Blessed?
- Paula Shockley
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
He said: 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." 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:3-6,11-12)
Jesus' disciples had been drawn to him by his declaration of a new kingdom, a kingdom of healing and restoration. By the time Jesus sat down on the side of a mountain to teach his new followers what God's kingdom looked like, they had already seen Jesus' miraculous healings. Imagine, then, their bafflement when Jesus pronounced as blessed those crushed by oppression, who lacked daily necessities, who grieved losses of family and security, who lacked land and property, those desperate for justice. According to Jesus, God was already righting these wrongs. Jesus went on (vv. 7-9) to tell these people, struggling to keep their heads above water, longing to receive just a little mercy, that those who are merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, will be blessed by God. While that makes sense, surely very few of his listeners were feeling particularly merciful, and any peace likely felt enforced by fear. He then topped it off by saying that those who are persecuted, insulted and falsely accused should rejoice because their heavenly reward would be great. But who wants to wait for heaven?
It's easy to understand why some of those who heard Jesus' words thought he intended to lead a revolution to bring his vision into reality. It probably seemed, and still seems, like the world order Jesus spoke of could only happen through government upheaval. While governments certainly hold a great deal of power, they can only do what we, collectively, allow - either by our action or our inaction. If Jesus' words still feel far from our lived reality perhaps that's because we have failed to live into his mission - to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus did, in fact, intend to lead a revolution, but not through violent government takeover. A revolution of radical, sacrificial, love. Out of selfishness and/or fear, we have lived as if the problems of others are not our own.
The blessings of God await our change of heart.
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
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