There is a deeper life than the one you are living now. That is the life that God is calling you to live.

But how do we find this “deeper life”? The secret is found in the Sermon on the Mount, probably the most famous of all of Jesus’ teachings. Most people think that the Sermon on the Mount is the beatitudes.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” sounds lovely, but that’s where most people stop. Further on in the sermon, you hear things that present problems for Christian pastors and their theologies.

What does it really mean when Jesus says, “I did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them”? Or that “if you do not forgive others, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your sins”? How do we understand Jesus when he tells us that we will be judged according to the way we judge others? Or that spiritual practices such as giving, prayer, and fasting ought to be done in secret?Clearly, Jesus himself is at odds with much of Christian teaching and practice today. Churches tell us that Christianity is about us knowing Jesus, but Jesus says it is about him knowing us.

A Deeper Life takes a deep dive into the Sermon on the Mount to discover the powerful mysticism of Jesus, the profound intimacy he desires to have with us, and the inescapable nearness of God. James P.

Danaher, Ph. D.

is Professor Emeritus Nyack College, Alliance University. .