The context of the Sermon on the Mount

The Catholic Spirit reports that Jesus presented the Sermon on the Mount as a way of life for a new Exodus people and as the political platform for his kingdom. While traveling through Galilee, Jesus laid out an agenda for a revolutionary community that differed from other social movements of that historical period.

The publication notes that Jesus was not a quietist waiting for an apocalyptic intervention, nor did he support the status quo, as evidenced by his frequent critiques of the temple and religious leadership. While Jesus gathered a popular movement and critiqued the temple-state similarly to the militant zealots, his approach functioned as a distinct platform for God's kingdom.