Category: New Testament

In light of the argumentative structure of the Sermon on the Mount and the progressive revelation of divine righteousness, it is possible to identify the pedagogical principles that lead the hearer to recognize the impossibility of human righteousness and the necessity of a righteousness that proceeds exclusively from God.

The rich young ruler represents the man who, although religious and zealous, refused to submit fully to the lordship of Christ because he remained attached to that which constituted his security and identity. His rejection reveals that where a man’s heart is, there his treasure is also, and this determines his willingness to obey and, consequently, to enter the kingdom of God.