Designed as a resource for church Bible classes and personal study,
The Sermon on the Mount: Explorations in Christian Practice
(Cypress Bible Study Series)
carefully considers how Jesus' most famous sermon presents the life of a disciple. Scholar Ed Gallagher argues that the Sermon on the Mount is full of difficult sayings from Jesus that make Christians squirmy even to discuss, partly because his sayings are not quite difficult enough. If only they were too difficult to understand, then we wouldn't have to worry about practicing them! Want to talk about money? Divorce? Fasting? Or, everybody's favorite topic these days, judging? Jesus has you covered. Written in a casual style easy for everyone to understand but also chock-full of information about the historical context of Jesus' sermon and the history of its reception, this masterful book provides plenty of material to guide readers in their meditations and discussions on how to live faithfully to the high calling of Jesus.