Reading With the People of God #11 BlessedSample

Focus of the month: (The Beatitudes)

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

- Matthew 5:3-12

Fame and Greatness

Today we are reading one of the most famous parts of the most famous sermon ever given. That is the Beatitudes, which is right at the beginning of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.

Speaking of fame, in Jesus’ day the most famous person alive would have been Caesar Tiberius, and before him, Caesar Augustus and Julius Caesar. These Roman emperors knew what greatness was, and they knew it meant conquering their enemies, imposing their power, and doing whatever they could to be remembered forever. The only person to eclipse all of them was Alexander the Great, whose armies conquered over 2 million square miles of land over three continents. It is reported that Julius Caesar actually wept when he realized all that Alexander had accomplished by the age of 33 because it made his accomplishments seem inadequate. Just as in our day, in Jesus’s day, everyone knew what it meant to be great, to be blessed... Jesus disagrees.

Jesus declares that in the kingdom of God, it is not the Caesars of the world that are blessed but the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, the persecuted, etc. If it is our ambition to be great as the world knows greatness, it is we who have it backward. We should let Christ form us into humble people, who are merciful toward those who don’t deserve it, who make peace when vengeance is preferred, who desire real justice, and who love our enemies. And as we become this type of people, we will get to participate in God’s restoring and healing of the world.

As the biblical scholar N.T. Wright so helpfully put it:

“When God wants to sort out the world, as the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount make clear, he doesn't send in the tanks. He sends in the meek, the broken, the justice hungry, the peacemakers, the pure-hearted and so on.”

* Devotional Primer contributed by Wesley Viau – Data Analyst and Member of Cornerstone Community Church