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says the critic, "the narrative is contradictory, one says a mountain, the other a plain".
Others, to avoid the difficulty, say (and with truth), that the Lord could have repeated His
teaching again elsewhere. The whole controversy is dispelled by looking at the original,
and using simple common sense. First as to the mountain, Matt. 5: 1 says:--
"And seeing the multitude, He went up into a mountain, and when He was set, His
disciples came unto Him."
Luke 6: 12 says:--
"And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and
continued all night in prayer to God and when it was day He called unto Him His
disciples, and of them He chose twelve, whom He also named apostles."
This passage supplements Matthew's record. Matthew evidently had no reason to say
why the Lord went up the mountain, except that it was because of the multitude. The
multitudes which followed Him were from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and
beyond Jordan, according to Matthew; they were from all Judea, Jerusalem, the sea, and
coast of Tyre and Sidon according to Luke. Both records are true, each gives his own
account which does not contradict, but complements the other.
Now as to the plain. The actual words are este epi topou pedinou, which rendered
literally are, "He on a level place". These words are only another way of saying, "and
when He was set"; no one could address a company of people upon the oblique slopes of
a mountain side, but coming down a little way until He reached "a level place" such as is
often to be found at any height, He could then address them comfortably. The
contradiction therefore vanishes, as does the need for two separate occasions when the
actual facts are considered. Both Matthew and Luke record the entrance of the Lord,
after this "Sermon on the Mount", into Capernaum. Matthew adds the miracle of the
leper, and both record the miracle of the centurion's servant. What Matthew speaks of as
being simply the words of the centurion without mediators, Luke explains in fuller detail.
The reason why the centurion spoke of his unworthiness appears in Luke's account,
because there it is recorded that the elders of the Jews had said that he was worthy for
whom He should do this.
In verse 3 of Luke 7: the word "sent" is apostellö = sent away, the sender remaining
behind. In verse 6 it is pempõ = to send with. The word "saying" (legon) indicates that
the centurion is personally present and speaking to the Lord. It seems more reasonable
that we should have the variations of one event, than that on two separate occasions the
Lord utter a similar lengthy address, then enter Capernaum, then be asked to heal the
centurion's servant, be answered in exactly the same way, and marvel for the second time
at the great faith evidenced. Then as to the calling of the twelve, Luke 6: 13-16
positively states that after that night of prayer the Lord chose the twelve, whereas
Matt. 10: 1 says that He called unto Him the twelve disciples without stating when He had
chosen them. The only reason why these two passages should have been confounded, is
the fact that the names of the twelve are given at length.