Nothing Easy

Here are some thoughts about this coming Sunday's gospel. I'd love to know what strikes you. What message is God speaking to your heart. This was shared with the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church.

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

1When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

There is nothing easy about the teachings in the beatitudes. Rejoicing and being glad when we are persecuted and lied about? The bar seems to be raised too high. How can we possibly attain it? Of course, Jesus wasn’t talking to everyone, but to his disciples and weren’t they really spectacular, saintly people? Just read on in scripture and you will find that isn’t the case.

One way to understand the beatitudes is that the poor, the mourners, the meek outsiders who are forgotten by many are brought into the reign of God. God seeks and saves those others ignore.

The Lutheran Study Bible has some excellent notes to help us get a handle on this difficult text. A study Bible like this can be extremely helpful as we try to understand scripture.

Some of the notes I especially appreciated are these, “Jesus now declares people blessed in light of God’s coming rule. The Beatitudes create what they declare. Jesus makes the new world of God’s rule actual now in this broken world. Yet it also remains a promised future.” Here we see the now and the not yet of the kingdom of God.

I especially like the note on how Luther understands God’s spoken word. “Luther understood God’s spoken word as creative power, not information. When God speaks, God’s word creates what it declares. God’s word called the universe and everything in it into existence. The beatitudes create reality. Matthew 5:3-12”

Just as God rescued those in need, praised peacemakers among others, God comes down and daily rescues us. God meets us where we are, desiring to draw us into a closer relationship with God. Let us allow God’s creative, dynamic power to work in our lives, making us into what God has called us to be. 

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