“Made Fit for the Kingdom”
“Made Fit for the Kingdom”
Matthew 5:1-12
Matthew 5:1-12
Perhaps some of you can remember back in Sunday School when you first heard those words of Jesus I just read to you – the Beatitudes – His first words from the Sermon on the Mount. Years ago, they had those large pastel poster illustrations that pictured Jesus sitting on a green hillside surrounded by eager boys with white shirts and girls dressed in pink. It was more of an idealized scene, and those words of Jesus: blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, the meek, and the five other blessed’s seemed so agreeable and pleasant – such good qualities that characterize the life of a virtuous Christian — and later as a teenager, I looked upon them as sublime and admirable traits that I was to aspire to.
So, I was taken aback when I read about a college professor at Texas A&M University, Virginia Stem Owens, who taught English composition. One day she asked her students to write a short essay on the Sermon on the Mount. Virginia expected them to have a basic respect for the text, but found out otherwise. “In my opinion religion is one big hoax,” wrote one. “You shouldn’t believe everything you read,” wrote another. “I did not like the essay and it made me feel like I had to be perfect and no one is. The things asked in this sermon are absurd.”
Virginia later said that Jesus’ words never caused her to react with anger and disgust, but upon further serious consideration she began to be encouraged. Writing about the reaction of the students, she reflected,
“There is something exquisitely innocent about not realizing you shouldn’t call Jesus stupid. This was the real thing, a pristine response to the Gospel, unfiltered through a space of 2,000 years. I find it strangely heartening that the Bible remains offensive to honest, ignorant ears, just as it was in the first century.”
The Beatitudes – those first words from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount beginning with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” When Jesus’ Jewish audience heard that word “Kingdom,” it would have triggered a reaction. They were waiting for David’s heir, the promised conquering King who would vanquish the Roman invaders. The Messiah’s New Kingdom would usher in a new age of independence, peace, and prosperity. So, imagine the shock waves Jesus’ Sermon caused among His original audience, Jews of the first-century Palestine. Instead of a conquering King for these downtrodden people yearning to be emancipated from Roman tyranny, they get Jesus the lowly Rabbi with a startling message. Imagine their confusion when Jesus elevated a passive group for His Kingdom people - the meek, the humble, the poor in spirit. Those were not the movers and shakers to bring about change. They surely wondered, "What kind of Kingdom is He talking about?" Can you imagine their puzzlement? "Why is being poor in spirit a happy thing?” Wouldn’t many have the same sentiments of the Texas A&M students? “What kind of stupid nonsensical talk is this?
Have you ever looked at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in this way? So how are we to understand these Beatitudes – the be happy attitudes of Jesus? Come on:
Blessed are the poor in spirit – no, blessed are the bold and self-reliant.
Blessed are those who mourn – no, blessed are those who are thick-skinned.
Blessed are the meek – no, blessed are those who assert their rights.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness — no, blessed are those who know how to bend the rules.
Blessed are the merciful – no, blessed are those who demand more of others to accomplish their goals.
Blessed are the pure in heart – no, blessed are those who know the ways of the world.
Blessed are the peacemakers – no, blessed are those who stay aloof from other’s problems.
Wouldn’t you agree that the Beatitudes are out of sync with the American way? Indeed, some psychologists and psychiatrists following the lead of Sigmund Freud point to the Beatitudes as proof of Jesus’ imbalance and propensity to masochism. Which is it? Unhealthy self-deprivation or profound wisdom? If I had been sitting in the audience when Jesus first delivered the Beatitudes, and desperate for a hero to get beyond the cruel Roman overlords, I would have left feeling confused or outraged, but not comforted.
So, are the Beatitudes true? And, if so, what is the real meaning behind this cryptic core of Jesus’ teaching? Martin Luther interpreted it that we have a dual membership – one in the Kingdom of Christ and one in the Kingdom of this world, and it is through the Spirit of Christ within us that we are molded into His character qualities as described in the Beatitudes. It’s what Jesus meant when He said, “The Kingdom of God is within you,” and, “The Kingdom of God is like yeast in the dough,” and by this He meant that it spreads its influence into the depths of our being. Instead of us being conformed to the culture, we are changed into the character of God as exemplified in the life of our Savior. The Beatitudes describe Jesus Himself, and St. John affirms this great transformational work taking place in our lives.
Dear friends, now we are the children of God… and when He appears we shall be like Him.
That’s the great goal of God – to change us into the character of our Savior that He mirrored in the Beatitudes.
Jesus was poor in spirit, totally dependent on the Father.
Jesus mourned over the mess people had made of their lives.
Jesus was meek – able to take a punch when abused by others.
Jesus craved to attain righteousness for us as our Savior and Substitute.
Jesus was merciful to those who fell short of the high bar of expectations.
Jesus was pure in heart – single minded in motive with openness and integrity.
Jesus was zealous for people to experience reconciliation - peace with each other and God.
So, are the Beatitudes true rather than pie in the sky? They are life changing in describing nothing short of miraculous which God is accomplishing in our lives – radical transformation in spite of our ingrained tendencies. They describe God’s power to change our life scripts – attitudes about ourselves and others that we’ve developed through the 20,000 words per day we’ve absorbed over the years by means of newspapers, magazines, books, TV – and besides the 25,000 hours of parental authority figure messages stored in the average adult’s mind. All of these influences form a life script shaping the way we see ourselves. They sway our choice of a marriage partner, our work style, our eating, sleeping, and thinking habits.
No doubt, you like me, have developed and struggled with various aspects of your life script over the years and you’ve seen some of the negative effects in the lives of others – especially loved ones in danger of blindly following their life scripts which lead to brokenness and pain. Yet, with God’s power, life scripts such as these can be re-written. That’s the marvelous message of the Beatitudes, and to me this process operates in a progressive way much like a slinky. Do you remember those toys that expand outwardly – and in the case of the Beatitudes, it’s the flowing of a change of behavior from one to the next. However, it all begins with the first Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” Here’s the place where the Holy Spirit brings change into our lives as we increasingly live in humble dependent trust rather than self-reliance – as we open ourselves to His leading – “Lord go ahead of me on this one, and not my will but Your will,” and trust in our Savior for help and the grace of forgiveness. Rather than proudly thinking we can live without Him, we trust and draw strength from God’s Word and promises by being rooted in Him, there then begins the flow of God’s character and virtues as exemplified in other beatitudes.
Do you see this good work taking place upon your life script? It’s a process, but here’s some ways it plays out:
Two drivers are stuck in the same traffic jam. One person stews in anger, thinking, “My schedule is messed up.” The other sighs in relief. “Good chance to slow down and go with the flow.” How are you doing in the 3rd Beatitude of meekness?
Two mothers face the same tragedy. One is destroyed: “I’ll never get over this.” The other is despondent but determined: “God will get me through.” Blessed are those who mourn rather than get mad – the 2nd Beatitude.
Two executives face the same success: One pats himself on the back and gets cocky. The other gives credit to God and grows grateful. Blessed are the poor in spirit rather than proudly affirming the god of me.
The Beatitudes – the work of the Holy Spirit to change our life scripts – conforming us into the image of Christ. Losers in the eyes of the world, yet we are winners being made to fit the coming Kingdom. We are the blessed, and the Greek word is “Makarios.” That refers to people who are to be congratulated – but not because we are necessarily happy. We can still be sad, mad, driven, addicted, but blessed are we because we are in the right relationship with the Savior. The Kingdom is ours and He Who began a good work in us will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ. So, congratulations to those of you whose life scripts are in the process, sometimes even in spite of ourselves, to be made a perfect fit for the coming Kingdom!