Blesseds
Here are some thoughts on this coming Sunday's gospel.
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then 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. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Initially, doesn’t this sound like a bit of moralistic clap-trap, “pie in the sky in the sweet by and by?” Sundaysandseasons.com gives an explanatory sentence of the Beatitudes, “Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount by naming those who are blessed in the reign of God.” That helps, but let’s take a look at this passage from a slightly different angle.
First, we tend to look at the reign of God in a one dimensional sense–the future in heaven. However, there is a now, but not yet perspective we need to keep in mind. The kingdom of heaven, the reign of God, is wherever and whenever the king is. That king is Jesus. We are living in the reign of God right now with King Jesus living in our hearts and in all the people of God gathered and individual. Of course, there is future peace as well because Jesus is here with us, in us and simultaneously with the Father in heaven.
Something else that’s helpful to note is that not everyone can live this way. Jesus took his disciples away from the crowds and off by themselves. Jesus taught his disciples. This is how God’s people are supposed to live. We cannot expect it of those who are not in Christ. We experience a dissonance when we read this passage and see all the violence and hatred in our world. Not everyone in the world is following our Lord.
I’ve left the best news till last. We cannot on our own live the Beatitudes. The late Fred B. Craddock, Bible commentator and preaching professor, explains that “Blessed are those who” gives its blessing. It is not urging or an exhortation to be this or that. Jesus pronounces his blessing, and the language is performative, conferring its blessing in the saying of it (Preaching Through the Christian Year A). God’s word creates and makes it so. Isn’t it wonderful that we don’t have to make it happen?
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