Matthew 5:1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him and he taught them.

This section, particularly verses 3-12, is one of the most famous of all Jesus’ teaching. We call it “The Sermon on the Mount,” and treat it as though it were unique in what Jesus said and did. It is certainly impactful and deep, but we need to consider various things about it. In the first place, it was Jesus’ response to all the attention He was getting. Sometimes we forget the different circumstances of that era. For one thing, they didn’t have clocks. Devices to measure time, even sundials, were unknown to the vast majority of people. In consequence, there was no such thing as a “nine to five” job. People generally worked from sunup to sundown, or until the job was finished. They had expressions that indicated time, but they were in reference to sunup, noon, and sundown. Thus, on the day of Pentecost, when Peter said, “It’s only the third hour,” (Acts 2:15) that meant the third hour after sunup, and so around 9 am. That applies here because people didn’t have set schedules, and so were much freer to set work aside and go listen to an itinerant preacher. They also didn’t have any means of magnifying sound, so anyone committed to public speaking had to be good at vocal production/projection. Jesus went up on a mountain to make it easier for the large numbers of people to hear what He had to say. His sitting down was both a social gesture and a practical consideration. In those days, teachers always sat to teach, so the act of sitting was a signal He was ready to start. Also, standing to speak for long periods is very tiring! And the last point is one we tend to overlook completely: “When He sat down, His disciples came to Him.” Those who were committed to follow Him recognized that He was going to teach, and so gathered. That signaled the larger crowd that something was happening, so they gathered too, but His initial focus was on His disciples. Most churches and ministries today tend to be very focused on numbers, but Jesus focused on those who committed themselves to follow Him. He didn’t turn the crowds away and often taught them, as here, but they weren’t His focus. In recent years many people have pointed this out, and some ministries have an admirable focus on discipleship, but we still tend to be distracted by numbers. We’re back to Frank Laubach’s “Each one teach one.” We need to pour all we’ve got into those who are committed to receive it, so that they may in turn pour into others. (2 Timothy 2:2)

This certainly applies to me, since I’ve been in what is called “full time ministry” for many years now. (I don’t really like that term, because I believe ever believer should be “full time,” and because I’ve supported my family through ministry for only 2 years of that period.) I’ve never had huge numbers. This past Sunday we set a record of 31 people receiving Communion at the same time, but over half of those were a missions team from Hong Kong and those supporting them. I want to reach many, but I’ve got to do it by focusing on the few. I’m grateful to say that several people have gone into “full time ministry” (there’s that term again) after being here for a period, and I do believe their fruit is in a sense mine. (Kind of like multilevel marketing!) At the same time, I do pray for a massive harvest in Japan, because the numbers are so great. However, when Jesus focused on 12, it would be the height of foolishness to think I could do more.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s always painful when people leave, but You know what You are doing in each life. I do pray for each person You have drawn here, both those who are planted and those who are peripheral. May Your best be accomplished in and through each one, for their great blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!