The Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5-7

by James Montgomery Boice

Many pastors, students, and teachers have come to know and depend upon James Montgomery Boice's scholarly yet accessible commentaries on the most popular books of the Bible. Here is an addition to the Boice commentaries that has a unique focus. Instead of examining an entire book of the Bible, it provides readers with an in-depth look into Matthew 5-7, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
As with his other commentaries, Boice explains the meaning of the text verse by verse and also guides readers on how to apply the truths they find by relating the concerns of the text to today's world, the church, and the realities of the Christian life. Boice's clear and practical writing will make The Sermon on the Mount a helpful commentary for a wide range of readers, from serious Bible students to interested laypersons.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Reference, New Testament, Biblical Studies

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1972

About the author

James Montgomery Boice was a Reformed theologian, Bible teacher, and pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia from 1968 until his death in 2000. He was also president and cofounder of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, the parent organization of The Bible Study Hour on which Boice was a speaker for more than thirty years.

Reviews

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boice is always a solid go to for pastors when they study a passage, and this one did not disappoint. I only wish I had found it at the beginning of my study and not half way through. Solid resource

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a decent commentary (for the most part) on the Sermon on the Mount, and has been a great help in study. Boice says some great things, especially when talking about the Sermon as a whole. He suggests we cannot approach it legalistically - "Jesus teaches that the Sermon on the Mount is only for those who know that they cannot live by it." Here we are "dealing with the need for a new life rather than a legalistic system of morality."

But unfortunately, there are a number of things that don't seem to be very Biblical. About halfway through the book, a Calvinistic misogyny starts to bleed through, as Boice talks about making sure women keep themselves attractive for their husbands. And the same Calvinism seeps through toward the end of the commentary in discussions about "pearls before swine" and "the narrow way". In discussing casting your pearls before swine, he suggests that we should not preach the gospel to those who mock it. The only problem with this idea, is that, in my experience, those who mock the gospel don't do it because of their experience with God, or their experience with the gospel. They do it because they have had horrid experience with Christians who have done a poor job of reflecting Jesus. 

If you're embarking on a study of the Sermon on the Mount, this book isn't a bad one to use - if you use it cautiously and discerningly; and make sure it's not your only reference. 

[Christopher Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent expository commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. Boice had keen insights into the text and brings up supporting biblical evidence. He also quotes other commentaries, in particular Martin Lloyd Jones, William Barclay and AW Pink. The end of the book has a wonderful gospel presentation.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book by this fabulous author. Our Bible study group does many of his studies.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great devotional commentary!

[Paul Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Boice sermons adapted for book form and therefore is well explained and full of applications,

[Arlene Roth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totally disagree with his philosophies and his interpretations of the Bible.

[Ben Connelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boice's work on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is well done to be sure. Knowing that on GoodReads scale, a 3 is "liked it," instead of "average," I give it a 3 - I would definitely say it's above average. It's a little light on theology; a little cliche and 'devotional' at parts. But it's exactly what Boice intended it to be: a sermon series, at a traditional but very biblically-based church, turned into a book.

To me, the book was helpful then, in finding some of the day-to-day impact of the text that some of the other commentaries lost. But then, I also try to find that in day-to-day life, without relying on books for that at all!

So again, above average; a good start for someone newer to this biblical text, but not the best work I used on Matthew 5-7.

[David Campton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given the context it originally came from, that is early 1960 conservative evangelical America, this has limited applicablity in my current context. However, this is a commentary that transcends some of the limitations of its origins, drawing on a wide range of sources that would have been anathema to its author's audience then (and perhaps now) and so stretches its readers' understanding of the Biblical text.

[Phillip Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's okay. Boice doesn't stir my juices.

[JonM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boice annoys me because he spiritualizes everything to the point of neglecting almost all historical-grammatical exegesis.

[Joshua Reitano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Theologically solid, if often a bit dry. Homiletical help mostly in the area of organization.

[Tom James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A readable and accurate exposition of the Sermon on the Mount. The chapters are short and to the point. Boice devotes several chapters to the subject of Christian marriage and to prayer. Unfortunately, he does not address how the "law and the prophets" apply to the Christian today. Other than that, Boice does an admirable job in explaining the meaning of Christ's sermon thoroughly, without getting bogged down with excessive detail. Particularly interesting is his point that the reader is to understand that Christ Himself is the main message. The crowds were astounded at Christ's authority, and that is the thought that Matthew leaves us with in the gospel that contains the sermon.