The question has been asked, if Mathew and Luke were both writing about the same sermon from Jesus, why did one say he was up on a mountainside, and the other said he stood on a level place when he taught? Must be a contradiction the critics say. Was it the Sermon on the Mount or the Sermon on the Plain?
Most Christians are at least somewhat familiar with the Sermon on the Mount. From the Beatitudes, to the Lord’s Prayer, the teachings from Jesus in this sermon are some of the most often quoted words in the Bible. What some Christians may be less familiar with is the Sermon on the Plain.
The Sermon On The Plain
The Sermon on the Plain as some call it, can be found in the Gospel of Luke. Mathew and Luke both write about Jesus going to a mountainside and teaching a crowd of people.
(Mathew 5:1-3) Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
(Luke 6:12-20) One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray 17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon 20 Looking at his disciples, he said: ” Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God
Notice that Luke says Jesus went down with them and stood on a level place. This is where the critic hollers foul.
Two Different Sermons?
A number of people believe the Bible is talking about two different sermons from Jesus. If this is the case, there certainly is no contradiction. In this scenario, Mathew recorded the Sermon on the Mount, while Luke wrote about a very similar message at the Sermon on the Plain.
It is very common for preachers today to preach the same message a number of different times. While it’s possible this is what happened, it isn’t necessary for there to have been two separate teachings from Jesus to prove there is no contradiction.
Flat Spots In The Mountains
I would question whether a person who tries to make these scriptures in the Bible into a contradiction has ever been to a mountain. The world is full of mountains that contain level places within them. Both Mathew and Luke tell us that Jesus was at a mountainside. Luke just gives a little extra detail about Jesus finding a level place to do some preaching.
