Have Christians been getting Jesus’ most famous sermon wrong for 2,000 years?

Get RNS’ thoughtful, essential religion reporting every morning. Sign up for free!

Bestselling author Andrew Farley challenges centuries of Christian teaching

In a provocative new book from Zondervan (Harper Collins), bestselling author Andrew Farley argues that Jesus deliberately gave commands nobody could obey, and churches have spent centuries teaching Christians to try anyway.

DALLAS  — Cut off your hand. Pluck out your eye. Love your enemies. Give money to anyone who asks. Never worry about tomorrow. Be as perfect as God Himself.

These are among the most shocking commands in Jesus’ most famous sermon, and Christians have spent centuries trying to live up to them.

But what if Jesus never intended anyone to succeed?

What if churches have spent centuries teaching millions of people to accomplish something Jesus deliberately made impossible?

In his provocative new book, The Impossible Teachings of Jesus: You Can’t Obey the Sermon on the Mount, and That’s Good News (Zondervan, November 10, 2026), bestselling author and pastor Dr. Andrew Farley makes a startling claim: Churches have spent centuries teaching Christians to do precisely what Jesus intended to…