Be prepared to be challenged by these familiar words from Matthew, the teaching gospel. The Sermon on the Mount covers chapters 5-7 in Matthew and is just one of several 'teaching passages' in this gospel. For many, the only biblical texts that they have memorized (beyond the 23rd psalm) are passages from Matthew.
Jesus goes up on a hill (above the people, and where the people can sit at his feet); he sits down (this is a teaching position common in that day, a position of authority). The disciples came to him - as students would gather round their teacher to listen to his teaching.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
This is a BEATITUDE: a statement of blessing. Not blessing to come. Blessing that you are already are experiencing. Therefore these familiar passages are often translated "happy" instead of 'blessed' a less common word in our vernacular. As you read or listen to these familiar passages, note that the verb tense changes. Verses 3 and 10 indicate that the kingdom of heaven IS theirs, now.
In verses 4-9, the verb tense is future. Now, in English we would be inclined to introduce an element of chance into the future tense. We have a tendency to mentally translate 'will' as 'may'. But in the Greek, this is a special kind of 'future tense construction' that tells us THIS WILL HAPPEN. So in v 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." we might say, 'You who mourn, be on the lookout for comfort, for it is coming your way.'
What kind of world is this?
A world where the poor own the kingdom
.... where the sorrowful are comforted
.... where the meek inherit the kingdom
.... where those who seek justice & right will find it everywhere
.... where those who give mercy will receive mercy
.... where the pure in heart (not fake, no guile) will see God
.... where those who seek peace will be recognized as God's children.
And this world is not far off in the distance, but now, here in the person of Jesus, and for us, for all who follow Jesus, call him into their midst, and behave as disciples.
Here is the really tough one. "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against youfalsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you." v 11-12
That will draw you up short, right? Even if I re-phrase as, 'When people are persecuting you for my name, be assured that you are doing just what the prophets did, that you are really involved in bringing God's vision for this world into being. Your reward will carry over into the life to come.'
Still, most of us would not be interested in this kind of rejoicing.
TWO THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:
NUMBER ONE: Assuming that Jesus' radically different world comes into being, what is our part in it? What does this vision of kingdom (clearly very different from any kingdom that folks then or now are familiar with) mean for me and my life? What exactly would have to change in order for this kingdom to come into being?
I suspect the answer to that last question is, "Everything" Everything must change for the Kingdom of God to come into full being. Everything, and everyone, and every interaction between us.
NUMBER TWO: Which leads to an interpretive dilemma around the Sermon on the Mount. What do we do with it? Do we take it literally? Do we take it metaphorically? Does Jesus really intend for us to act this way, or as he says in v. 48 'be perfect therefore as your Father in heaven is perfect"?
I suspect the answer to that last question is, "Yes." Jesus is teaching a total commitment to God's vision for those who wish to not only live in God's kingdom, but to be a part of bringing that kingdom into the reality of others.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer took the beatitudes literally. He wrote a book about it called "The Cost of Discipleship." One of Bonhoeffer's famous quotes from that book is "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." The church today rarely markets itself as the place where being committed will cost you your life. Yet that message is all over the gospels. The Beatitudes challenge us to consider how we are called, and what would need to change for us.
Combine this with the message from Micah and we have a thundering call for the followers of Jesus to be involved in bringing justice and light into the whole world, and to change whatever they need to change in order to make that happen. We are blessed with Jesus' promise that the Holy Spirit will always be there to give us the power, but it's a tough call all the same.
What do you think?
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