want to find evidence to confirm your hopes and dreams
then you will find what you are looking for.
9 This should not surprise you.
How you see the world hinges on what you want to see in the world.
So if you want to see that the world is good
then ask God to show you that this world is good,
10 and I believe our loving Creator will show you just how good this world can be.
11 In the same way that every loving parent wants to give their child the world,
God wants to give us what we desire.
My friends, God will give us the world that we want to see.
All we have to do is ask.
12 Therefore, if you want to believe the world is a good place,
then begin by treating others as you want to be treated.
For this practice will reveal the good world that you are looking for.
13 If this sounds difficult, then let me assure you, it is!
We tend to pay attention
and spend more money
and vote for a certain candidate
when we live with a suspicious posture toward the planet.
14 But the Kingdom calls us
to rise above the relentless noise of designed despair
and search tirelessly for the good in the imperfect.
matthew 7:15-20
15 I say, “designed despair,”
because a lot of people out there
will promise you hope through the vehicle of organized religion
but what they are actually selling (yes, selling) is intentional despair.
16 And while all of this can be quite confusing,
it can be quite simple to know who trust and who to ignore.
For you will know who to follow, if you consider the lives they lead.
17 Consider all of the things we discussed so far about the Kingdom
and then look at the person promising you good news.
Are they an anxious person?
Do they practice forgiveness?
Do they apologize?
Do they pray in self-reflection?
Do they dance at parties?
Do they welcome joy with open arms?
Do they love the diversity of humanity or do they insist on a false uniformity?
18 If you answer, “Yes,” or at least, “They are trying to,” to these questions,
then you can trust their teachings as good news!
19 Because while the people who preach designed despair
can fill megachurches with throngs of people, it will not last.
20 For the only thing that lasts in the Christian tradition
is faith expressing itself through love.
matthew 7:21-23
21 Which means the Kingdom transcends the finite container
of the single religion of Christianity.
Anyone who strives to live with smaller anxiety,
greater love,
more forgiveness,
and less hate,
will be given entry to the Kingdom without ever identifying as Christian
because the Kingdom does not belong to any one religion.
22 For every religious person should ask themselves,
“How has my practice of religion changed me in the past year?”
And if we answer, “Well, I’m convinced that I’m more right than I’ve ever been!”
then our religions have missed the point.
But if we look back and recognize
that we grew in the hallmark miracles of the Kingdom,
then we can rest assured we are on the right path
no matter what the name of the path may be.
23 In another kind of miracle,
the explicit mention of the name “Jesus Christ,”
has very little to do with entering the Kingdom
but the desires of our heart
and who we want to become
and what we want to see in the world
and the love we hold for this imperfect creation,
have everything to do with entering the Kingdom.
matthew 7:24-27
24 This pursuit is not an extracurricular hobby.
If you pursue the Kingdom only one hour a week in a church,
you will find that money will rule over your life
and your worries will only increase.
and you will lead a life of worry.
Instead, this pursuit of the Kingdom only works
if it is what you seek first in your life.
25 Our society erects buildings with a safety factor of three.
This means engineers imagine the most strain they believe their building will face,
and then they multiply that strain by a factor of three.
They recommend structures three times the strength of what they need to be.
Why?
Because they want to be absolutely sure
that the people inside their building will be safe
even in the most unimaginable storms, earthquakes, and tornadoes.
26 In the same way,
the Kingdom acts as an over-engineered structure in your life.
27 Yes, there will be storms.
Yes, there will be earthquakes.
Yes, there will be tornadoes.
But the Kingdom guides you through the chaos.
As the weather rages all around you
you will discover that you are grounded in the eternal love of God,
and there will be nothing in this world
which can shake you.
In even the darkest situation,
you can greet it with the light of love.
And by the end of your life,
you can look back at all that you have endured
and say,
“What a gift.
What a gift.
What a gift.”
closing
My friends, may you search tirelessly for the Kingdom.
Because the Gospel of Jesus Christ promises that you will find it.
And may that kingdom reveal the incomparable miracle
of what it means to be alive on this glorious and sacred planet.
In the human name of Jesus
and the eternal name of Christ,
Amen.