Lecture 1 — Christ ascends the mountain

^5:1^ And seeing the multitudes, he went up onto a mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him. [n. 396]

^5:2^ And opening his mouth, he taught them, saying: [n. 401]

396. And seeing the multitudes. Here the Lord sets forth his own teaching; and it is divided into three parts.

In the first, Christ’s teaching is set forth;

in the second, the power of the teaching;

in the third, the end to which it leads.

The second is in chapter thirteen; the third, in chapter seventeen.

The first is divided into three parts.

In the second, the ministers of the teaching are instructed;

in the third, adversaries are confounded.

The second is in chapter ten; the third, in chapter eleven.

The first is divided into two parts.

In the first, Christ’s teaching is set forth;

in the second, it is confirmed by miracles, in chapter eight.

The first, into two parts.

In the first, a certain title is prefaced, as it were, to the teaching;

in the second, the teaching itself is explained, at **blessed are the poor in spirit **(Matt 5:3).

Concerning the first, he does three things.

First, he describes the place where the teaching was set forth;

second, those who heard the teaching;

third, he sets out the manner of teaching.

The second is at and when he had sat down; the third, at and opening his mouth, he taught them.

397. He says therefore, as I said, that they followed him. And seeing the multitudes, he went up onto a mountain. This text can be understood in two ways. First, as follows. He went up with the aim of teaching the crowds, that is, not fleeing. Hence Chrysostom says that just as a craftsman, when he sees material prepared, delights in working, so the priest delights in preaching when he sees the people gathered together. And so, he went up; I will give thanks to you in a great assembly (Ps 34:18).

Or in another way. He went up, that is, fleeing from the crowds, so that he might teach the disciples more safely; the words of the wise are heard in silence (Eccl 9:17).

398. And one should note that Christ had three places of refuge: for sometimes he fled to a mountain, as is said here and at Jesus went to the Mount of Olives (John 8:1). Sometimes, to a boat; when the multitudes pressed upon him to hear the word of God . . . going into one of the ships that was Simon’s . . . he taught, seated (Luke 5:1–3). Third, into the desert; come apart into a desert place, and rest a little (Mark 6:31).

And fittingly enough, for a man can take refuge in God in three ways: in the protection of the divine loftiness, which is signified by the mountain; they that trust in the Lord will be as Mount Zion (Ps 125:1). In the ecclesiastical society, which is indicated by the boat; Jerusalem, which is built as a city, which is compact together (Ps 122:3). In the solitude of religious life, which is understood by the desert, through the contempt of temporal things; behold I will allure her, and will lead her into the wilderness: and I will speak to her heart (Hos 2:14); lo, I have gone far off flying away; and I abode in the wilderness (Ps 55:6–7).

399. Moreover, he went up onto the mountain for five reasons. First, to show his excellence: for he himself is the mountain of whom it is said, the mountain of God is a fat mountain (Ps 68:15). Second, to show that the teacher of this teaching ought to climb up in the loftiness of his life; get you up upon a high mountain, you who bring good tidings to Zion (Isa 40:9). Chrysostom: no one can linger in a valley who speaks of heaven. The third reason, to show the loftiness of the Church to whom the teaching is set forth; and in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be prepared on the top of mountains, and it will be exalted above the hills (Isa 2:2). Fourth, to show the perfection of this teaching, because it is most perfect; your justice is as the mountains of God (Ps 36:6). Fifth, that it might correspond to the old law, which had been given on a mountain (Exod 19, 24).

400. Next, the hearers are set down, and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him. One can note two things in his sitting. A humbling; you have known my sitting down, and my rising up (Ps 139:2). When he was in the loftiness of divine majesty, his teaching could not be grasped; but when he humbled himself, then men began to understand. Or, this pertains to the dignity of the teacher; the scribes and the Pharisees have sat on the chair of Moses (Matt 23:2). For rest is necessary for one who is zealous for wisdom. His disciples came to him, not only in body, but in soul; come to him and be enlightened (Ps 34:5); they that approach to his feet, will receive of his doctrine (Deut 33:3).

And notice that when the Lord preached to the crowds, he stood; and coming down with them, he stood in a plain place (Luke 6:17); but here, when he taught the disciples, he sat. Out of this grew the custom that one preaches to the crowds standing, and to religious sitting.

401. And opening his mouth, he taught them. Here the manner of teaching is set down.

The fact that it says opening signifies that he had been silent for a long time before. And it shows that the sermon was going to be great and long, as Augustine says. Or that he was about to say great and profound things; for men often do this; after this Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day (Job 3:1).

And it says, his, for earlier he had opened the mouths of the prophets; for wisdom opened the mouth of the dumb, and made the tongues of infants eloquent (Wis 10:21): for he himself is the Wisdom of the Father.

402. But there is a question here, for this sermon is set down in Luke, for the most part (Luke 6:20–49). But there seems to be a contradiction between this account and that one, as is evident in the text.

And Augustine sets down two solutions. One is that this is a different sermon from that one; for he first went up onto a mountain, and gave this sermon to the disciples, and afterwards, coming down, found the crowd gathered together, to whom he preached the same things and recapitulated many things; and Luke speaks about this. Or otherwise one should say that there was one mountain, and it had a level area on the side; another little mountain raised up that level area. Hence the Lord went up onto a mountain, i.e., onto the level area of this mountain. And first he went up higher, and called together the disciples, and there chose the twelve apostles, as is clear in Luke; and afterwards, coming down, he found the crowd gathered together, and, when the disciples came, he sat, and gave this sermon to the crowd and to the disciples. And this seems more true, because Matthew says at the end of the sermon that **the multitudes hearing it, were in admiration at his doctrine **(Matt 22:33). Yet however it is taken, there is no contradiction.