Case in point, a few years ago I taught a class at my church about the Sermon on the Mount. On the first day, after reading the sermon aloud together, I asked the thirty adults in the class a simple question: “Do you think Jesus was serious? Do you believe he actually expects us to live the way described in this sermon?” With a show of hands, nearly everyone voted no. They did not think Jesus was serious. “Why not?” I asked. “It’s just not possible to live that way,” said one woman. “No one can really love his enemy or give that generously. Jesus was exaggerating to make a point.”
