In preparation for an upcoming lesson, I just read Matthew 5-7. Yes, that’s the good ‘ole Sermon on the Mount, and yes, that’s the one you’ve heard a thousand times perhaps.
I decided to read it in The Message translation, which I’d never done before–BAM! IN-CREDIBLE! Seriously, why do I not read this every single day?!?!
In The Message, chapter 7 ends like this:
When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying–quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.
Reading it again for myself, I’m re-convinced…
We truly have never heard greater teaching than this!
Hey Jay, i’m not much of a commenter, but i try to read your blog every once in a while. speaking of the sermon on the mount, this last sunday we read the sermon on the mount from the message in place of a preacher and it was a really convicting and powerful thing. that jesus guy knows how to preach!!
Stewart
Stew, thanks for dropping by. It’s funny you mentioned that idea because I was actually debating just yesterday whether or not I wasn’t planning to do the exact same thing!
Read part of that last week from the Message also… I sometimes find Eugene’s cadence weird, but there was some stuff that jumped out at me like I had never read it before – should be a good sermon – when are you going to start a podcast?. My Dad once talked about how he thinks the Gospels should be the centre of what we talk/think about and the Sermon on the Mount could be the centre of that (or something similar) – that’s stuck in my head for about 10 years – some major stuff in there isn’t there? Easier to talk about church politics or how the 14th horn on the 12th beast with the 6th plague applies to my life.