The Message of the Sermon on the Mount

The Bible Speaks Today: New Testament

by John R.W. Stott

"The followers of Jesus are to be different," writes John Stott, "different from both the nominal church and the secular world, different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture." In the Sermon on the Mount, the "nearest thing to a manifesto" that Jesus ever uttered, we find Jesus' own description of what he wanted his followers to be and do.

In this Bible Speaks Today volume, Stott guides readers through Jesus' well-known but often poorly understood teachings in Matthew 5 through 7. Leading us to listen carefully to the meaning of each verse in its context, Stott also confronts the challenges this text raises for today's Christians and draws out practical applications.

This revised edition features lightly updated language, current NIV Scripture quotations and a new interior design. A seven-session study guide at the end of the book will help you more deeply ponder the message of the Sermon on the Mount and how it speaks to your life.

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

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

John R. W. Stott is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist, and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among evangelicals in Britain, the United States and around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). His many books, including Why I Am a Christian and The Cross of Christ, have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages. Whether in the West or in the Two-Thirds World, a hallmark of Stott's ministry has been expository preaching that addresses the hearts and minds of contemporary men and women. Stott was honored by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

Reviews

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this alongside Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ Studies on the Sermon on the Mount. This was an absolutely fantastic commentary to read alongside Lloyd-Jones’ sermons - indeed it often quotes him.

This is a great commentary! It is both scholarly and pastoral without being too long winded. Excellent!

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Stott Is a good exegete. He doesn’t soften the Sermon on the Mount. And, yet this little book is shot through with grace and pastoral wisdom.

[Dan Wolgemuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

One for the ages. John Stott unpacks the familiar with fresh and powerful insight. Compelling. Engaging. Rich. Bring your highlighter. Get ready to Tweet. More importantly, be ready to grow and change.

[Zachary T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably blasphemy, but I wasn’t terribly blown away by this book. Probably my youth showing there. The beginning chapters of the book are remarkably helpful and insightful. I enjoyed his willingness to just take the sermon as it is, not try to water it down. Saying that, there a couple times where he seems to focus heavily on the external obedience, almost to a fault. I found this particularly toward the end. I love the way he weaves the whole sermon together, first with the beatitudes, continuing to the contrasts toward the end of the sermon. Helpful read.

[Lyndon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid, solid commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. Used it as my primary resource for my sermon series (ending this Sunday) on Matthew 5 to 7. Probably good for personal study but not flashy. Just good exposition; the application is in living Christ's message out.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Stott is another one of those authors who everyone quotes. I saw so many quotes from other authors I thought “I better just get his book and read it for myself.” And I was not disappointed, this book is very good. I used it often in my sermons. Recommended

[Jeremy Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely fantastic exposition of the SotM. Highly recommend! Great for a discussion group.

[Jon Stallings · Rating 4 out of 5]

An outstanding commentary on the Seermon on the Mount. Very readable. Stott does a great job on getting to the deep meaning of the sermon. As Christians we really are called to a different life.

[Kyle H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid resource if you’re studying the sermon on the mount. I found some helpful insights for sure 🤝

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

“For here is the picture of God’s alternative society. These are the standards, the values and the priorities of the kingdom of God. To often the church has turned away from this challenge and sunk into a bourgeois, conformist respectability. At such times it is almost indistinguishable from the world, and has lost its saltiness, it’s light is extinguished and it repels all idealists. For it gives no evidence that it is God’s new society which is tasting already the joys and powers of the age to come. Only when the Christian community lives by Christ’s manifesto will the world be attracted and God be glorified. So when Jesus calls us to himself, it is to this that he calls us. For he is the Lord of the counter-culture.”

This is a book that inspires you to live Jesus way and to realise that doing so sets you apart in a radical, dangerous and downright cool way. I feel like John Stott was partly inspired by the hippie movement when he wrote this, and this has led me to a deeper understanding of the Christian life - the truest and best “counter-culture”.

[John Caulfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've heard folks refer to Spurgeon sermons as candy, and I would stock John Stott commentaries on that same shelf.

Whenever I read him, I find myself thinking "I want to be near the Jesus that this man cherishes and describes." Same thing happened in his Romans commentary. Through his meek disposition and theological acumen, Stott's writings bring into view a Christ that flicks my heart's adoration switch every time.

These books are also among the best I found for group Bible studies. They include a list of study questions in the back which are thoughtful and non-generic.

[Ross H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful, clear, insightful, and accessible.

[Micah Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend reading this book slowly as a supplement to reading the Sermon on the Mount yourself.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, as always. Some of the application was a bit dated but the usual marks of a Stott commentary were all present; helpful breakdowns, clear argumentation, and pastoral sensitivity.

[Peter Krol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Stott’s commentaries. Nothing like them. This was no exception.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic exploration of the most famous sermon in human history. Thorough yet concise, Stott brings out the breadth and the depth of Jesus’s teaching, and shows us just what an awesome and wonderful Person we have as our Lord, Judge, Savior, and God.

[Chris Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read of Stott's outside of the small distillation of this work earlier in preparation for preaching through the Sermon on the Mount. That being said, it was a wakeup call to the genius of John Stott and why so many throughout the years have benefitted from his work. This is a commentary rooted not in academia for academia's sake, rather it is grounded in the pulpit and pew where the sermon would be preached.

As I continue to grow and develop as a pastor the one thing I look for in commentaries is accessibility i.e., can I hand this to our average church member and they benefit in their own study from the work. The answer as it relates to "The Message of the Sermon on the Mount" is a resounding yes. Stott is an intellectual giant, make no mistake, but this book is written with the common pastor and common layperson in view.

I benefitted most from how Stott broke down the Sermon in each chapter, it gave us the outline we used for how our church would navigate through Matthew 5-7. Rather than be inventive we allowed Stott's breaks to help us keep ideas and thoughts of Jesus together so as to make sense of the Sermon in whole, instead of in part as most people are used to consuming these words. We will finish out this series in January and it has been a blessing to our church to have John Stott's work to aid us.

Lastly, it is refreshing to read a commentary that doesn't bore one to tears but engages the heart and mind so as to stoke the spark of the sermon in the pastor's soul. There were multiple times I was ready to close Stott's book and begin preaching wherever I was at the moment. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was the rare combination of a commentary that is also devotional in how it reads and serves the reader.

My only word of caution, to fellow pastors, Stott handles the material so well you will be tempted to preach exactly as he talks about things in the book. Don't do it. Rather let Stott's work mold and shape the words of the sermon that Christ has given you to edify the church. My only regret, and I'm sure John Stott would agree with me, I tried to quote Stott to much and lost some of the power of the Sermon on the Mount in so doing.

If you are a preacher looking for an accessible commentary for a preaching or teaching series through the Sermon on the Mount add this to your short list of must haves. Also, if you are a Christian looking to grow in your walk with Jesus, let this book serve as a devotional guide as you read and study Christ's most famous sermon.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A FINE COMMENTARY ON THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

John Robert Walmsley Stott (1921-2011) was an English Anglican cleric and theologian who was a leader of the worldwide evangelical movement. He was one of the principal authors of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974.

He wrote in the Preface to this 1978 book, “The Sermon on the Mount has a unique fascination. It seems to present the quintessence of the teaching of Jesus. It makes goodness attractive. It shames our shabby performance It engenders dreams of a better world… My aim for this exposition… has been to listen carefully to the text. I have wanted above all to let it speak, or better to let Christ speak it again, and speak it to the contemporary world. So I have sought to face with integrity the dilemmas which the Sermon raises for modern Christians, and not to dodge them. For Jesus did not give us an academic treatise calculated merely to stimulate the mind. I believe he meant his Sermon on the Mount to be obeyed. Indeed, if the church realistically accepted his standards and values as here set forth, and lived by them, it would be the alternative society he always intended it to be, and would offer to the world an authentic Christian counter-culture.”

He states, “Each rising generation is disaffected with the world it has inherited… this is symptomatic of the inability of the younger generation to accommodate themselves to … acclimatize themselves to the prevailing culture. They are not at home. They are alienated. In a way Christians find this search for a cultural alternative one of the most hopeful, even exciting, sings of the times… Yet alongside the hope which this mood of protest and quest inspires in Christians, there is also (or should be) a sense of shame. For if today’s young people are looking for the right things (meaning, peace, love, reality), they are looking for them in the wrong places. The first place to which they should be able to turn is the one place which they normally ignore, namely the church. For too often what they see in the church is not counter-culture but conformism., not a new society which embodies their ideals but another version of the old society which they have renounced, not life but death.” (Pg. 15-16)

He observes, “Jesus emphasized that his true followers… were to be entirely different from others… There is not single paragraph of the Sermon on the Mount in which this contrast between Christian and non-Christian standards is not drawn… Jesus contrasts his disciples not the Gentiles but with Jews not … with heathen people but with religious people… Thus the followers of Jesus are to be different---different from both the nominal church and the secular world, different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture.” (Pg. 18-19)

He notes, “It is one thing to be convinced of the Sermon’s relevance in theory, but quite another to be sure that it will work in practice. Are its standards attainable?... Perhaps a majority of readers and commentators… have declared the standards of the Sermon on the Mount to be unattainable. Its ideals are noble but unpractical… attractive to imagine but impossible to fulfill.” (Pg. 26) He continues, “Only a belief in the necessity and the possibility of a new birth can keep us from reading the Sermon on the Mount with either foolish optimism or hopeless despair. Jesus spoke the Sermon to those who were already his disciples … The high standards he set are appropriate only to such…” (Pg. 29)

He states, “Nietzsche repudiated the whole value-system of Jesus… he called for a ‘revaluation of all values.’ But Jesus will not compromise his standards to accommodate Nietzsche, or any of us who … have imbibed pits and pieces of Nietzsche’s power-philosophy. In the beatitudes Jesus throws out a fundamental challenge to the non-Christian world and its outlook, and requires his disciples to adopt his altogether different set of values.” (Pg. 55)\

He notes, “Jesus did not contradict the law of Moses. On the contrary, this is in effect what the Pharisees were doing. What Jesus did was rather to explain the true meaning of the moral law with all its uncomfortable implications. He extended the commands which they were restricting and restricted the permissions which they were extended.” (Pg. 80)

Of Mt 5:20-27, he comments, “What is necessary for all those with strong sexual temptations… is discipline in guarding the approaches of sin. The posting of sentries is a commonplace of MILITARY tactics; MORAL sentry-duty is equally indispensable… To obey this command of Jesus will involve for many of us a certain ‘maiming.’ We shall have to eliminate from our lives certain things which … could easily become, sources of temptation.” (Pg. 90-91)

He explains, “Jesus’ illustrations and personal example depict not the weakling who offers no resistance. He himself challenged the high priest when questioned by him in court… [we] cannot take the four little cameos with wooden, unimaginative literalism… they must be seen to uphold the principle they are intended to illustrate. That principle is love, the selfless love of a person who … will certainly never hit back, returning evil for evil, for he has been entirely freed from personal animosity.” (Pg. 107)

Of Mt 6:7-8, he says, “The familiar AV rendering, ‘Use not vain repetitions,’ is therefore misleading… the emphasis is on ‘vain’ rather than on ‘repetitions.’ Jesus… repeated himself in prayer, notably in Gethsemane when ‘he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words.’” (Pg. 143)

Of 6:24, he observes, “Some people … refuse to be confronted with such a stark and outright choice, and see no necessity for it. They blandly assure us that it is perfectly possible to serve two masters simultaneously, for they manage it very nicely themselves… It is this popular compromise solution which Jesus declares to be impossible…” (Pg. 158)

Of 7:13-14, he states, “Jesus seems to have anticipated that his followers would be … a despised minority movement. He saw multitudes on the broad road, laughing and carefree… while on the narrow road there is just a ‘happy band of pilgrims’… backs turned upon sin and faces set towards the Celestial City.’” (Pg. 195)

He concludes, “The only alternative is to take Jesus at his word, and his claims at their face value… we must respond to the Sermon on the Mount with deadly seriousness. For here is his picture of God’s alternative society. These are the standards, the values and the priorities of the kingdom of God. Too often the church has … sunk into a bourgeois, conformist respectability. At such times it is almost indistinguishable from the world… Only when the Christian community lives by Christ’s manifesto will the world be attracted and God be glorified.” (Pg. 222)

This book will be of great interest to those seeking commentaries on the Sermon on the Mount.

[Cristhofer JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

La introducción del sermón del monte fue definida por John Stott en dos simples palabras “contracultura cristiana” apareciendo en el primer y tercer Evangelio (Mateo 5 -7 y Lucas 6), siendo una clara enseñanza de la persona de Cristo, quien lo desglosó de la siguiente manera: carácter, influencia, justicia, piedad, ambición, relación y entrega del cristiano, todos caen en este escrito. En otras palabras, fue una de las escenas más prominentes del Señor en todo su ministerio, aunque en otros sentidos, estas enseñanzas han estado dentro de las partes menos comprendidas o la menos obedecida por la iglesia. Porque la mayoría de los lectores y comentaristas tropezaron al encontrarse frente a frente con la realidad de la perversidad humana, declarando que las normas del sermón del monte no pueden alcanzarse. Sus ideales son nobles, pero no son prácticos, atraen a la imaginación, pero son imposibles de cumplir.

El carácter del cristiano (5:3-12) de este capítulo ha considerado describir “las cualidades y las bendiciones” el sermón del monte como promesa, por medio de las bienaventuranzas, y, entre ellos son: primero, personas que se describen; segundo, cualidades que se elogian y tercero, bendiciones que se prometen 1). Las ocho bienaventuranzas de las que habla Cristo describen su ideal para cada ciudadano del reino de Dios y cosechar el carácter en la esencia de la concepción espiritual en común de las bienaventuranzas 2). Cristo llama a algunos a una vida de pobreza, pero su llamado no surgió justamente en estas bienaventuranzas. Puesto que la pobreza y el hambre a las cuales se refiere en las bienaventuranzas son estados espirituales 3). La bendición gloriosa ha incluido el reinado de Dios, saboreado ahora y consumado más tarde. Estos fueron divididos en la relación con Dios y los deberes con sus congéneres.

La influencia del cristiano (5:13-16) ha impregnado la verdad como una metáfora de “la sal y la luz”. De hecho, la iglesia ha sido colocada en el mundo para desempeñar un rol doble: como sal detiene o cuando menos obstaculiza el proceso de corrupción social, y como luz disipa las tinieblas. La efectividad de la sal es condicional, porque su sazón ha expresado su carácter y ejemplificado su origen en las palabras como las obras. Por ejemplo, la iglesia debería ser completamente distinta del mundo por su atractivo. La segunda metáfora sería la luz, porque los cristianos son como una luz delante de todos y sus obras manifiestan los brillantes del testimonio del evangelio.

La justicia del cristiano (5:17-48) ha sido determinado por su importancia y no solo por su definición, por la luz que aporta a la relación entre el Antiguo y Nuevo Testamento (evangelio y ley). Cristo, desde su comienzo en el ministerio asombro con su autoridad en la ley; proveyendo la verdadera interpretación, puesto que su propósito no era cambiar la ley, sino revelar todo el significado que estaba destinada a contener. Al mismo tiempo, la aseveración que tuvo con los primeros oyentes mostrando que la justicia cristiana era mayor que los fariseos. Otro argumento propio de la justicia estuvo refrenar el enojo y la codicia. Pues, Jesús fue bastante claro en cuanto a ello elaborando la mutilación de estas aptitudes por medio de la mortificación. Asimismo, la tercera antítesis es esencialmente un llamado a la fidelidad en el matrimonio como también una honestidad a las palabras dichas. Porque esta concesión reticente hecha por Jesús tiene que verse por lo que es, es decir, una acomodación concedida por la dureza del corazón humano.

La piedad del cristiano (6:1-18) inició con las implicaciones de la vida del cristiano como acciones, mente, corazón, motivación y dominio. Todos en un grado del deber con Dios, hacia los demás y nosotros mismos. Estos en su medida son: dádiva, oración y ayuno. 1). La dádiva sería una muestra de ofrenda para los cristianos en beneficio de quien lo da. 2). La oración continua como una ofrenda perpetua en el amor a Dios. 3). El ayuno de las Escrituras sin duda era relacionado en varias formas de negación a uno mismo y la autodisciplina.

La ambición del cristiano (6:19-34) a primera mitad se describió como la vida privada y en segunda como una respuesta al mundo incrédula. De hecho, no se puede separar de las bendiciones reflexionadas anteriormente, sino que son una escala de la gloria de Cristo en todos los que profesan el sermón del monte. Por consiguiente, Jesús parece decirnos que el único valor de inversión de la más alta calidad es: visión, dignidad, ambición y la justicia del reino como búsqueda de lo primero en el propósito de Dios para su comunidad nueva y redimida.

La relación del cristiano (7:1-20) ha permeado como la parte final del sermón del monte de Jesús y se ha concentrado para dar una respuesta contracultura cristiana, puesto que la actitud de los cristianos no debería ser: “juez, hipócrita, sino más bien hermano”. Como bien aseveró el pasaje, saca primero la viga de tu propio ojo, y podrás ver con claridad. Es así como la enseñanza más temprana se manifiesta para todo adversario que quiere aludir a un amor propio de la fe cristiana y no del mundo, porque la gloria del evangelio es totalmente distinta del mundo.

La entrega del cristiano (7:21-27) es una afrenta consigo mismo, colocando en la elección radical entre la obediencia y desobediencia. Pues, las personas que se describen aquí confían en una afirmación de credo para su salvación, en lo que ellos “dicen” de o a Cristo. Básicamente, los que profesan ser cristianos. La verdad en la que insiste Jesús en estos dos párrafos finales del sermón es que ni el conocimiento intelectual o verbal deben reprimir o sustituir a la obediencia. Conformados a este mundo, como lo hacen los fariseos religiosos o los paganos irreligiosos, somos llamados por Jesús a imitar a nuestro Padre celestial “Pacificador”.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I read something by John Stott I think about how evangelicalism in the UK is different than that in the US.

[Karla Ticona · Rating 5 out of 5]

John R. W. Stott (1921 – 2011) publicó el libro en español “El Sermón del Monte. Contracultura cristiana” argumentando que el Sermón del Monte es el discurso más conocido de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, y probablemente el que menos entendemos, por lo tanto, el que menos se obedece.
Antes de zambullirnos al Sermón del Monte propiamente dicho, es necesario analizar el estado de pensamiento generacional que se repite desde finales de la WWII, segunda guerra mundial (1945). Stott la denomina como el idealismo, ese estado mental donde las personas de una generación creemos que podemos construir un nuevo mundo. Sin embargo, el idealismo opera junto a su hermana gemela, la desilusión, ese estado donde las personas (muchas veces de manera inconsciente) elegimos no compartir el ideal, o peor, oponernos a este por deporte, o peor aún, traicionarlo. Este escenario demuestra que la desilusión subsiste alimentando al idealismo de lo que podría ser.

Según Stott, las dos palabras que resumen con claridad el desafío del mundo moderno (y post moderno si me permite), es la “Contracultura Cristiana”.
El presente libro pinta el cuadro de la sociedad alternativa de Dios, en el Sermón del Monte, nuestro Señor Jesucristo presentó las normas, valores y prioridades del reino de Dios.
Con demasiada frecuencia la Iglesia ha dado la espalda a este desafío y se ha hundido en una respetabilidad conformista de seguir haciendo lo que se hace, sin responder a los desafíos que ingresan sigilosamente a la agenda mundial y nacional (por ejemplo: La ideología de género). Cuando esto pasa, es evidente que el mundo ha perdido su sal y su la luz se apaga, dejando a oscuras a los idealistas.

Sólo cuando en la Iglesia de Cristo vivamos según el manifiesto por nuestro Señor; entonces el mundo levantará la cabeza de sus celulares por un momento, el Espíritu Santo quien convence de pecado para arrepentimiento operará de manera gloriosa y estaremos frente a un potencial avivamiento.

Nuestro Señor nos llama a seguirle a Él, aún estando trabajados y fatigados; seguir a alguien suena casi inviable, pero es el Señor y Él da fuerzas al cansado. Por eso Stott le llama el Señor de la contracultura.

La contracultura es la palabra que se usa para expresar la búsqueda de una alternativa, mi generación milenial le llama contra corriente por la ilustración de nadar en contra de la cause natural de un río como lo hacen los salmones.

Este libro no es para pensar sobre el carácter del cristiano y cómo llevar el hacer de nuestra vida, para ser obedientes a Dios, para anunciar a Cristo con nuestras acciones, pero además siendo buenos comunicadores para comunicar con gracia lo que sabemos con total certeza: que Cristo vive y volverá; y en ello, para estar preparados para correr con paciencia la carrera que tenemos por delante, la carrera de la fe, del proceso de santificación y de la Gran Comisión.

[Michael G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four and a half stars, maybe five? It is certainly an engrossing and helpful commentary, drawing upon predecessor commentaries as foundations (besides the Bible itself of course).

I bought this primarily to solve the ‘problem’ of Matt 5:38-42 which seemed to me, on face value, to be an endorsement of someone to sin, even if against ourselves. This has lain on my mind for a while but my interest was re-piqued when a sermon was preached on it in New York, leaving me still unsatisfied. So I ordered this book. In the end I think I am largely content that Jesus is preaching a deference to justice being satisfied by the Lord or an authority, it not being our individual responsibility to take revenge or retaliate. To stand up for ourselves and rebuke sin is indeed acceptable; we don’t have to accept or tacitly endorse sin against us.

But with this problem ‘solved’, I decided to just read the whole book anyway! I enjoyed it. It will sit on the shelf to be consumed again when I need it.

[Richard LeMons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love just about everything written by Dr. John R.W. Stott. He was an amazing man and author. This is by no means an in-depth look at the Sermon on the Mount. The section dealing with the beatitudes is short and sweet. This is not a complaint, just an observation. There are other sections that seem to be lacking detail. Again, this is not a complaint. One of the things I like about this book is the number of footnotes and cross-references that can be found on each page. A bibliography would have been extremely helpful to me. This is probably my second favorite book I have on the Sermon on the Mount (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones book coming in first). I do not regret the purchase of this book and would certainly procure it again if needed.

[Lara Giesbers · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Only when the Christian community lives by Christ's manifesto will the world be attracted and God be glorified." - John Stott

This commentary is a very comprehensive and challenging look at the Sermon on the Mount. Stott brings out so much in these three chapters of Matthew, that it makes you stop, sometimes after reading 1.5 pages, and just take in the enormity of what Jesus was actually saying in these verses. "Jesus never wasted words," Stott says, and understanding this brevity makes all the difference in understanding how crucial this message is. This teaching turned the world on its head once, if we can recapture what the implications of this teaching is, perhaps it can turn the world on its head again. John Stott shows us a freshness that will make us pray, "Your Kingdom come."

[Ethan Leonow · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful and practical commentary that gives Jesus’s sermon the attention it deserves without getting too heady or technical. From start to finish, Stott highlights Jesus’s own themes of righteousness, devotion, strong juxtapositions, and Jesus’s claim to be Lord, Messiah, Savior, the Son of God, and Judge. As Jesus concludes Himself, Stott doesn’t regard the Sermon as a teaching to passively listen to or advice to heed at will, but a call to a disciple-worthy, Christ-abiding standard of living as part of Jesus’s eternal kingdom. Stott pastorally leads the reader today to ask the same question as when the sermon was first heard: “What kind of teacher is this?” and by implication, “Will you choose to follow Him or not?”

[Zacarias Rivera, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first major commentary on the Sermon on the Mount that I have read so far, and indubitably it is superb. The late Dr. Stott unpacks through careful exegesis what Jesus taught in this His first sermon. He expounds each verse in the sermon, showing how each section is interconnected.

Stott addresses the various kingdom requirements Jesus stated. Stott skillfully focuses on the background, whether historical or linguistic to clarify what the text means.

I appreciate how Stott end each chapter by summarizing the main points he developed in his exegesis. He was able to elaborately show the logical structure of the sermon.

I highly recommend this commentary.

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stott’s logical and insightful exposition is very helpful, even if the counter-culture theme is a bit dated. He carefully works through each discreet passage, but not without tying them together with each other, the rest of Matthew, the New Testament, and the witness of Scripture as a whole. Like most commentators on the ethical vision of Matthew, Stott sometimes sounds like he is promoting works-righteousness, but only if certain explanatory statements are taken out of context from the whole (which includes qualifying language). I will return to this book as I teach and preach on Matthew 5-7, and I would recommend it to any reader who seeks to understand more fully the Sermon on the Mount.

[Angus Mcfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure how to review commentaries on bible texts independently of the text being discussed - to what extent is the commentary dependent on the significance of the original text? For the sermon on the mount, a highly regarded part of the Christian scripture, a commentary could perhaps go horribly wrong, but at best suffer the fate of falling short of the masterpiece it is describing. In this case two things stood out to me, firstly that Stott's commentary is good rather than horrible, and secondly, that it has stood the test of time quite well (written in the 70's but still reads well).

[Nicholas Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stott’s commentary on the Sermon on the Mount is one of the best. It’s a thorough treatment that seeks to not only clarify the myriad of exegetical misunderstandings from Matthew 5-7 that have arisen in the past several decades; but to also provide detailed and poignant application for the modern Christian. It’s well-researched but doesn’t read like a heavy academic book too much. I highly recommend it if you ever want to dig deeper into Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. I do believe the later editions of this book are far superior though.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike most Biblical commentaries, Stott delegates 222 pages to a mere 3 chapters of text. What we get, then, is a thorough analysis and exegesis of every word, highlighting the signifigance of not only the words but the tone, what is said and what isn’t. Further, he draws from past commentators: not only the Reformers, but Fathers like Augustine and especially Chrysostom. But most of all, he uses scripture to interpret scripture. His bar for measurement is not his own thoughts and opinions, but the rest of scripture, both Old Testament and New. A truly great commentary.