Matthew 5:1-12
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphanyย -ย 29 January 2017
Rev. John Derme
When you look at the people of our world, who are the ones that appear to be blessed? The ones who have a lot of money? The ones who are famous? Those who are powerful? Certainly not the people Jesus says are blessed! Our Gospel of the Day, from Matthew chapter 5, is the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. These verses that we consider today are called "the Beatitudes." That is another word for "blessed," since nine of the statements begin with that word. In this portion of his sermon, Jesus tells us who is blessed.
When you read or hear his words, though, it sounds as though Jesus is dead wrong. In our world, the blessed ones are the opposite of what Jesus says. Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted because of righteousness? Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you? No way!
In our world, it's "Blessed are those who high and haughty! They have whatever they want on earth. Blessed are those who are always happy with themselves! They don't need to be comforted. Blessed are the powerful! For they already own the earth. Blessed are those who don't care what God says! They satisfy themselves. Blessed are the ruthless! They don't need anyone to show them mercy. Blessed are those who do whatever it takes to get what they want! They don't need God. Blessed are those who fight! They serve themselves. Blessed are those who persecute others! They have whatever they want on earth." These are the world's beatitudes. These are the people who appear to be blessed.
That's not fair, is it? We don't get to enjoy the blessings they have, because we would never do what they have done to get them. Or would we? Haven't you ever acted arrogantly toward someone else, enjoyed wrong behavior, ignored what God says, taken advantage of someone else to get what you wanted, or fought and hurt others? We've all put ourselves in front of others and in front of the Lord to gain what we want for ourselves. We do it every time we sin.
Even if we could claim that we had never treated anybody else the way the world's beatitudes say we ought, we all have believed the lie behind the way the world works. We've been jealous of those who have what they want by going against what Jesus says. We've imagined that sins and the things gained by sins would make us happy. We've wished we could live like they live.
Today Jesus tells us, "Don't live as the people of this world live. Don't believe them when they tell you how to be blessed. Don't be jealous of them for what they have. They do not have what believers have." They do not have the kingdom of heaven. They will never have God's comfort. They will lose everything. They will never be satisfied. They will not receive God's mercy. They will only see his wrath. They are enemies of God. Theirs is suffering in hell. Although it looks like they are blessed, in reality they are cursed.
Jesus does not want you to be cursed. He wants you to be blessed. Many have misunderstood Jesus' words in his Beatitudes to say that if you want to be blessed, just do what Jesus says. "Be poor in spirit. Mourn. Be meek. Hunger and thirst for righteousness. Be merciful. Be pure in heart. Be a peacemaker. Be persecuted because of righteousness." But that understanding totally misses Jesus' point and turns these Beatitudes into things that we must do to earn God's blessing. I can't earn God's blessing! The only thing I can earn from him is his curse. But God's blessing isn't something earned. It is something God gives. And the Beatitudes aren't a list of things for us to do. They are Jesus' description of who his disciples are.
By nature, our priorities were the opposite of his. But Jesus didn't only describe God's priorities. He lived them. Jesus was poor in spirit, he did mourn, he was meek, he hungered and thirsted for righteousness, he was merciful and pure in heart and a peacemaker and persecuted because of righteousness. He perfectly carried out all of these priorities throughout his life and ministry on earth. And he was finally crucified because of them. Jesus fulfilled them for us.
Now Jesus has brought us to faith in what he has done, and he has changed our priorities, so that we no longer value what the world says is right. Although the sinful nature within each of us is tempted to live like the world, Jesus has made us into new people. Through faith in Jesus, we know that the world's beatitudes are wrong, we don't want to live that way, and we know that it isn't the way to receive blessings for this life or for eternity. If you and I are Jesus' disciples, then his Beatitudes describe us.
You and I are the poor in spirit. That means that we do not claim to deserve anything from God. We have nothing to brag about before God. But he gives us the kingdom of heaven. He has rescued us from the kingdom of this world and made us a part of his kingdom. You and I mourn. That doesn't mean that we're always sad. It means that we are sorry for our sins. We understand what we deserve. But God comforts us with his sure hope of forgiveness. You and I are meek. That doesn't mean that we are wimps. It means that we trust in our God and his strength. And God gives us the earth โ everything we could ever want or need! We hunger and thirst for righteousness. That means that we want what God wants. We desire to have his will accomplished. And he will satisfy all our desires. You and I are the merciful. That means we love those who are helpless, just as Jesus has had mercy on us who were helpless. You and I are the pure in heart. That means we are pure of sin and guilt, not because we are perfect on our own, but because Jesus has washed our sins away. Therefore we see God through faith now and will see him with our own eyes forever. You and I are peacemakers. That doesn't mean that we never have a disagreement with another person. It means that we have peace with God through the forgiveness of sins and we promote peace with others by forgiving their sins against us. Therefore God calls us his sons, members of his family and heirs of his eternal life. We are persecuted because of righteousness. The world doesn't repay our kindness with good. Sometimes it makes our lives miserable. But it is worth suffering a bit of misery in this life, because we look forward to the kingdom of heaven, which we will completely enjoy after this life is complete. Jesus tells us that even when people insult us and say evil things about us, we know that we have a wonderful reward of his grace in heaven.
Today Jesus tells you, "You are blessed." What does that mean? That word "blessed" has sometimes been explained as meaning, "happy." That's not bad, but it is even stronger than that. Sometimes I am happy, and sometimes I am sad. But since we are Jesus' disciples everyday, we are always blessed. To be blessed means you are saved.
Who is blessed? It's not necessarily those people who look like they are blessed, by the world's standards. Here at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that you, his humble disciples, are blessed!