St. Matthew 5:1-12
Dearly beloved, The church does well to listen with great intent to the words of Christ. The next few weeks, the gospel lections will be taken from the Sermon on the Mount. The setting of Jesus’ sermon is critical, the placement of the sermon in Matthew’s gospel is intentional, and the audience to whom Jesus preaches is revealing. Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan; He was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by Satan for forty days; Jesus goes to Galilee to select fishermen to be future heralds of the kingdom. Matthew then tells us that Jesus sees the crowds of people and decides to go up the mountain to preach to His disciples. These words we hear today are popularly known as “The Beatitudes.” They constitute the first session of Jesus’ teaching to His disciples which is recorded by St. Matthew. This is intended to tell us something about these words. They are of utmost importance. Jesus is teaching the disciples what life will look like for them and for the church. The words define what a disciple of Jesus looks like. What makes these “Beatitudes” so striking to the hearer is Christ’s own statements of who is blessed. These are important words because mankind has a certain way of looking at strength as well as weakness. In the world, it is the assertive person who receives praise and accolades. The strong rule. Those who seize opportunity are rewarded. Those who are loud and draw attention to themselves reap the benefits. Those who are successful are praised and congratulated. It is the successful of the world who are envied. As a result, people of the world desire to sit at the same table with the successful and the victors. This is the world’s way. Jesus’ way is different. Jesus teaches the disciples that the poor in spirit and the meek shall be blessed. Those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful and pure in heart, exhibiting the desire for peace, are the blessed ones. Jesus gives the reverse of what the world thinks is good and noble. Jesus does this because the road of a disciple is first paved by the blood of Jesus, which these disciples did not understand at the time. Jesus defines true discipleship. Jesus steps down from heaven and takes on flesh. Not only does Jesus do this to pay for the sins of the world, but He is showing the disciples and the church that this same way of living is to be practiced. Jesus does not come to be served but to serve. What does the prophet Micah say that the Lord seeks? “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”(Micah 6:8). Being humble is seen as a weakness in the world. To love mercy creates mocking laughter from the world. Why? Because the world’s philosophy is dominated by Satan’s influence. The world was not created this way. God created the world so that God and man would have fellowship with one another--God ruling and man worshipping God. Life with God is unassuming and quiet. It is striking how often St. Paul reminds God’s people to live quiet lives in the faith. But do you do it? Even in the church, one sees more of the world than the ways of the “Beatitudes.” How many of you live believing that you are “poor in spirit?” How many of you hunger and thirst for righteousness. How many are merciful? To be truthful, your mercy is often short-lived. A few people coming seeking your mercy will bear this fact out. Likewise, those who create divisions with their tongues cannot be said to be peacemakers. The truth is that we all leave church and quickly find ourselves in the world with much sin that alienates us from these words of Jesus. You cannot hear these words of Jesus and confidently feel as though they speak of you for your life does not often bear this out. And yet, these words lead us to something deeper. These words lead you to the gospel. Jesus speaks these words in order to show us where we must abide. If we are to be called Christians, then we must abide in the blood of Jesus. We are fallen and broken, and this is why Jesus comes to serve. Jesus takes on flesh because Satan had His grips locked on all of us. Jesus comes as the Peacemaker. Jesus comes as the Merciful One. Jesus is the Pure in heart. Jesus hungers and thirsts for righteousness: He must shed His blood and it must pour over us. We must be clothed with Him in the baptism that He institutes. The disciples didn’t know it at the time, but they came to understand that these “Beatitudes” speak concerning the baptismal life. Clothed in Christ, forgiven of our sins, resting with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we are lifted up as God’s children. Fashioned through the cross and in Holy Baptism, we find ourselves resting in the love of Jesus. His love and mercy bathes you, giving the forgiveness of your sins. Satan’s grasp on you is loosed. The torment and the chaos is dispelled as you find yourself much like the Gadarene Demoniac, clothed, in your right mind and at peace. Jesus brings to you something you did not have before. While the noise and insanity of the world continues to swirl like a tornado, you are brought to the Lord’s altar quietly, where you hear those precious words from the pastor, “take eat, this is the body of Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Here at the altar all the world retreats as Christ comes to you. You are holy. You are loved, and this love brings forth the desire for more of it. This love of Jesus envelopes His children to the point that heaven becomes the desire, and this makes us poor in spirit. This now makes us mourn for the world. This makes us desire things unseen and then meek and humble faith ensues. You are “the righteous” because Jesus has made it so. Jesus will continue to fill you with His love from the altar. The Lord’s altar is your dwelling until you go home to be with Jesus. This is the way the saints live on earth and in heaven. In heaven you will see your Teacher and Lord face to face, as you look upon Him and experience love and peace in richest measure. Amen. -- Rev. Chad Kendall Trinity Lutheran Church Lowell, Indiana www.trinitylowell.org
