Teaching About Blessedness
Matthew 5:1-12
The Sermon on the Mount. Today’s Gospel reading is the beginning of the Sermon on the
Mount. In Matthew’s Gospel, these
are Jesus’ first public words.
Matthew records his birth and baptism. Last week we heard the call of Peter, Andrew, James and
John… Jesus’ personal interaction
with them. In the introductory
verses to today’s reading, Matthew describes Jesus teaching in the synagogues
and healing in Galilee.
But this is his first public address. It frames his entire ministry in
Matthew. And Matthew says that
when the disciples had gathered around, Jesus “began to speak and taught them.” Matthew presents Jesus as “Israel’s ultimate, God-authorized
teacher” (Douglas R. A. Hare, Interpretation
Commentary).
For Matthew, Jesus is first and foremost teacher.
The Beatitudes, today’s Gospel, are very familiar but
actually a bit tricky to understand.
There are some translation challenges, including the Greek word usually
translated “blessed.” And Luke and
Matthew’s versions of Jesus’ sermon have some significant differences.
I have generally thought of the Beatitudes as words of
comfort. Jesus speaking comfort to
the downtrodden, the poor, the grieving.
But there are other interpretations. Some think Jesus is describing the
fulfillment of the kingdom. The
“eschatological promise.” This is
God’s vision of the kingdom that is to come. Or: these are a
set of rules; this is what you need to do to be a part of God’s kingdom.
One interpreter I read said, with these various
interpretations, probably all are true, at least in part. So I hang on to hearing these words as
words of comfort… Jesus speaking
into being God’s blessing to people in need of comfort and love.
But this morning let’s also look at another possible
interpretation. Jesus is a
teacher. And, although when we
think of the sermon on the mount we picture crowds, Matthew says that Jesus is
speaking primarily to his disciples, those who have just drawn near to follow
him. He’s teaching his disciples
their first, most important, big lesson.
You who are my followers,
this is what you need to learn.
He teaches them how to recognize blessedness (David Lose). This is what being blessed looks like,
he says. And, for the disciples,
it may not be what they thought blessedness looked like.
Blessedness is closeness to God. We think of blessings as things… good things, given by God… and being blessed is having received those good things… But that’s not quite what Jesus is
talking about here. Jesus is
talking about the state of blessedness… a state of being that is close to God
and is the recipient of God’s love.
Blessedness is living in open, right, close relationship with God.
He’s not teaching them how to become blessed. He doesn’t say: if
you do this you will be blessed
(although that might be implied in his words). Jesus is teaching his disciples how to recognize the blessedness that is already in the world, how to
recognize those who ARE blessed. It’s
present tense. Blessed ARE…
Blessed are the poor in spirit, Jesus says. (In Luke, Jesus just says “poor” and
means “poor.”) In Matthew “’poor
in spirit’ refers neither to those who are poor for religious reasons (the
voluntarily poor) nor to those who are deficient with respect to spirit (the
dispirited) but rather to those poor who manifest the attitude appropriate to
their condition, namely, humble dependence on God’s grace (Hare).”
The poor in spirit ARE blessed, Jesus says. People who live humbly dependent upon
God rather than cherishing the fruits of their own devices are blessed, close
to God. Have you learned that, disciples?
Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek.
(I can think of several disciples who would probably not have recognized
the meek as blessed!)
Blessed are those who mourn. Almost certainly Jesus did not mean individuals who mourn
the loss of a loved one, although God’s love and compassion is certainly with
them in that place of sadness. But
in this teaching, Jesus is speaking more broadly. He means those who grieve
that the state of the world is so far from God’s purposes and desire.
The meek are not the timid. Jesus’ reference to the meek draws upon words in the psalms,
and the Greek word is one Matthew uses later to describe Jesus…. The meek are people who are “humble and
gentle in their dealings with other people because they have humbled themselves
before the greatness of God (Hare).”
People who do not boast of their own greatness, but humble themselves
before the greatness of God.
People who mourn the absence of God’s justice. People who are humble and gentle with
other people. These people ARE
blessed.
Are you getting this?
Jesus says… This is what
blessedness looks like. These are
people who are blessed by closeness with God.
Blessed are those who are seeking God’s righteousness. Blessed are those who are offering
mercy, especially when it is very hard.
Blessed are those who are working to make peace in the midst of
violence, hatred.
Now that you know what blessedness looks like, Jesus says to
his disciples and to us, have you seen it? Have you seen blessedness in your life in your world? Will you recognize it when you do? And will you join in? Will you offer yourself into that
place, that life, of blessedness?
Thinking about Jesus as teacher, I want to offer a postscript.
We’re going to hear Jesus’ teaching in the sermon on the
mount for several more weeks.
I ask: Will we
let Jesus teach us?
I’ve done a lot of teaching. In the church, in the corporate world, in the academic
world. (I’ve taught Introductory
Geology to young men in college on football scholarships!) You have to have students who are
willing to learn… They don’t
necessarily have to be profoundly interested or excited about the subject—a good
teacher can overcome disinterest. But
there has to be some willingness,
some opening, even if small. To
learn, students must be open to hearing and learning more than they already
know.
Epiphany season is about recognizing the glory, the
presence, of God in Jesus. In
Jesus’ words.
This Epiphany as we hear Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the
Mount… are we open to learning more than we already know? Will we let Jesus teach us?
