These words that we call...
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These words that we call "Beatitudes" are addressed to people we don't want to be. We don't want to be poor in spirit. We don't want to be people who mourn. We don't want to be meek or hungry, and if being merciful means forgiving our enemies, we certainly want to think twice about that one. Being pure in heart means we have to give up all of our impurities and most of us cling to them. It is the same for being a peacemaker; more often than not we want to carry the grudge. We certainly don't want to be persecuted or reviled. So, it would seem that when Jesus addresses the crowd on the side of the mountain, he isn't really talking to us. He might be talking to the person sitting next to you, but certainly not to you. He might be speaking to the church down the street, but not to us here in these pews. He isn't talking to me! Or is he?
On the mountainside, Jesus cuts through the cloak of pretense and outright deceit which we wear like a suit of armor for the world to see. He knows us: the poverty of our spirit; the depth of our grief; our pride, our hunger; our failure to forgive; our desire to fight; and the stains on our soul. He knows us through and through, sees right through our armor and into our hearts. We would expect him to be angry with us for all of our failings. But he surprises us. He blesses us for who we are. "Blessed are you," he says. "Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great." It is not the darkness within us that Jesus blesses, but our desire to drive it out forever, and the confidence that in Jesus we may at last fall to our knees, confess the great depth of our need, and rise up victorious.
On the mountainside, Jesus cuts through the cloak of pretense and outright deceit which we wear like a suit of armor for the world to see. He knows us: the poverty of our spirit; the depth of our grief; our pride, our hunger; our failure to forgive; our desire to fight; and the stains on our soul. He knows us through and through, sees right through our armor and into our hearts. We would expect him to be angry with us for all of our failings. But he surprises us. He blesses us for who we are. "Blessed are you," he says. "Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great." It is not the darkness within us that Jesus blesses, but our desire to drive it out forever, and the confidence that in Jesus we may at last fall to our knees, confess the great depth of our need, and rise up victorious.
