The simple but powerful structure of the Discourse on the Hill can therefore be represented as follows: Background assumption: life in the kingdom through reliance upon Jesus (Matt. 4:17–25; chapters 1 through 3 of this book are devoted to this topic). It is ordinary people who are the light and salt of the world as they live the blessed life in the kingdom (5:1–20, and chapter 4 of this book). The kingdom heart of goodness concretely portrayed as the kind of love that is in God (5:21–48, and the present chapter of this book). Warning: against false securities—reputation and wealth (Matt. 6,
...more
