A Meditation and Collect for Epiphany 4
1 Corinthians 1: 18-31
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Matthew 5: 1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The Sermon on the Mount
Early in Matthew’s Gospel account, Jesus summarises His teaching and lays the foundation stone of Christian faith and life on a mountainside near Capernaum. He begins His sermon with the list of blessings we know as the Beatitudes. You might call them a Christian wish list – but they are certainly not a list of desirables according to the values of the world. In fact they turn those worldly aspirations inside out.
Who would want spiritual poverty, to mourn, to be persecuted, to be lied about, insulted? At the very least to be called foolish for proclaiming a crucified teacher as Lord and Saviour?
Jesus doesn’t address the wealthy and powerful, as you would expect – His message is to the sorrowful, the poor, the broken-hearted and those rejected by polite society. ‘Ordinary’ people, but loved by their creator just as much as the self-satisfied religious and political leaders, kings and emperors who are full of their own importance. ‘Ordinary’ – but profoundly blessed in all the ups and downs of life in the real world.
The sermon continues. He refers to His followers as salt, whose individuality contributes to the wonderful diversity of God’s creation. Each have special gifts, and are given the responsibility to use them according to the commandment to love as He loves. To forgive, seek peace and reconciliation; to live truthfully; to offer charity; to pray quietly and directly to your Father in heaven.
Be assured of your salvation, He tells them, and don’t spend your life worrying; seek justice, serve others and build your life on the cornerstone I offer.
The crowd have never heard teaching like this before, unlike the insincerity of the scribes and Pharisees, and they are amazed at the authority Jesus conveys. It’s no wonder that they, and the millions of disciples through the ages who call Jesus Lord, will be sustained by His words in the face of unspeakable suffering.
The theologian Dietrich Bonhoffer discusses the Sermon on the Mount in detail in his book ‘The Cost of Discipleship’, regarding it as the basis of Christian living; that view sustained him through imprisonment, torture and murder by the Nazis. He believed it to be a practical guide for action in the face of prejudice, injustice and violence. It is as relevant today as it was then.
Christ’s words are given to all His people in the face of the difficulties we ourselves face in life. We claim them and are assured of Blessing. And that is all we need.
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