Epiphany 4 / OT 4
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying....
-- Matthew 5:2
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:25, "For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." The beatitudes have stood as a challenge to human wisdom for 2,000 years. They tend to stand our values, or at least our accepted wisdom, on their head. They call blessed, or happy, those who are needy -- blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, who are meek, and hunger for righteousness. They also call blessed those who seek to respond to that need -- blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted and reviled. Human wisdom seeks to understand so that it can gain a measure of control over the chaos that threatens our lives. Human wisdom is motivated by seeking to control that which we have come to fear. There is no room for a fearful response in the beatitudes. Instead of seeing our neediness as a condition to be feared, it is seen as a path to blessing. Instead of weighing the costs of opening ourselves to the needs of others, the beatitudes proclaim such vulnerability as a path to blessing. Even the negative consequence of taking a stand for what is right is redeemed as a blessing. The beatitudes are clearly an invitation to the way of the cross. The way of the cross challenges the wisdom of life that suggests that we must secure all our needs before we can respond to our neighbor. It is an absolute commitment to trust in God who we cannot manipulate or control. Fear can easily become the determining factor in shaping our lives. Jesus offered faith as an alternative that can set us free for the blessings of God.
-- Matthew 5:2
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:25, "For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." The beatitudes have stood as a challenge to human wisdom for 2,000 years. They tend to stand our values, or at least our accepted wisdom, on their head. They call blessed, or happy, those who are needy -- blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, who are meek, and hunger for righteousness. They also call blessed those who seek to respond to that need -- blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted and reviled. Human wisdom seeks to understand so that it can gain a measure of control over the chaos that threatens our lives. Human wisdom is motivated by seeking to control that which we have come to fear. There is no room for a fearful response in the beatitudes. Instead of seeing our neediness as a condition to be feared, it is seen as a path to blessing. Instead of weighing the costs of opening ourselves to the needs of others, the beatitudes proclaim such vulnerability as a path to blessing. Even the negative consequence of taking a stand for what is right is redeemed as a blessing. The beatitudes are clearly an invitation to the way of the cross. The way of the cross challenges the wisdom of life that suggests that we must secure all our needs before we can respond to our neighbor. It is an absolute commitment to trust in God who we cannot manipulate or control. Fear can easily become the determining factor in shaping our lives. Jesus offered faith as an alternative that can set us free for the blessings of God.
