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The Sermon on the Mount came early in the Galilean’s recorded ministry. He delivered it, we are told, shortly after he met John the Baptist, overcame the temptations, and chose his disciples. The message he delivered was new. One can almost see the shaking of heads among a crowd accustomed to ritualistic services performed by an exalted and unapproachable priesthood.

Here was a young man, in his thirties, simple in appearance but commanding in stature, laying out a strict moral code and teaching them not only how to pray, but where to pray, to whom, and for what. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t for money. Oh, and their righteousness had to outdo that of the priests. To be happy, one should be poor in spirit, meek, pacific, and so forth, every attribute so denigrated by many so-called Christians. And it would be best for you to keep that little light shining all the way. There must have been some squirming on that hillside.

 The exact location of the most famous sermon ever recorded remains unknown. One possible site is called the “The Mount of the Beatitudes.” A church sits there, known as "The Church of the Beatitudes.”

That’s a bit ironic for Americans. A church by that name wouldn’t attract a lot of members these days.