Taking Jesus at His Word: What Jesus Really Said in the Sermon on the Mount

by Addison H. Hart

Overview

Blessed are the poor in spirit. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. You cannot serve God and mammon. Judge not, that you be not judged. Though such sayings from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount are very familiar, many people -- including Christians! -- struggle to fully understand and follow them. For those who are brave enough to reconsider what Jesus really said, Addison Hodges Hart offers Taking Jesus at His Word.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467435963
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	07/16/2012
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	559 KB

About the Author

Addison Hodges Hart is a retired pastor and college chaplain. He is also the author of Knowing Darkness: On Skepticism, Melancholy, Friendship, and God and The Yoke of Jesus: A School for the Soul in Solitude (both Eerdmans).

Knowing Darkness: On Skepticism, Melancholy, Friendship, and God and The Yoke of Jesus: A School for the Soul in Solitude (both Eerdmans).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

1 Coming Back to the Sermong on the Mount 1

2 Setting the Context of the Sermon 13

3 What Jesus' Beatitudes Mean for Our Discipleship 22

4 The Kingdom of God and the Law of Moses: What is meant by "Righteousness"? 34

5 What Jesus Says about Lust, Anger, and Inconstancy 43

6 What Jesus Says about Word-Breaking, Retaliation, and Hatred 59

7 Our Secret Lives of Righteousness 72

8 The Practice of Almsgiving 76

9 The Practice of Prayer 80

10 The Practice of Fasting 94

11 Riches, Righteousness, and Anxiety 98

12 "Judge Not!" 106

13 Dogs and Holy Things and Pigs and Pearls 113

14 Prayer and the Golden Rule 119

15 The Parting of the Ways 123

16 The Sermon That Has No End 130

Questions for Discussion and Reflection 133

Appendix 1 Talking Sense about the Words of Jesus 139

Appendix 2 The Role of Judgment in Matthew's Gospel 155

Editorial Reviews

Finally, someone who not only studies the Scriptures but also makes sense of them for life here and now, up close and personal! Thanks to Addison Hodges Hart - whose writing is warm, real, and lilting — the Sermon on the Mount comes alive as a veritable template to guide us through the twists and turns of our lives. This is a beautiful book, one that promises to be read over and over again.
— Joan Chittister

"As ironic as it may seem, it's more popular these days to call Jesus 'Lord' than it is to strive to do what he taught. For all who want to follow Jesus' teachings, Taking Jesus at His Word is a beautiful gift. I'm grateful to Hart — and more amazed than ever by Jesus."
— Brian D. McLaren

"Addison Hart comes to the Sermon on the Mount seeking bedrock guidance from Jesus for the fundamental question facing all of us, Christian and non-Christian alike: How should I live my life? Hart's reflections provide thoughtful insights into these bracing teachings of Jesus. This isn't the last word on the Sermon, but it will help readers find for themselves Jesus' path of life."
— Rodney A. Whitacre

From the Publisher