Q&A: Sermon on the Mount Interpretation

Question

What did Jesus intend with his Sermon on the Mount?

Answer

Broadly speaking, Jesus intended to teach us how to live our lives in the kingdom of God which he brought, that period which began with his first coming, which continues now in his physical absence from earth, and which will be consummated at his return. Some specific ways he used the Sermon to accomplish these things were that he affirm the biblical Law, corrected the legal interpretive errors of his own day, emphasized internal aspects of the Law, encouraged faith, and warned of the eternal consequences of our actions on earth.