Free Study Guide IncludedMatthew: A Friends Illuminated Commentary
The Sermon on the Mount, the Great Commission, and the parables of the Kingdom — the Gospel most cited in early Quaker preaching, whose ethical demands and vision of inward righteousness shaped the Quaker way of life.
- 28 chapters · ~85,000 words
- EPUB + Study Guide
About This Edition
The Sermon on the Mount was the ethical charter of early Quakerism. George Fox preached it as a literal program: blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the peacemakers, let your yes be yes and your no be no, love your enemies. These were not counsels of perfection for a spiritual elite but commands for all who followed Christ. The Quaker refusal to swear oaths, the peace testimony, the commitment to plain speech, the care for the poor — all flow directly from Matthew 5–7. This commentary traces that lineage in careful detail, showing how each section of the Sermon shaped Quaker practice and theology.
The commentary also engages with the parables (many of which appear in Matthew), the controversies with the Pharisees, and the extended eschatological discourse of Matthew 24–25. Early Friends read these passages as describing not merely future events but present spiritual realities: the separation of sheep from goats happening continuously in the conscience of every person, the judgment of nations beginning now in the lives of those who feed the hungry and welcome the stranger. The free Group Study Guide provides structured questions for each section of the commentary.