Jesus’ most concentrated teaching on His kingdom is found in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew’s Gospel; this discourse is commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. It is unique to Jesus in that it is an extended monologue. He usually communicated via dialogue. It contains no parables but does employ several literary devices.
In this first of five discourses in Matthew, Jesus explores, expands, and answers the questions, “What kind of life does God want His people to live? What does life in God’s kingdom look like? Is it possible to find confidence and contentment solely in the sufficiency of God?”
We can appropriately imagine that Christ’s message was as provocative as it was revolutionary. His was an unexpected and radical kingdom turning normal perception and understanding upside down. He spoke of a whole new order of life which demands a strong and aggressive commitment of faith.
Those who heard His message actually began to believe that another kind of world was possible and that the kingdom of God could permeate and transform their lives and their culture. It still does!