“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17, NIV). In one of his most famous recorded sermons, Jesus attempts provide clarity on the meaning of moral law and encourage listeners to change their perception of God’s kingdom and righteousness.  

Leading up to this sermon, Jesus preached throughout the Middle East and crowds began to follow him – an audience of rich and poor, natives to the land and foreign roman soldiers, Jews and gentiles. Jesus led the crowds up to a mountainside near Capernaum, where over the course of several days he delivered his sermons now collectively referred to as “The Sermon on the Mount.” The first part of these sermons consisted of the beatitudes, a code of ethics for how to be, in contrast the old law’s commandments of what not to do, two parables on how one should apply these beatitudes, and then examples of a deeper interpretation of the old law.  

None of these sermon’s claims would still be so prevalent in modern society were it not for Jesus’ strong appeals to ethos and logos. First, Jesus relies on his established credibility from interacting with the lowly people throughout the surrounding territories. By this time, word spread of his Jesus’ of unconventional teaching and healing, causing interest in his message. Additionally, Jesus’ references to Jewish law throughout his sermons help his message resonate with his mostly Jewish audience. The sermon’s setting of the mount also plays a role, as in Jewish society and history mountains were associated with a closeness to God, which further enhances the audience’s reception of a sermon on God’s will.  

Furthermore, Jesus uses metaphors and repetitive examples to construct logical arguments for his message. He compares his followers to “The salt of the Earth” (Matthew 5:13, NIV), and describes that salt becomes useless should it lose its saltiness. Salt was a very significant part of ancient society, as it was used both to flavor food but also as the only method of preservation. With this metaphor, Jesus provides his followers with a way to understand that he is calling them to preserve goodness in the world while also “flavoring,” or spreading goodness, to the world around them. Clearly this proved to be effective rhetoric in persuading Jesus’ followers to spread his message throughout the world.  

Similarly, towards the end of this section of the sermon, Jesus constructs repetitive arguments to emphasize his interpretation of the true meaning of the old moral law. Five times Jesus gives an example of a commandment, such as “Do not murder” or “Do not commit adultery,” and then provides a deeper interpretation of the commandment: do not look upon another with anger or lust, respectfully. In this way, Jesus creates the context for his listeners to logically extract the principle that the principles of moral law should be followed not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.  

Overall, Jesus’ rhetorical techniques make this section of the Sermon on the Mount very persuasive. He speaks in a manner that connected to people of Middle Eastern society 2000 years ago, yet still connects to readers of his sermon today. As a Christian, I also consider the passage to be informative in providing the true way to navigate life, since Jesus is very clear in his description of how to live a life that honors God, however one’s belief in the informative aspect of the rhetoric largely depends on one’s belief in the divinity of Jesus.