The Sermon on the Mount

by Rousas John Rushdoony

So much has been written about the Sermon on the Mount, but so little of the commentary ventures outside of the matters of the heart. The Beatitudes are reduced to the assumed meaning of their more popular portions, and much of that meaning limits our concerns to downplaying wealth, praying in secret, suppressing our worries, or simply reciting the Lord's Prayer. All of these commandments are most important, but the larger meaning is missed when the sermon is not read and understood from within the context of the New Covenant. As the author writes, "The covenant made by Jesus Christ is new, because it is with a new people, the new church or assembly of God's firstborn (Heb. 12:22-24), but it is the same covenant with Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Israel; the same tree of life is the life of the covenant, but new branches are grafted into it, and the dead branches are pruned out (Rom. 11:17-24). The tree of life, Jesus Christ, is the center and life of the New Jerusalem, God's Kingdom and city, in every age (Rev. 22:1-2) The Beatitudes are the Kingdom commission to the new Israel of God, and R. J. Rushdoony elucidates this powerful thesis in a readable and engaging commentary on the world's greatest sermon.

Genres: Christianity, Theology

140 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Rousas John Rushdoony was a Calvinist philosopher, historian, and theologian and is widely credited as the father of both Christian Reconstructionism and the modern homeschool movement. His prolific writings have exerted considerable influence on the Christian right.

Reviews

[Bryan Kuranaga]

Rushdoony provides an excellent resource for those who desire to go deeper into the meaning of Jesus' words on the Sermon on the Mount. In his typical scholarly style, he communicates with clarity the understanding and use of specific words at that time. What is helpful is that he seeks to also provide some "action steps" for his readers as opposed to just providing an interpretation of the passage.

[Josiah Richardson]

Quite simply the best treatment I've read on the sermon on the Mount. Rushdoony has a grasp on theology and hermeneutics in a way that only few ever have. This is a book I will be re-reading in the future.

[Tim Zornes]

Rushdoony is so good on so many things. Jesus' sermon on the mount is saturated with old testament principles practically applied. Rushdoony does a wonderful job of expositing those truths for our day.

[Rick White]

Overall decent. He had some "special study" type of gems in this commentary. However, not a strict commentary, since he skips overs some portions of the sermon. This should be a supplementary resource for sermon or teaching study.

[Steve Thomasma]

This book skips around too much. What was written was good, but it did not go verse by verse.