“The central point is this: Jesus’ entire approach in the Sermon on the Mount is not only ethical but messianic—i.e., christological and eschatological. Jesus is not an ordinary prophet who says, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ Rather, he speaks in the first person and claims that his teaching fulfills the OT; that he determines who enters the messianic kingdom; that as the Divine Judge he pronounces banishment; that the true heirs of the kingdom would be persecuted for their allegiance to him; and that he alone fully knows the will of his Father….Jesus’ authority is unique (see on 5:21-48), and the crowds recognized it even if they did not always understand it.”—D.A. Carson

“[I]t is important to note the radical Jesus-centeredness that undergirds this closing exhortation of the Sermon. Jesus does not say that the wise and foolish are distinguished according to how they obey God or practice Torah or follow the teachings of the elders. Rather…Jesus emphasizes that the wise and the foolish are distinguished on the basis of how they respond to his words.”—Jonathan Pennington