updated September 2026
Matthew records Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7. Luke records a shorter but strikingly similar sermon in Luke 6:20–49, commonly called the Sermon on the Plain.
Are Matthew and Luke describing the same occasion? Or did Jesus give similar sermons at different times?
The Gospel writers do not give us enough information to answer with certainty. The settings differ, but the sermons share the same basic structure and much of the same teaching.
Whether they record one event or two, both accounts draw from the same body of teaching by Jesus.
Settings are Different
Matthew introduces the sermon this way:
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them.—Matthew 5:1–2 ESV
Luke says Jesus went up the mountain to pray, chose the Twelve, and then came down:
And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people.
—Luke 6:17 ESV
In Matthew, Jesus goes up on a mountain, sits down, and teaches. In Luke, Jesus first spends the night on a mountain, chooses the Twelve, comes down, and stands on a level place.
The Greek phrase translated “level place” is topos pedinos. The adjective pedinos means level or flat. Luke could be describing a level area somewhere on the mountainside, so the geography does not necessarily prove that these are different occasions. But we should not dismiss the difference: Matthew depicts Jesus going up, while Luke depicts him coming down.
Audiences are Similar
Both accounts describe Jesus teaching in the presence of his disciples and a much larger crowd.
Matthew 4:23–25 reports that great crowds followed Jesus from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. Jesus sees those crowds before going up the mountain. His disciples come to him, but at the end of the sermon Matthew says that “the crowds were astonished at his teaching” (Matthew 7:28).
Luke is more explicit. Jesus stands before a great crowd of disciples and a multitude from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon. He then looks toward his disciples and begins to speak (Luke 6:17–20).
In both accounts, Jesus teaches his disciples while a larger crowd listens.
They would argue that Jesus gave this sermon many times, the way a politician gives a campaign speech or a conference speaker repeats a motivational speech. He may not repeat it word for word each time, but he teaches the same ideas in various settings to various different crowds.
Same Basic Shape
Both sermons:
- Begin with blessings pronounced on people who appear disadvantaged now.
- Command Jesus’ followers to love their enemies.
- Warn against hypocritically judging others.
- Teach that a person’s actions reveal what is in the heart.
- Warn that calling Jesus “Lord” is not enough.
- End with the illustration of building a house on a secure foundation.
The similarities are too extensive to be accidental. Matthew and Luke are preserving the same central teaching of Jesus.
But the sermons are not identical.
Matthew’s sermon is much longer. It fills three chapters, while Luke’s version occupies thirty verses.
Matthew includes material that does not appear in Luke’s sermon, including:
- Salt and light.
- Jesus’ relationship to the Law and the Prophets.
- Teaching about anger, lust, divorce, oaths, and retaliation.
- Giving, prayer, and fasting.
- The Lord’s Prayer.
- Treasure in heaven.
- Anxiety about food and clothing.
- Asking, seeking, and knocking.
- The narrow gate.
Luke includes four blessings followed by four corresponding woes. Matthew records more blessings but no corresponding woes in this sermon.
The wording also differs. Matthew says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” while Luke says, “Blessed are you who are poor.” Matthew says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” while Luke says, “Blessed are you who are hungry now.”
These differences deserve attention. Luke is not merely an abbreviated transcript of Matthew.
Did Jesus Repeat His Sermons?
Jesus traveled throughout Galilee teaching large crowds. Like any traveling teacher, he probably repeated his central teachings many times, adapting their wording and length to different audiences. One possibility is that Matthew and Luke describe two different occasions.
Under this view, the similarities exist because Jesus taught the same truths on multiple occasions. The differences exist because these were separate sermons.
Another possibility is that Matthew and Luke describe the same occasion but organize and summarize it differently. Ancient writers were not producing word-for-word transcripts. Each Gospel writer selected and arranged genuine teachings from Jesus to emphasize particular themes.
Matthew frequently groups Jesus’ teaching into large discourses. Luke often places similar sayings in different settings throughout his Gospel. Both writers may therefore preserve the same historical occasion while presenting its material differently.
A third possibility is that “the Sermon on the Mount” and “the Sermon on the Plain” are not complete transcripts of a single speech. They may be carefully arranged summaries of teachings Jesus gave repeatedly during his ministry.
The available evidence does not let us choose among these possibilities with certainty.
General Outline of Both
- Matthew 5:1-16; Luke 6:20-26 - The Beatitudes, attributes of those who will receive eternal life.
- Matthew 5:17-48; Luke 6:27-38 - A vision of righteousness, in contrast to the Pharisees.
- Matthew 6:1-7:14; Luke 6:39-42 - Avoid the self-deception of the Pharisees.
- Matthew 7:15-29; Luke 6:43-49 - It’s not enough to claim to believe, you must live out your beliefs.
Sermon on the Mount & Sermon on the Plain Comparison
Audience: Luke 6:17-19; Matthew 4:23-25
Introduction: Luke 6:20; Matthew 5:1-2
Beatitudes: Luke 6:20-26; Matthew 5:3-12
Love of enemy: Luke 6:27-36; Matthew 5:38-47
Golden Rule: Luke 6:31; Matthew 7:12
Judge not: Luke 6:37-38; Matthew 7:1-2
The blind guide: Luke 6:39; *Matthew 15:14
Teacher & disciple: Luke 6:40; *Matthew 10:24
Speck & log: Luke 6:41-42; Matthew 7:3-5
Tree and its fruit: Luke 6:43-45; Matthew 7:16-20
Lord, Lord: Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21
House on the rock: Luke 6:47-49; Matthew 7:24-27
*The sayings about blind guides and teachers and disciples do not appear in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. Matthew records them elsewhere.
What Can We Conclude?
We cannot prove whether Matthew and Luke record the same sermon or two occasions on which Jesus taught similar material. Fortunately, we do not need to settle that question before interpreting either account.
Matthew and Luke clearly preserve the same central teaching. They can help us understand each other, but we should also respect the distinctive presentation of each Gospel.
Read together, the two sermons give us a fuller picture of Jesus’ teaching.
Read separately, each sermon makes its own carefully arranged argument.
Series: Matthew’s Gospel 1-7: Behold the King! Part 1
Resources: Gospel of Matthew
Resources: Gospel of Luke
Photo by Claudel Rheault on Unsplash
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