The Sermon on the Mount is the first lengthy discourse of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. This sermon, delivered to the disciples and the accompanying crowd, was/is foundational for what it means to follow Jesus.

When it was originally delivered it painted a picture of how Jesus' followers might deal with things like Roman oppression and persecution, lack of food and resources, being a religious minority, sacrificial offerings and other distinctly unique situations that first-century Christians might find themselves in.

Modern Christians are obligated to apply the principles that Jesus delivered in the Sermon on the Mount to comparable situations that we might find ourselves in.

One of the distinctly unique opportunities to apply the Sermon on the Mount is in the use of social media. It's been said that "Facebook is not the real world!", and while I agree with the sentiment, our behavior on social media does have real world repercussions. While "Facebook is not the real world", real jobs, real relationships and real policies have been impacted by social media.

As followers of Jesus who use social media, here are some ways that we can apply the principles of the Sermon on the Mount:

"Blessed are the Peacemakers." (Mt. 5.9)
Social media can be a tool for division or a tool for reconciliation. Christians are identified as having a "ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5.18) and that applies to our use of social media. However, being a peacemaker online does not mean that we cannot engage in difficult and intense dialogue, but that when we do we are seeking to reconcile people to Jesus and to one another, not win an argument and berate other people. Our desire to be peacemakers is often revealed in the tone and motives of our online discourse.

"Blessed are you when people Persecute you." (Mt. 5.10-12)
It's important to be able to distinguish between online disagreement and genuine persecution. People will not always agree with us and at times may even be harsh or rude, but that doesn't mean that they are persecuting us for the sake of Christ. If we are easily offended and interpret all offenses as persecution we might dismiss some helpful insight or feedback from those that we're interacting with. In any event, even when we legitimately face persecution our responsibility is to rejoice (Mt. 5.12).

"You are the Salt of the Earth." (Mt. 5.13-16)
Sometimes Christians try to avoid conflict on social media by posting nothing of substance and avoiding important conversations. Disengaging is not an option for those that Jesus called "salt and light".
While Christians need not feel obligated to comment on every single cultural issue that comes up on social media, neither should we only share pictures of cats. :-)

"Anyone who says 'you fool' will be in danger of the fires of Hell." (Mt. 5.22)
You're going to want to avoid "murdering" someone on Social Media. By that I mean, don't get into insults and name calling. It's petty and childish and in no way honors Christ. For some reason people get bold behind a keyboard. Use that boldness to honor God, not to dishonor people who are created in His image.
In fact, it's helpful to simply determine that you will not have any enemies, whether online or in general. When you view others as brothers, sisters or at least neighbors it impacts how you treat them.

"Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery." (Mt. 5.28)
It's likely that maintaining sexual purity is even more difficult in our context than in the context of the early church. Plenty of people intentionally share content with the intent to provoke lust. You have the ability to unfriend, unfollow or ignore this content. We must not linger and we certainly cannot act on inappropriate content that we encounter online. You may think that there is no harm in looking but your primary sexual organ is your brain. The chain reaction that begins when your mind is stimulated in this way is difficult to stop without the help of Jesus. It's wise to avoid any unnecessary sexual stimulation. Of course, this applies to both men and women.

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed." (Mt. 6.1)
"What's that? You weren't there to witness my good deed? Well, here's a picture of it for you to officially "Like", thus triggering an algorithm so that more people can see my good deed and also like it." :-)
It's ok to share pictures and stories of ministry that you've engaged in, you just want to make sure that Jesus is the "hero" in the pictures and stories. Sometimes it's wise to post pictures of a team of people, rather than just yourself. Or consider using the post to thank those that made the ministry possible. Perhaps use it to ask for prayer. Don't use it to violate the dignity of those receiving ministry.

"Do not judge." (Mt. 7.1)
It's all too easy to make a broad evaluation or assessment of a person based on one singular post. Don't forget that the person behind that post is just that, A PERSON. They've said more than what you've read in that tweet and they've done more than what you see in that picture. All of it has a context and if you need to know more of the story ask questions, don't post conclusion, accusations or judgements.

"Beware of false prophets." (Mt. 7.15)‎
Did you know that anyone can have their own social media account and that not all of them are qualified to teach the Bible? :-)
Just because you read it on Facebook or watched it on Youtube doesn't make it true. You're going to have to develop some good research habits to confirm ideas that come your way. Rely on trustworthy resources to vet information. And for goodness sakes, don't help the false prophets by re-posting and sharing their nonsense!

There's plenty more to be said about how the Sermon on the Mount should shape how we interact with social media. Which of these principles was most helpful to you? Which portions of the Sermon on the Mount, not mentioned here, do you see as also applicable?