Attitudes towards the Beatitudes
Attitudes towards the Beatitudes

Epiphany 4, January 30, 2011@


Matthew 5:1-12
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when others 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 so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

What are your attitudes towards the Beatitudes? There are many things in the Bible which seem to go against what we see in our daily lives. I am not talking about miracles. If Jesus is Almighty God, then he can walk on water, heal the sick, die, rise again, forgive our sins and take us to heaven. I have no problems with that. I have faith in Jesus as my Savior, and so I do not worry about those things. But today I read the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount, and some of what Jesus says seems to be different than what I see in the world around me. For example, usually it is not considered good and blessed to be poor?whether in spirit or cash, or to be hungry and unfulfilled. It is sad to mourn or to be persecuted. And the world looks down on the meek, the gentle, and the merciful. Peacemakers may get Nobel Peace Prizes, but often they are thought of just as trouble makers in society. Usually:

  • The meek do not inherit the earth, rather they become the economic slaves of the powerful.
  • The meek and mild are bullied and harassed.
  • Those who hunger die of starvation and disease in poverty.
  • Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and justice are killed by police brutality or by the riot police.
  • The pure in heart are naive and are taken advantage of without them seeing their hopes.
  • The merciful are seen as weak fools.
  • The peacemakers are called traitors and cowards.
  • And Christians are persecuted and not respected on this earth.

    Maybe I am too pessimistic. Maybe Jesus was saying that all these blessings are for the future of life in heaven. Maybe the rewards will ultimately be in the Kingdom of Heaven, but Jesus says we are blessed right now. If Jesus is talking about how Christians are supposed to live, we may wonder whether following Jesus is a blessing or a curse. Christians are supposed to be happy and rejoice in the Lord. Are we supposed to overlook reality? Are we supposed to double think? Are we supposed to look at grief and call it fun, or see strife and call it peace, or see persecution and call it a game?

    What was Jesus talking about on the Sermon on the Mount? He was talking about a radical change in the world. We will be looking at this for the next couple of weeks. Jesus said that the ways of this world are not the ways of God. And therefore also not the ways of those people who believe in God. We are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt. 5:13, 14). The power to live according to the Sermon on the Mount comes from another mountain, the mountain of crucifixion.

    When Jesus rose from the grave, he showed that the things of this world were beginning to reverse. He showed that what looked like failure was really success. His death on the cross was the way to life. His persecution led to his praise and worship. He showed mercy in forgiving our sin. His hunger and thirst for our righteousness meant that we are forgiven completely. We are forgiven and pure in heart, so we do see God, we see that Jesus is divine, we see the Holy Spirit in our lives. Jesus gives us a new way to look at life, a new way to evaluate life.

    As we live and experience the things of this world, there are times of sadness and pain. But Jesus gives us hope. He is with us in those times. He gives us strength. It is the strength that he had when he suffered for us. And therefore there is the blessed hope of comfort and salvation.

    The Sermon on the Mount becomes a vision for the life of a Christian. We hope to live as Jesus did. We are not controlled by the usual way of business of this world. Jesus told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world." His kingdom is not like the ways of this world. Neither are our Christian ways like the ways of this world. Because Jesus was meek and merciful and poor, it is no shame for us to be the same. In fact, because Jesus was like that, we learn that that is the way to be a true peacemaker. It makes us hunger and thirst for righteousness, because like food, without justice we cannot survive. Perhaps the best proof that we are living the correct Christian life is when we are persecuted and slandered.

    In this Okinawa Lutheran Church, there are some tough Marines. Semper fi, do or die. How do they react to the words of Jesus? But some of the strongest Christians I have ever met have been the military men and women of this congregation who have lived as Jesus taught. They have been peacemakers. They have been blessed.

    What are your attitudes towards the Beatitudes? I see these words as the blessings of believing in Jesus as my Savior. I pray you do, too.

    Amen.

    Michael Nearhood, Pastor
    Okinawa Lutheran Church     /p>

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