St. George's Episcopal Church |
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Micah 6:1-8
Psalm 15:1-5
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Matthew 5:1-12
From the Revised Common Lectionary as Adapted for Use by the Episcopal Church
and Authorized by the 74th General Convention of the ECUSA
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." (Matthew 5:1-12)
Blessed Are Those Who Love
The Rev. Dr. Bill Stroop, Rector
Last week, Pastor Ray eloquently described Jesus' calling of the first four Apostles, Simon-Peter, Andrew, James and John. It is clear from Matthew's gospel that Jesus is a man with a singular task in mind – to teach and preach about God's way of doing things. And Matthew will show what that kingdom is about through the stories of their ministry together.
But right now, all we know about Jesus and the beginning of his ministry is that the first disciples left what they were doing to follow Jesus, who really hadn't said anything yet about the task at hand. What was it about Jesus that led these men to leave their kin, their work, and assume a task with no clear job description?
Somewhere in your past, I imagine you experienced an especially compelling teacher. You walked into a classroom on that first day, and took a seat. Maybe there were a few Andrews and Peters around you – people you knew. But chances are you felt a little uncomfortable being in that room mostly full of strangers. Perhaps you thought they were all smarter than you. You probably knew something about the class and what you'd learn, but truth be told, you really didn't know the particulars, or how hard the material would really be, or how tough this particular instructor was.
Perhaps you heard about his reputation for exactitude, and that had you a little scared. But then, the course began, and within a short while you found yourself somehow captivated by your teacher. Was it what she said, or how she looked? Was it his charismatic confidence? Did she look you in the eye, and make you feel special?
I suspect that something like that happened with the disciples as they heard or watched Jesus. There must have been something so incredibly charismatic about Jesus that they found themselves caught up in Jesus' net as he prepared them to become fishers of people.
And like any good teacher, Jesus told his students what he considered important. The Beatitudes are among the most beloved teachings of Jesus. One scholar called the Beatitudes "The Ordination Address to the Twelve." Other titles have been given to the sermon, such as "The Compendium of Christ's Doctrine," "The Magna Charta of the Kingdom," and "The Manifesto of the King."[1]
Like so many of the sayings of Jesus, it is hard to discern how much came from Jesus' lips. Most scholars believe that the blessings to the poor, the grieving, and the hungry were Jesus' own. The four commendations of the meek, the merciful, those with undefiled hearts, and those who work for justice are probably not unique to Jesus, but were common and important virtues of living in community. They offer reward for virtue rather than relief from distress, and Matthew simply added well known and widely accepted sayings about how to live to Jesus' own teachings.[2]So, original ideas and time-tested concepts are presented together, with new and compelling insights to stimulate thought and motivate action.
Matthew's gospel is a teaching gospel. Matthew collected Jesus' teaching and put it together in one whole pattern, and the Sermon on the Mount is the summary of that teaching.[3] It contains an oracle of deep and important Truth.
The Beatitudes are often cited as showing that certain groups are held in special favor by God:
Blessed are the poor;
Blessed are the mournful;
Blessed are the hungry.
Central to these three sayings – and perhaps to all of the others as well – is that there is no implied cause for the distress. Matthew does not tell us that Jesus said, "Blessed are those who had food, and are now hungry;" or "Blessed are those who were born into abject poverty and will always be hungry or poor." Jesus simply says that if we are lacking – no matter how we got there – God will also be right with us, providing God's blessing. The epiphany light, that splendid incarnation of God, will penetrate into the darkness of our despair. And therein lies our hope.
The entire gospel message is one of hope. God will reach into the lives of the sick and the outcast, and restore them to community. The death and resurrection of Jesus tells us that God's love for us is so great that not even death can separate us from the love of God.
Sometimes it is hard to find hope in the midst of tragedy, grief, loneliness, or poverty. I imagine that many thousands in
Perhaps it is the contrast between hopelessness and hope that allows the poor, the homeless, and the hungry to recognize a blessing that the more fortunate might just overlook.
One afternoon, Tony Campolo, the famous Baptist preacher, was walking down Chestnut Street in Philadelphia.[4] I used to live and work in Philly, and I know this street well. In the early 1980's, when I lived there, Chestnut and Walnut streets were where some notable street people lived. As Tony walked, he noticed a homeless man walking toward him. He was covered with street grime and soot from head to toe. He had a nearly waste long beard festooned with rotten food. He was slurping coffee from a Styrofoam cup. As the man staggered toward Tony he suddenly looked up and said, "Hey mister! Ya wanna sip o' my coffee?"
Tony was stunned. He really didn't want any. But, and as Tony put it, he knew that the right thing to do was to accept the man's generosity. He took a sip and as he handed the cup back to the man he said, "You're pretty generous, aren't you, giving away your coffee? What's gotten into you that you're so generous?" The old man said, "Well the coffee was pretty good today. I figure if God gives you something good, you ought to share it with people!"
Tony was sure he was being set up. He figured the next words out of the man's mouth would be a pitch for five bucks. So Tony asked, "I suppose there's something I can do for you, isn't there?" The homeless man replied, "Yeah there is! You can give me a hug!" (Tony said that to tell the truth, he was hoping for the five dollar pitch.)
The homeless man put his arms around Tony. Tony suddenly realized that the man wasn't going to let go. People were staring at Tony, who was dressed in suit and tie, hugging this dirty, filthy, smelly, homeless man. Tony was embarrassed! But little by little, he began to experience reverence. He heard a voice echoing down the corridors of time, "I was hungry; did you feed me; I was sick, did you visit me; I was the homeless man on Chestnut Street, did you hug me?"
Tony's thankfulness to the homeless man's offer of his coffee, and the man's thankfulness at Tony's willingness to accept his gift together created a whole new situation, and everyone was blessed. Tony and the homeless man were blessed, and you are blessed in the hearing of this story.
The homeless man felt in his heart that the good coffee was a gift from his creator. It was an unexpected blessing – a gift from God, and his gratitude to God was infectious. He needed to share his blessing, and Tony just happened by. Tony's willingness to overcome his initial reluctance gave rise to feelings of reverence. Tony was touched by a blessing recognized and received. And so the ripple of blessing grew.
Everyday life for many of us – and for so many in the world – is a struggle. Many are "poor in spirit" and feel disconnected from God or that their lives are out of control. Many are "mourning" losses of loved ones, and others mourn callous, selfish behavior that erupts in bedrooms and boardrooms, back alleys and battlefields. We all have weaknesses of one form or another that can make us feel hungry. And there are plenty of people in the world who suffer from real nutritional hunger perhaps due in part to oppressive economic systems we support through our consumerism. Everyday is a struggle.
But the beatitudes provide hope and promise through contrasts that are simply counterintuitive. "Blessed are the meek for they will inherit." How will the meek inherit? Won't they always be held in their meekness by the powerful? But that is the nature of the Gospel: to make the unexpected happen. There will be an unexpected twist in the story with a turn toward blessing and grace.
God is writing a surprise ending to the story, and we are all invited to play a part by doing what we can to live by the values of the kingdom of God. Blessings come into our lives all the time. Be prepared to act upon them when they come. Blessed are they who love God and love their neighbors as themselves.
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Hear what the LORD says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with
1 O LORD, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy hill?
2 Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
and speak the truth from their heart;
3 who do not slander with their tongue,
and do no evil to their friends,
nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
4 in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
but who honor those who fear the LORD;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
5 who do not lend money at interest,
and do not take a bribe against the innocent.
Those who do these things shall never be moved.
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
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."