Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; Psalm 146; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a
Save us, O Lord our God! And gather us from the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, and make it our glory to praise you.
Our Gospel reading stands out in my mind today as we journey toward Sunday. The Beatitudes are the opening to the Sermon on the Mount, which in my mind is the like the constitution of the Church. Jesus has come on the scene and is introducing a new way of living to this world, this “empire” driven world. An empire, as one teacher says, “is a rich and powerful nation that believes they have a divine right to rule over other nations and a manifest destiny to shape history according to their agenda. . . by force if necessary.” There have been so many empires in the history of the world. But as Jesus, living in the context of the Roman empire, begins his ministry he is seeking to introduce the kingdom of God, whose foundation is the beatitudes. The poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, merciful, peacemakers to name a few of those kingdom values. An empire’s beatitudes might read a bit different. Because it is not the meek who will inherit the land it is the powerful, show no mercy to the enemy, peace comes by showing them how strong we are, and they will bow to us. We could go on. But you get the picture.
There has been discussion over who this sermon, and these beatitudes were spoken to. Was it those outcasts who came to hear Jesus, hoping for this kingdom of which He spoke, or a teaching for disciples who were following him. I say both! In the verses just before the sermon, we are told, “Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people . . . and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.” (Matthew 4:23-24) These were the outcasts and the sick, the poor, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for the right to come, the persecuted; they would receive this kingdom. This was good news to them. But also, upon seeing this crowd, He called the disciples to listen to this sermon. This sermon, this kingdom was proclaimed to those who had been oppressed by empire AND proclaimed to those who would be the primary carriers of this kind of life.
In a world that seems to pride themselves on strength and wisdom and within themselves, to have the solution to this world’s problems, we are called to be different. Our epistle says, “consider your calling: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring
to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” This kingdom way, is God’s way to fix the world. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31) Truth is, the only way to fix the problems in this world is to not be like the world, or any empire, but to be a people that Jesus said, would be a light to this world, a light that darkness can never overcome or defeat. Do we have the faith and courage to be poor in spirit and mourn, to be meek and hunger and thirst for the right. Can we be merciful and forgive? Can we be peacemakers? Do we have the courage to be persecuted for doing the right thing according to the kingdom principles? Can we, be humble and trust God to live the way He desires? I hope we can “for the world, the dispossessed, the poor, the weak, the meek, the crippled, the bruised, the outcast” . . . so they can see Jesus in us and in the way we treat others, you know forgiveness, blessing and loving others as He would, which is what they really need.
As Zephaniah prophesied, Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility . . . He goes on later, “I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue.” (Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13)
We need to be those who live “in the midst,” those who live out the kingdom of God so that those around us can see that God is love and that God is “for” them. As WE reach out to those who have been abused and downtrodden by those in power, it may seem like a remnant some days, like a mustard seed or a small bit of leaven . . . wait?! Didn’t Jesus say something about that? Are we able to trust God to help others, as we live in the way and teachings of the kingdom? I pray we can!
Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our minds, and love everyone in truth of heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen!