Rejoice and Be Glad

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

He said:

3   “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

       for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4   Blessed are those who mourn,

       for they will be comforted.

5   Blessed are the meek,

       for they will inherit the earth.

6   Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

       for they will be filled.

7   Blessed are the merciful,

       for they will be shown mercy.

8   Blessed are the pure in heart,

       for they will see God.

9   Blessed are the peacemakers,

       for they will be called children of God.

10   Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

       for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:1-12, NIV)

REFLECTIONS:

Today we read what are commonly referred to as "the Beatitudes." Serving as the introduction to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes are announcements of the dawning of the Kingdom. They serve as a sort of preface to Jesus' sermon, which ultimately describes the “righteousness” of God's Kingdom, giving specific examples of the virtues and actions that exemplify the life of the new creation. Many commentators describe the Beatitudes as a list of virtues; but, thanks to the teaching of Dallas Willard, I've come to view them differently. I've now come to think of the Beatitudes as describing the new state that has now arrived in Jesus. It is a state in which even the most unlikely may receive the gift of divine blessedness and become the “light of the world.”

In his classic book on spiritual formation, The Divine Conspiracy, Willard analyzes the Sermon on the Mount in exquisite detail and sets forth a revelatory approach to these familiar teachings. For Willard, the Beatitudes…

"… are explanations and illustrations, drawn from immediate setting, of the present availability of the kingdom through personal relationship to Jesus. They single out cases that provide proof that, in him, the rule of God from the heavens truly is available in life circumstances that are beyond all human hope."

Taking this general approach, I hold that the Beatitudes are pronouncements of grace. They announce that:

• those who have little or no hope,
• those who appear to have little to offer to the world,
• those who are on the fringes of society (and religious society in particular),
• those who live in ways that the world considers weak, unproductive, and unsuccessful,
• those who are considered the “losers”

all are welcome to share in the Kingdom blessings that Jesus brings. There is no human situation that excludes one from being blessed in Jesus. The world and its evaluation of who wins and who loses will not have the final say. In Jesus, God has the last word.

• Even if you are spiritually bankrupt (poor in spirit),
• Even if you are overwhelmed by the sadness of life in this world (those who mourn),
• Even if you are the kind of person who doesn’t stand up for yourself or assert your rights(meek),
• Even if you are fed up with and broken by injustice (those who hunger and thirst for righteousness),
• Even if your heart is soft, you are always giving to others, and easily taken advantage of by needy people (merciful),
• Even if you are so concerned with having a clear conscience that others think you a prude(pure in heart),
• Even if you are always trying to pacify others and care more about diffusing conflict than any other objective (peacemakers),
• Even if your convictions and actions get you in constant trouble with those who set the rules (persecuted),

God’s blessings may be yours in Jesus! No human condition, no matter how hopeless it may appear, no matter how despised by the world, no matter how “unsuccessful” or insignificant others may deem it, disqualifies anyone from God’s grace in Christ. The last shall be first.

The Beatitudes are pronouncements of pure grace. Like other great passages, such as Mary’s Magnificat, they announce the inbreaking of God’s upside-down Kingdom. God is not bound by the current, fallen, corrupt value system that expects him to shower blessings on rich, successful, and powerful people, on “worthy ones” who are universally recognized and applauded by the world. No, God freely dispenses his grace on those who are willing to receive it.

Again, it's the scandal of the cross. Got offers his grace, kindness, compassion, and life-giving love to all who will believe. Will you take him at his word?

...........

At the end of today's reading, we hear the call to “rejoice and be glad.” The work of justice is the joyous work of longing for “God’s will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven”—for which Jesus himself prays later in this Sermon on the Mount. And as we live into that longing, we rejoice in happy thanksgiving. 

Still, the life of justice will not be an easy one. This call to “rejoice and be glad” is here bookended by the stark reminder that we will face persecution from the powers-that-be—the sort of persecution that led Jesus to his cross—and the equally stark reminder that throughout history prophets of God, those who sought justice, have received harsh treatment. But we know that any suffering we experience because of our longing for justice is somehow gathered up into Jesus’ suffering on the cross. 

Through the cross, Jesus lives Micah’s call to “act justly,” “love mercy,” and “walk humbly” to the fullest. Likewise, his self-emptying, others-centered love shows the scandalous love of the triune God—the scandalous love that seeks mercy instead of sacrifice, reconciliation instead of punishment. 

In the end, we are to “rejoice and be glad” because we have the opportunity to live into God’s story of reconciliation. We know the final word is not found at the cross of Jesus. The final word—or rather the new first word—is found at the empty tomb. Jesus’ resurrection vindicates God’s Messiah and reveals the hope that undergirds all work for justice. We strive to “do justice” because we know that to do so is to strive for resurrection here and now. And in moments when we partner with God to glimpse resurrection now, we will “rejoice and be glad.” 

PRAYER:

God of justice, give us perseverance to continue living into the story of your justice for the poor, weak, marginalized, and overlooked people surrounding our lives. Amen.

WHO AM I?

I am Tres Sansom, and I highly recommend Dallas Willard's book The Divine Conspiracy. The whole book is fantastic, but the richest part of the book is his discussion of the Sermon on the Mount.