(nb: with help from workingpreacher.org)
The Beatitudes – the collection of pithy saying in today’s Gospel lesson – are probably among the best-know words of Jesus. They’re read at funerals, they’re quoted by notable people all over the world.; in fact, they’re widely regarded as some of the most moral teachings in Christianity.
But if they’re the best that Christianity has to offer the world, both the world and our faith may be in deep trouble.
Most people – both inside the faith and outside of it - have pre-conceived ideas of what they are about, or have a pronounced scepticism about their ability to convey any meaning beyond what they apparently say.
The beatitudes are pervasive in popular culture, from politics to pop psychology. The spirit and religion message board on "Oprah.com" – and please, just don’t ask how I know this - suggests that it might be enlightening "if we could each of us look within ourselves" and "pick one [beatitude] that showed us who we believed ourselves to be." If we look carefully at Jesus' words, however, we find that they are much more than moral platitudes or mottos to live by.
They turn our lives, our world, and our way of understanding both upside down.
Jesus takes what is ‘known’ about our world – that some people are more blessed than others, that others naturally have more than others (of any quality), and gives us a peek at the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” But who are the poor in spirit? It can be pretty easy to point out the poor in spirit – usually, we have an image of these people as little shabby huddled masses, But let me ask you this: have you ever asked God, why? Have you ever been so offended at some ignorant platitude that someone’s offered you?
Your life is in shambles, you say? “It’s all part of God’s plan” is the answer that completely misses the point. It’s an empty answer, it doesn’t mean anything, but the person who says it can feel wise, and spiritually richer than you.
Have you ever just sat back, looked up at the sky, and howled at God? Wanted to call God to account for the all general messiness of life, because the joke just isn’t funny anymore? Welcome to “the poor in spirit.” Because the point of the matter is that we can never, by our own will, or desire, or work, create enough faith in God to keep ourselves believing. Faith itself is a gift of God, and because of that gift, yours is the kingdom of heaven.
The beatitudes – and the Sermon on the Mount, which they begin, are at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The apostles have just been called; they’ve become the ‘fishers of people’ that Jesus promised they would be.
They’re called to a very particular kind of life – a life lived for the
So Jesus has called the apostles, and he’s shown them what this new kind of fishing is, by preaching the good news of the kingdom of heaven to people and manifesting its power by healing every kind of disease and affliction in the last part of chapter 4. Jesus shows the disciples that the presence of this kingdom of heaven liberates. Then, Jesus climbs a mountain with the crowd he has so excited and sits down in the posture of a teacher encircled by his newly-called disciples. They are the primary targets of his instruction in the principles of life in the kingdom of heaven.
And as Jesus begins to speak, a new picture of life comes out. The kingdom life isn’t about good feelings and right answers. It’s a speech given to the unfortunate, about unfortunate things. But more than anything, it’s a speech about life.
The beatitudes open with an affirmative statement – “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” But after that, for the next few lines Jesus uses the future tense.
“’Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” People in Jesus’ day were just as quick to listen to someone who promised to take all pain away. But mourning is a part of life – if we didn’t love, losing someone wouldn’t hurt so much. But the promise of the kingdom life is that we will find comfort through Jesus, in this life, and also in the life to come. Jesus doesn’t promise to become an insulating woolly blanket from this life – he promises to be our salvation at the end.
After listing the beatitudes, Jesus says, "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account". The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who suffer because of their faithfulness to Jesus. Jesus’ words stand in opposition to the dominant cultural ethic of both his time and ours – that the rich and powerful are better than anyone. Jesus says that no-one is better than anyone, but that some people are closer to understanding.
But Jesus is also calling those people he was teaching – then and now - to follow his own way, since he himself will suffer for his faithfulness to God, trusting that God will vindicate him.
The promise of future vindication does not mean, however, that the focus is entirely future. Jesus insists that God has the final word, bringing assurance into the present. This is why he can say, "Blessed are those who mourn...blessed are the meek...blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...blessed are the merciful...blessed are the pure in heart...blessed are the peacemakers." Jesus gives his followers eyes to see that the future is certain and this transforms the present.
That’s the problem with the beatitudes, why I said that if they are the best moral statements Christianity has to offer we’re in trouble. Because as moral statements they don’t do anything. The beatitudes become so clichéd because we don’t live like they’re true.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian community that the power of the cross is the foolishness of God, and that God chose what is foolish in this world to shame the wise. What does he mean?
The message of the beatitudes make no sense unless they are seen through the lens of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ – because only the one who has understood all suffering can promise that it will come to an end – and not just at the end of life.
The wisdom of this world that Paul speaks of – we’re steeped in that. It’s the wisdom that tells us that we should look out for ourselves first, and then share what resources we can with those around us. Wisdom tells us that there’s a cause for everything, and an effect that stems from that. But the gospel of Christ isn’t ‘cause and effect’ – it’s action and response.
Those who are peacemakers are blessed; because they will be called children of God. Jesus doesn’t say, “because of their good work, the peacemakers will be renowned as my God’s children.” That’s cause and effect. The gospel of Christ is love in action and love in response.
And that’s a very foolish way to live, beloved. Because it leaves you vulnerable to all kinds of general nastiness and disdain – and wisdom hates the weak. In 2005 when members of a Christian Peacemaker Team were kidnapped in
The world’s wisdom is – to quote Randy Bachman – to keep looking out for number one. To venerate the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I. That’s not the wisdom of God – the wisdom of God is found in a community that dies to itself and lives for the gospel.
Jesus calls us to join a radical kingdom. He gives us a radical vision to match, that the kingdom of heaven infiltrates our present. We can continue fishing for people, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom at great cost to ourselves, opposing oppressive powers in the name of Christ. We can suffer for the sake of Jesus and the gospel, with the assurance that God has the last word. When we see people receiving the word of God, and finding healing and freedom in Jesus' name we can announce, "the kingdom of heaven has drawn near."
Let the people of God say, amen.
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