- Setting - Matthew presents the sermon on a mountain, while Luke depicts it on a plain.
- Beatitudes - Matthew's version includes eight blessings (Beatitudes), while Luke's has four blessings and four woes.
- Focus - Matthew's Sermon on the Mount focuses on spiritual truths and discipleship, while Luke's Sermon on the Plain are more tangible addressing social and economic realities.
- Content - Luke includes teachings not found in Matthew, and vice versa. For example, Luke mentions woes, while Matthew doesn't.
- Target Audience - Matthew's Sermon seems directed towards his disciples, while Luke's appears to be addressed to a larger crowd, including disciples and people seeking healing.
- Both accounts present similar core teachings, including the Beatitudes, the call to love one's enemies, and the importance of building one's life on a strong foundation.
- The two sermons are presented in a similar narrative flow, with events leading up to and following the sermons being similar.
Overview
Both Matthew’s *Sermon on the Mount* and Luke’s *Sermon on the Plain* represent foundational teachings of Jesus. While they share similarities, the differences in location, tone, theological framing, and audience contribute to their distinctiveness.
|
Gospel |
Section Name |
Location |
Audience
Context |
|
Matthew |
Sermon on the Mount |
Matthew 5–7 |
Jesus teaching on a mountain (Jewish Moses
typology) |
|
Luke |
Sermon on the Plain |
Luke 6:17–49 |
Jesus teaching on level ground
(universal tone, social focus) |
Structured Comparison Table
|
Matthew (SOTM) |
Luke (Sermon on
the Plain) |
Summary /
Differences |
|
Matt 5:1–2 |
Luke 6:17–20 |
Setting and audience: mountain vs. plain |
|
Matt 5:3–12 |
Luke 6:20–23 |
Luke has 4 blessings; Matthew has
8–9, more spiritualized |
|
— |
Luke 6:24–26 |
Unique to Luke: 4 Woes (counterpart to Beatitudes) |
|
Matt 5:13–16 |
— |
Salt & light metaphors only in
Matthew |
|
Matt 5:17–48 |
— |
Law fulfillment and ethical antitheses — Matthew
only |
|
Matt 6:1–18 |
— |
Private devotion: almsgiving,
prayer, fasting |
|
Matt 6:19–34 |
Luke 12:22–34 |
Treasures in heaven, trust in God |
|
Matt 7:1–6 |
Luke 6:37–42 |
Judging others; speck and plank |
|
Matt 7:7–11 |
Luke 11:9–13 |
Ask, seek, knock — divine generosity |
|
Matt 7:12 |
Luke 6:31 |
Golden Rule — identical in meaning |
|
Matt 7:13–14 |
— |
Narrow vs. wide gate — Matthew only |
|
Matt 7:15–23 |
Luke 6:43–45 |
Tree and fruit — similar teaching |
|
Matt 7:24–27 |
Luke 6:46–49 |
Wise/foolish builder — shared ending |
Key Differences
Tone & Emphasis:- Matthew: Spiritualized, internal, ethical — “kingdom of heaven” language
- Luke: Social, material, economic — “kingdom of God” language
- Matthew: Aimed at a Jewish-Christian audience with Law fulfillment themes
- Luke: Aimed at a Gentile-Christian audience with justice-oriented tone
- Matthew: A structured three-chapter sermon
- Luke: A shorter, more pointed sermon emphasizing social reversal
|
Matthew (SOTM) |
Luke (Sermon on
the Plain) |
Greek Keywords |
Theological
Themes |
|
Matt 5:3–12 |
Luke 6:20–23 |
μακάριοι (makarioi) – “blessed” |
Beatitudes: spiritual (Matthew) vs. social/economic
(Luke) blessings |
|
— |
Luke 6:24–26 |
οὐαί (ouai) – “woe” |
Luke's counter-beatitudes emphasize
social reversal |
|
Matt 5:13–16 |
— |
ἅλας (halas) – “salt”; φῶς (phōs) – “light” |
Disciples as moral example; not in Luke |
|
Matt 5:17–48 |
— |
νόμος (nomos) – “law”; πληρόω
(plēroō) – “to fulfill” |
Jesus reinterprets Torah; not
addressed in Luke |
|
Matt 6:1–18 |
— |
ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosynē) –
“almsgiving”; προσεύχομαι (proseuchomai) – “to pray” |
Private devotion: secrecy and sincerity |
|
Matt 6:19–34 |
Luke 12:22–34 |
θησαυρός (thēsauros) – “treasure”;
πίστις (pistis) – “faith” |
Trust in divine provision |
|
Matt 7:1–6 |
Luke 6:37–42 |
κρίνω (krinō) – “to judge” |
Warning against hypocrisy and self-righteousness |
|
Matt 7:7–11 |
Luke 11:9–13 |
αἰτέω (aiteō) – “ask”; ζητέω (zēteō) – “seek”;
κρούω (krouō) – “knock” |
God’s responsiveness to human
petition |
|
Matt 7:12 |
Luke 6:31 |
ὅσα ἂν θέλητε (hosa an thelēte)
– “whatever you wish” |
Golden Rule: ethical reciprocity |
|
Matt 7:13–14 |
— |
στενός (stenos) – “narrow”; πλατύς
(platys) – “broad” |
The challenge of righteous living |
|
Matt 7:15–23 |
Luke 6:43–45 |
καρπός (karpos) – “fruit” |
Ethics flow from internal character |
|
Matt 7:24–27 |
Luke 6:46–49 |
θεμέλιος (themelios) – “foundation” |
Wise living rooted in Jesus’
teachings |
· Matthew 5:3 – Blessed are the poor in spirit:
Augustine (On the Sermon on the Mount): 'He begins with humility, as it is the foundation of all virtue.'
·
Matthew 5:8 – Blessed are the pure in
heart:
Chrysostom (Homily on Matthew): 'For he that loves purity of heart preserves the nobility of his soul.'
· Matthew 5:17 – I have not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it:
Origen (Commentary on Matthew): 'Jesus does not abolish Moses but brings the Law to its spiritual fullness.'
·
Matthew 7:24 – Wise man builds on rock:
Hilary of Poitiers (On Matthew): 'The rock is Christ and His teaching; whoever builds here cannot be moved.'
References and Further Reading
• Augustine, *On the Sermon on the Mount*: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/16011.htm
• Chrysostom, *Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew*: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2001.htm
• Origen, *Commentary on Matthew*: https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/origen.html
• Hilary of Poitiers, *On Matthew*: https://ccel.org/ccel/hilary/matthew
