Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
This morning we are going to begin our deep dive into these twelve verses of the Sermon on the Mount that we call The Beatitudes.
And before we begin, I want to reiterate something that I said last week --- because I want to make sure that we are clear about this.
Jesus’ sermon --- which begins with these Beatitudes --- are meant for the HERE AND NOW
This is not some pie in the sky that God wishes that we might simply strive for --- but God really knows that it is beyond our grasp.
This is how God wants us to live --- NOW
It is here --- in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus tells us what being a follower of Jesus is all about.
if these words are not for us today --- then they are irrelevant and Jesus wasted his time in uttering them.
As I said last week --- I believe the Sermon on the Mount is the greatest moral document of all time.
As you read the Sermon on the Mount this week I imagine it made you rather uncomfortable.
I would go so far as it say that if it did not make you uncomfortable --- and I mean really uncomfortable --- then my guess is either you have attained perfection or you really didn't read it.
And I know NO-ONE that has attained perfection
In the Sermon on the Mount, the contrast between Jesus' vision for our life and our actual way of life as disciples is all too often revealed.
Friday night I attending the funeral of Frank Ricketts' mother Helen. It was two weeks to the day that we had gathered to remember his father Rev. Ronald Ricketts.
And what kept running through my head was:
"Blessed are those who mourn"
SERIOUSLY?
Yesterday, instead of attending the funeral of Bishop Mike Coyner, Nancy and I drove up to Munster so that I could officiate at the funeral of my best friend's mother-in-law who died earlier this week.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
Before we get there --- we need to look at that first Beatitude --- and it is equally tough:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Being poor in anything in our society is looked down upon
Who wants to be poor?
According to Emmet Fox, in his book: The Sermon On The Mount:
To be poor in spirit does not in the least mean the thing we call "poor spirited" nowadays. To be poor in spirit means to have emptied yourself of all desire to exercise personal self-will, and, what is just as important, to have renounced all preconceived opinions in the wholehearted search for God. It means to be willing to set aside your present habits of thought, your present views and prejudices, your present way of life if necessary; to jettison, in fact, anything and everything that can stand in the way of your finding God.
In other words, this person who is poor in spirit comprehends that they must be faithful in the midst of oppression
And they recognize the plight of other oppressed people
As we celebrate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King this weekend --- remember that it was the Sermon on the Mount that influenced his theology more than anything else
When one is poor in spirit, they love God enough to trust God
This love --- this trust in God helps them form alliances of hope, compassion and justice
The opposite of poor in spirit is the rich oppressor
We saw that clearly when we worked through the Book of James
Which was equally challenging
Do you see the contrast between the kingdom values of persons who put their trust in God and in the vision that most people have of the world?
The world values people who are self reliant and full of apparent greatness
great intellect
great pride
great possessions
great prestige
Emmet Fox goes on:
The poor in spirit suffer from none of these embarrassments [great possessions of intellect, pride, possessions and social prestige], either because they never had them, or because they have risen above them on the tide of spiritual understanding. They have got rid of the love of money and property, of fear of public opinion, and of the disapproval of relatives or friends. They are no longer overawed by human authority, however august. They are no longer cocksure in their own opinions. They have come to see that their most cherished beliefs may have been and probably were mistaken, and that all their ideas and views of life may be false and in need of recasting. They are ready to start again at the very beginning and learn life anew.
Kingdom people --- Jesus seems to suggest are those who put their trust in God and not in stuff.
Later in Matthew Jesus will tell us that the rich will struggle to enter the kingdom
Matthew 19:23-24 (The Message)
“Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Can you imagine me (or any pastor) beginning a funeral by saying:
Do you know how lucky you are!
You are so lucky that you are mourning because we can comfort you!
I just can't even imagine
Mourning is terrible
C.S. Lewis, when his wife Joy died described it as an amputation.
In his powerful little book: A Grief Observed Lewis said:
“Talk to me about the truth of religion and I'll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I'll listen submissively. But don't come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don't understand.”
Even C.S. Lewis came to understand the power of grief.
I think that we have this passage all wrong.
We need to ask ourselves --- what are these people that Jesus is referring to --- what is it that they are mourning over?
Is it loved ones?
Israel's exile and oppression?
The lack of love, people, holiness, and justice in the land?
Their own sins?
I think the context for this Beatitude is found in Isaiah 61
Isaiah 61:1-4 (NRSV)
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
They shall build up the ancient ruins,
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
These words were familiar to Jesus and clearly it suggests that the mourners are those who grieve over their exile (personal and Israel's)
They long for the restoration of Israel and the temple
For God to look favorably on Israel
Jesus seems to be promising that God will comfort them by satisfying their longing
And while I think that is the context of this passage --- and God wants us to mourn and seek God's kingdom --- I also believe that there is a message here for us who grieve the loss of a loved one
As I sat in the Lyndhurst Baptist Church the past two Friday nights and listened as Frank and his niece eulogized Ronald and Helen, I experienced this passage in a whole new way.
And I experienced it again; as I listened to Kevin eulogize his mother-in-law
When we pause and reflect on the impact that people make on our lives --- when we recognize the power and grace that they have had --- even though we mourn --- we feel great comfort.
I have shared this before --- but I am convinced --- that I would not still be a pastor if I had not experienced the death of my younger brother Stewart.
Not that he needed to die to bless me
But that in his death --- I was able to find and experience a blessing
And I hope and pray --- that the blessing that was given to me --- has been shared with you.
As Frank shared about his mother and father --- I realized how blessed he was --- and that in the midst of his great pain --- God was reminding him again of his presence and promise.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
While we were driving to Munster yesterday, we listened to the Podcast: Finding Fred
It is all about Fred Rogers' and his amazing neighborhood.
I am a little too old for Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, so I never really watched it --- but as I have been listening, I realize that we were blessed with an amazingly loving person, who saw the opportunity to be a blessing to others.
But in the episode we listened to, it was all about a young woman who was born with a terrible disease that Mr. Rogers befriended.
And if you need a GOOD cry, I highly recommend you listen --- but the part I want to share with you today is something that Mr. Rogers would often do when giving a speech.
He would ask people to "take a moment and think about someone who helped become who you are today --- someone who has helped you along the way.
Take a minute to honor those who have cared about you along the way."
So lets do that . . .
He ended the silence by saying:
"Whoever you are thinking about --- remember how grateful they must be that during this time you remembered how important they are to you."
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
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