Sermon on the Mount

American  

noun

1. a discourse delivered by Jesus to the disciples and others, containing the Beatitudes and important fundamentals of Christian teaching. Matthew 5–7; Luke 6:20–49.

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Sermon on the Mount British  

noun

1. New Testament a major discourse delivered by Christ, including the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 5–7)

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Sermon on the Mount Cultural  

1. In the Gospel of Matthew, the first sermon of Jesus. It is a central expression of his teachings regarding the new age he has come to proclaim. Jesus tells his followers that he expects them to be even more generous than the Mosaic law requires: “Be ye perfect,” he says, “even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes. It also contains the Lord's Prayer; the Golden Rule (“Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them”); the commandments to turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, and cast not pearls before swine; the image of false prophets as wolves in sheep's clothing; and many other well-known teachings, including: “Ye are the salt of the Earth,” “Love your enemies,” “Consider the lilies of the field,” “Judge not, that ye be not judged,” “Ask, and it shall be given you,” and “By their fruits ye shall know them.”

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Example Sentences

One who takes seriously Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, with its directive to place the care of community, especially the outcast, vulnerable and afflicted, over the desire for personal gain.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

“I see much more dismissal of Sermon on the Mount characteristics among some Christians than we would have seen before,” Moore said, referring to Jesus’ exhortation to turn the other cheek and love your enemies.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2022

At one point last year, more than 2,000 people paid $1,000 each to be an extra in a scene, filmed in Midlothian, Texas, that depicted the Sermon on the Mount.

From Slate • Apr. 25, 2022

I challenged those in attendance to live by the Golden Rule that Jesus gave us in the Sermon on the Mount as reported in the Gospel of Matthew.

From Salon • Sep. 17, 2021

I wanted to be the person who wrote with such a passion that all people would turn away from injustice and embrace the Sermon on the Mount.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers