Blessed are the Persecuted

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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 5:10-12

What does it mean to be persecuted?  What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ?  Here’s what Dietrich Bonhoeffer has to say about it:

In Bonhoeffer’s classic work The Cost of Discipleship he begins his concluding thoughts on the beatitudes with the following words,

Having reached the end of the beatitudes, we naturally ask if there is any place of this earth for the community which they describe. Clearly, there is one place, and only one, and that is where the poorest, meekest, and most sorely tried of all men is to be found – on the cross at Golgotha. The fellowship of the beatitudes is the fellowship of the Crucified. With him it has lost all, and with him it has found all. From the cross there comes the call ‘blessed, blessed.’” (113-114).

(http://mattdabbs.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/dietrich-bonhoeffer-on-the-beattitudes/)

So, we are called to be ON the cross with Jesus…not standing nearby, but ON that cross.  That is what true discipleship really is.  We are promised JOY as well…an inner joy that is not destroyed by external circumstances.  What is the cross in your life?  Do you experience the joy of God as you life out your life on this cross? 

This final verse completes the Beatitudes.  Below is the complete text.  Notice that in both the first and the last Beatitude, the promise for us is the same, the Kingdom of Heaven.  What a glorious day that will be!

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

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.

⁷ Blessed are the merciful,

    for they will be shown 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 because of righteousness,

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.  Matthew 5:9

Peace…what is it?  Is it the absence of conflict?  Or is it the active presence of God’s peace in my life?  The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom, meaning “nothing is missing and nothing is broken.  In Greek, the word is eiréné: (εἰρήνη, ης, ἡ), meaning one, peace, quiet, rest, cloth woven together and restored.

I think that peace is more of a proactive attitude than the absence of conflict.  Conflict is always going to be present in our lives.  My reaction to conflict, though is an action…an action of binding together God’s gift of peace, which I already possess, to my actions in the world.  I have a choice in my behavior.

Yesterday and today we are experiencing much wind in South Dakota….it’s an outside force of nature…nothing that I can control for sure.  Trying to harness the wind and it’s effects is pretty hard to do.  Most of the time, perhaps all of the time, it’s fruitless to try to manipulate, rearrange things so that the wind does not blow something across the yard. I’m spending energy battling forces that I don’t have any control over!

What other kinds of “wind” are there in my life?  Criticism, betrayal, hurtful words?  Often, my gut reaction might be to push back with more hurt, more criticism.  But does this help anything?  Instead, a response rooted in the peace that Christ has given us, will put the situation into God’s hands, not mine.  If I can cultivate this peace within me, not only am I more in tune with God’s will, but it will be evident in my actions.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Matthew 5:8

What does it mean to be pure in heart?  Does it mean that I must be perfect in all that I think and do?  We may try to strive for purity, but we are not perfect, and we are not going to attain perfection in this life! 

In the story of Mary and Martha, Luke 10:38-42, Jesus is not telling Martha that all of her preparations and organization are unimportant.  He says, ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I can easily relate to Martha.  I have to consciously tell myself at times to stop, be a Mary, and choose what is important.  It’s easy to become distracted with “things” that need to be done, even while in prayer.  If I can unite all of my actions towards my relationship with Jesus, (singleness of heart) then my day will flow as acts of worship, always bringing my attention back to Jesus, not burdens that distract me from my real purpose in life.

Mercy

Blessed are the Merciful for they shall attain mercy.  Matthew 5:7

What is mercy?  Here’s a definition from The Free Dictionary:

mercy

noun

1. compassion, charity, pity, forgiveness, quarter, favour, grace, kindness, clemency,leniency, benevolence, forbearance Neither side showed its prisoners any mercy.
compassion

Mercy comes from the Hebrew word for kindness, Chesed (or khesed (חסד)) – often translated loving-kindness. 

It is said that God’s first act of mercy was the  creation of universe…into nothingness, there was created something.  God made a covenant with us.  So, is mercy a kind of covenant? 

In my own relationships at work, in my family, in my church, is mercy a visible characteristic?  Do I readily show mercy when someone wrongs me in some way?  After all, we are not a perfect people.  It’s not going to be very long before “I” am the one making the mistakes!  If I am not willing to show mercy, will others show mercy towards me when I have fallen?

When I think of the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, it gives me a model for my own parenting.  I hope that I am a parent, a grandparent,  that is always scanning the horizon, watching, waiting, hoping, for the child to return that has gone on a difficult path of life.  I know that God, my Father, is also watching and waiting for me when my life is not on the path He desires for me.  God never tires of forgiving me (us). I think that my relationship with God experiences exponential growth when I have truly accepted His forgiveness and experience total contentment with my God.

Who are models of mercy for you in our world today?  Mother Theresa comes to my mind.  Humble, selfless, loving. When I was a child, we learned the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.  These are a good guide to use to examine my life to determine if I am a person others will think of as one who shows mercy.

 

Taste and See!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Matthew 5:6

Filling the needs of hunger and thirst are paramount to our survival.  It’s not a luxury for us to nourish our bodies, but a necessity.  Our relationship with Jesus is not a luxury either, it’s a necessity for our spiritual survival.  It is in prayer that we seek to fulfill these needs.  Christ first seeks us, He DESIRES us!  Prayer is an encounter of God’s thirst with ours….it’s mutual fulfillment.

In John 4:10 Jesus promises the gift of living water, the Holy Spirit:  “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water”.  Jesus is a never-ending source of nourishment for us.  The more we seek Him, the more we will be satisfied – and satisfied to overflowing! 

Think about Thanksgiving dinner.  I always eat more than I should, I am stuffed.  It was all so good, I could not resist trying a little of everything.  I feel like I could not eat another bite ever.  Yet, evening arrives, and I am foraging for leftovers.  I am not hungry again because the big Thanksgiving meal did not satisfy me, but BECAUSE it did!  We hunger for more because it was so good.

Do I seek Jesus as a starving, thirsting woman, as the only source for my parched soul?   I come to Jesus HUNGERING and THIRSTING after righteousness, not just casually wanting a sample. I am starved.  I’m ready for that Thanksgiving meal. Jesus can feed my deepest hunger and quench my parched mouth.

Strength Under Control

Meekness is not weakness.  Many times meekness is thought of as the opposite of strength.  A person may not think it’s a compliment if they are described as meek.  The word meek comes from the Greek word prauß (praus), which means mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, strength under control.   It might be thought of in terms of domesticating an animal for work in the field because of its strength.  The horse yields to the farmer, it has a teachable spirit. 

So it is with us.  A meek person has the ability to use one’s gifts to build up rather than tear down.  People who are meek are those who listen to you, who make you feel special and appreciated.  Their focus is not on themselves, but on others and on God’s work.  People who are meek are happy to submit to God.   There is an openness to what the Lord wants to give, Christ is in control.

Again, we have a paradox…it is only in releasing ownership of the earth (something that will not last!) that we realize that it is a gift to us to care for, treasure and enjoy.  

Rend Your Heart

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Matthew 5:4

On the surface, this might seem to be a paradox….it’s a blessing to mourn??  St. Augustine initially refused to mourn the death of his mother Monica.  He thought it was inconsistent with the resurrection of Christ.  Eventually, though, he did grieve and states that “my tears became like a pillow for my soul.”

There are two types of mourning being referred to in this verse.  There is the mourning we experience over our lifetimes of deep pain, grief, sadness for perhaps a death or event.  As we work through our grief, we often find that we are not alone.  It is then that we receive the blessings of God and experience His presence in our life, right beside us.  It can even be a catalyst to conversion.  We experience God’s mercy, and can trust and hope in Him! When I have walked through periods of grief, I find that the lessons I learned, the comfort that I received, enables me to console others with God’s mercy in similar situations

.

The second type of mourning we need to consider is spiritual mourning.  Do we mourn not only our sins but also the sins of the world - abortion, genocide, terrorism, the abandonment of the poor?  As we weep over our sins, we are led to repentance.   This is spoken of in Joel 2:13:  Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. 

I looked up the definition of rend (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/rend):

 1. To tear or split apart or into pieces violently. See Synonyms at tear¹.

2. To tear (one's garments or hair) in anguish or rage.

3. To tear away forcibly; wrest.

4. To pull, split, or divide as if by tearing: "Chip was rent between the impulse to laugh wildly and a bitterness that threatened hot tears" (Louis Auchincloss).

5. To pierce or disturb with sound: a scream rent the silence.

6. To cause pain or distress to: tales that rend the heart.

v.intr.

To become torn or split; come apart.

Rending my heart is not an easy thing!  It will be painful, it will be changed.  It will OPEN.  It will be open for me to peer in and see my true self and it will be open so that it can be filled with the merciful love of God.  It is spiritual broken-heartedness.   This video from Come Wind, a band from the Canton, Ohio area, called “Rend Your Heart” puts these thoughts to music.

The Begging Bowl

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.   Matthew 5:3

Photo credit: wallyg / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Have you ever heard of a begging bowl?  It is a bowl carried by a beggar to receive food or alms.  This practice is especially common with Franciscans as well as Buddhist monks.  For both Christians and Buddhists, the begging bowls is a symbol of nonattachment. In the 13^th Century, Western monasticism rediscovered a truth more often remembered in the east, in Hinduism and Buddhism - that the holy man's only possession is his begging bowl.  (Read more:  http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=aa90#ixzz2U21xoY2b)

To be poor in spirit does not mean that we are necessarily poor monetarily, although I think that living a lifestyle of poverty certainly does put into concrete practice these words of Jesus.  We are called, no matter what our economic standing, to be humble hearted.  When we understand that apart from God, we have nothing and we are nothing, it is then that we have everything.  St. Francis said to hold loosely to all that is not eternal.  Hang on tightly to God and His Word.  Having nothing, we possess everything. 

Today, these prayerful words written by St. Francis seem appropriate:

Let us desire nothing else
Let us wish for nothing else
Let nothing else please us and cause us delight
Except our Creator and Redeemer and Saviour.
The One True god, Who is the Fullness of Good.
All good, every good, the true and supreme Good.
Let nothing hinder us,
Nothing separate us or nothing come between us.
May the power of your love O Lord, fiery and sweet as honey, wean my heart from all that is under heaven, so that I may die for love of your love, You who were so good as to die for love of my love. Amen

“Lex orandi lex credenda”  - “As we pray so also we believe”  

Jesus' Blueprint for Our Lives

We find The Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5: 1-12.  This is the first of 5 great sermons of Jesus in this Gospel.  It’s also known as the Sermon on the Mount.  Lots of important things have happened on mountains in our Christian history .  God revealed Himself to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Mt. Horeb) and gave him the 10 Commandments. (Exodus 19:16-20:12).  Elijah challenged the false prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18).  Jesus taught His disciples on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24:3), and Noah’s ark came to rest after the flood on the mountains of Ararat (Genesis 8:4), to name a few.  Is there anything in your life that has been a “mountaintop experience?”

The Beatitudes are a guide for us as we journey towards the Kingdom of God.  They are a blueprint for our lives.  The Beatitudes reveal the human person fully alive - the heart of God’s plan for humanity.

 Below is a well-done performance of David Haas’ “Blest Are They” by the Mississippi Baptist All-State Youth Choir.  As you reflect on the Beatitudes, see them also as the face of Jesus Christ….like mini bios of Jesus, snapshots of Him from 8 different angles.  As you reflect on each Beatitude, does anyone in particular come to your mind?    Take time today to read aloud the Beatitudes.  Hear the Word.  Let it resonate in your heart.