5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
Disciples
Jesus does not draw everyone to him to hear the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is about to lay out the ideal life which is only truly pursued by disciples. Jesus’ disciples were more in number than 12. From his disciples he calls twelve to be leaders, but at various times we see that Jesus motivates and moves to action more than 12. He preaches to the masses, the crowd in Matthew. Out of the crowd a few bold souls step forward and follow Jesus. To these Jesus preaches a series of discourses in Matthew which lay out exactly what Kingdom living should be like. Because they have entered the Kingdom they will be set apart in lifestyle choices and actions. The question is, do you stand out from the crowd as a disciple? If you do, Matthew 5-7 will tell you how you can live.
Questions
- To whom does Jesus talk?
- Are you a disciple or are you in the crowd?
Plymothian 