WHICH IS THE REAL WORLD?

Jann Martin January 30, 2005

click for printable version

Corinthians 1:18-31
Matthew 5:1-12

Gospel Lesson: The Beatitudes

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, O Christ

In the Beatitudes, we see what some call the real world. But this world is only a poor imitation of the real world, the kingdom of God. God comes to us in this message to show us the direction of His blessing. The poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who are hungry and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness, these are the people singled out by God to bless.

Jesus' sermon is not just wise advice from an ordinary prophet to show us how to live here on earth. His words came to the disciples, who are just beginning to follow Him, with authority from God. His message tells the disciples and us who God cares for and what life will be like in the kingdom to come.

Jesus is telling the disciples and us that position, authority, and money are not what is important for us to have or achieve here on earth, for they have no meaning in the Kingdom of God. He is challenging the religious leaders of His time, asking them to look back to the Old Testament and its lessons. Reminding them that heartfelt obedience is much more important than legalistic observance.

Each of the Beatitudes list traits we can find in Jesus and appear to be contradictions to our society's way of life. When He talks about poor in spirit, He's referring to our pride and personal independence. I see this in times when I feel I can do it myself and don't want to bother God with what I see as my trivial needs. This happened to me when I was looking for a new job after being laid off. I worried and kept looking in the paper but didn't just pray and ask for His guidance. I really wanted to get back into the ministry but wasn't having much luck on my own or with the Lutheran church. When I finally got frustrated enough and prayed for His direction, I came across an ad for Christian Education Director. I thought I could probably do this so I answered the ad and prayed for guidance. I felt His presence in each of my interviews and I'm grateful to have listened to His call and was accepted here at Faith Community. When we do listen and follow His direction in this verse, we are told that we will receive the Kingdom of heaven.

Some people see meekness as the opposite of having power. In being meek, we can quietly submit our lives to God and His will for our life. We can be a leader and be gentle at the same time. For instance, in a sticky situation you can be insistent on your way, or you can back off, hear the other side and work out what is best for all. By quietly following God's direction, we gain much more here on earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. The worldly value we find in this verse would be in watching out for our personal needs. What Jesus is talking about is not the needs of our body but of our spiritual needs. It is more important to make sure we worship and study and grow in our faith than to keep moving up the ladder in our jobs and communities. I was once asked why I didn't continue with school and become a pastor. I didn't feel it is important to achieve the status and title of pastor. For me my calling was to serve God with my talents of organization and compassion. In my heart I know I am serving Him in the best way I can.

Each of the beatitudes has a conflicting message with the world as we see it and the reward God has in store for us in heaven. Are you a peacemaker? I tend to be. I like everyone to be happy and things to go smoothly. Turning the other cheek in some situations is a good thing. It doesn't mean you have to be a doormat and let everyone push you around. I heard of a couple that went through a bitter divorce and continued to argue whenever they saw each other. One day the woman decided to write a letter to her ex-husband and repent for the wrongs she had done in their marriage. She asked him to forgive her and come to some kind of a mutual understanding where they could be civil to each other and do what was best for their children. She turned her cheek but still kept her dignity and worked out of a love for her children.

The term "blessed" means more than happiness; it means that we can find hope and joy regardless of our outward circumstances. By following in the steps of Jesus, we can find that hope and joy and the kingdom of God that we are promised.

In looking back at the lesson in I Corinthians, Paul is preaching about the power of the cross. We see the cross in our churches, our homes and even in jewelry. To us the cross is a symbol of God's love for us. God used the cross, which to the Romans was a symbol of their power and authority over those that they deemed to be beneath them. God turned it around and made it a symbol of salvation. When Jesus died on the cross, He took all of our sins and paid the price for our freedom. So now, we can look at the cross and feel an overwhelming sense of love and care from God.

I remember several years ago when I took a class on the Lord's Prayer. At the end of each session we were to look up at the cross and pray the petition we were studying that evening. Each week we learned how to take the petitions and expand each one to include the names and situations referred to. We were to take our time and include everyone and everything that came to mind as we prayed. In praying the Lord's Prayer in this way, I felt closer to Him than I ever had before. It felt like He was sitting in the pew with me. It also brought home the power and meaning behind the cross and how much He loves each of us.

I pray you too will feel that closeness with God.

Amen.

©Jann Martin 2005