Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:1-3)
In Matthew, chapter four, we read these words: Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds (from everywhere) followed him.
We don't know how long of a timeframe was involved in all of this teaching, preaching, and healing. This could have been going on for weeks, months, or years before Jesus takes a moment to have some teaching-time with His disciples on a mountainside one day. We also don't know how many disciples were there. It could have been the twelve disciples we hear so much about, or it might have been many more. Hundreds maybe. Perhaps the size of an average congregation in the modern Christian church. But whatever the size of His audience, we do know this: His disciples came to Him. Somehow they were drawn up on that mountainside. Perhaps they noticed Him leaving when others did not. Or maybe He whispered an invitation to each person when He saw them that morning...'Meet Me on the mountain after breakfast, I have some things to tell you before we get started today.'
However they ended up there, Jesus had some interesting things to say. Personally I have read these words of Jesus many, many times, and I'm still not certain what He meant exactly. Some of His words were pretty clear, like "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets...When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father...Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear...Do not judge, or you too will be judged...If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him...
But what about phrases like, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."? Perhaps His meaning was clear to those hearing Him that day, but they aren't so clear to me. For starters, who qualifies as being 'poor in spirit', and what is the kingdom of heaven? And second, why did He want this particular group of hearers to know this? What was His motive, His purpose, and His message? And what did it have to do with the crowds of people waiting for Him in the valley?
Many different answers to these questions have been speculated about and preached on. I don't think I've ever heard the same explanation twice. And true to Jewish teaching tradition, many different interpretations are valid. Words spoken by God can have different meanings to different people. That's one of the beautiful things about Him. He is a personal God. He would much rather lead us on an individual basis than give blanket commands and broad guidelines that have to apply to everyone in every time period, in every region of the world, in every circumstance. He is much more creative, relational, and wise than that!
So why am I writing this? What is my point? I was looking at these verses this week, and I had an insight I haven't thought of before that I'd like to share with you: What if Jesus was making a comparison between the physical needs of the crowd and the spiritual needs of the disciples? We don't know a lot about the disciples, but those we at least know the names of--Peter, John, Matthew, etc., we know they weren't living in extreme poverty, dying of sickness, or demon-possessed. But that doesn't mean they didn't have needs. They weren't poor in a monetary sense, they weren't suffering from illness or pain, they had nothing noteworthy about them that drew the attention of others, but they were 'poor in spirit'...searching for significance, frustrated, sad, confused, worried, having some trouble with their enemies, living in sin and guilt, surrounded by the religion-police, feeling distant from God, looking for a more full and meaningful life...
"...Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth...."
I can hear a woman thinking, 'Is He talking about me? I thought He was bringing us up here to give us a crowd-control training session, but...how does He know about my private pain? Why is He saying that those who aren't usually noticed...like me...have such a great inheritance? That this is my land, and I have been chosen by God to receive it, that my ancestors are just as blessed as those religious big-wigs, and it doesn't matter that I'm not a man, or that my husband left me, or I haven't done a lot of great things...'
"...Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world..."
'Others say I'm nothing, that I have nothing to give, nothing to hope for, nothing to accomplish, no purpose, no real importance to God, no way of overcoming my mistakes and sinful habits, no chance of...'
"...Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you...how much more will your Father give good gifts to those who ask him!"
She begins to weep. She's not the only one. She can see grown men, usually brave and stoic, beginning to break down, letting their tough exteriors crack as they drop to their knees.
'Jesus, where have you been all our lives? We've heard about the Messiah, the Promised One. Is it you? Is what you're saying true? And why are you saying it to...to me? Who am I that I should hear such wonderful words that fill my heart with hope, peace, and joy?'
I constantly marvel that we have the words of Jesus to read for ourselves today. He came to share a message of love, peace, joy, and hope. Don't try to read it any other way. Even the difficult passages that seem harsh or condemning or unmerciful, they really aren't. There's always an underlying message of love for those who have ears to hear them with the grace that is intended.
I encourage you to read Matthew 5, 6, and 7 when you have the time---all in one shot, or a little each day. There's a lot to take in. There's a lot to be challenged by. There's a lot to think about and put into practice. But keep this in mind: You are loved by a holy God who wants the best for you. Those who choose to be disciples of Jesus may give up a lot to be devoted followers, but we gain far more than we ever lay aside. That's why He speaks the truth. The truth of what we truly need.
"Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock." Matthew 7:24-25
In Matthew, chapter four, we read these words: Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds (from everywhere) followed him.
We don't know how long of a timeframe was involved in all of this teaching, preaching, and healing. This could have been going on for weeks, months, or years before Jesus takes a moment to have some teaching-time with His disciples on a mountainside one day. We also don't know how many disciples were there. It could have been the twelve disciples we hear so much about, or it might have been many more. Hundreds maybe. Perhaps the size of an average congregation in the modern Christian church. But whatever the size of His audience, we do know this: His disciples came to Him. Somehow they were drawn up on that mountainside. Perhaps they noticed Him leaving when others did not. Or maybe He whispered an invitation to each person when He saw them that morning...'Meet Me on the mountain after breakfast, I have some things to tell you before we get started today.'
However they ended up there, Jesus had some interesting things to say. Personally I have read these words of Jesus many, many times, and I'm still not certain what He meant exactly. Some of His words were pretty clear, like "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets...When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father...Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear...Do not judge, or you too will be judged...If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him...
But what about phrases like, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."? Perhaps His meaning was clear to those hearing Him that day, but they aren't so clear to me. For starters, who qualifies as being 'poor in spirit', and what is the kingdom of heaven? And second, why did He want this particular group of hearers to know this? What was His motive, His purpose, and His message? And what did it have to do with the crowds of people waiting for Him in the valley?
Many different answers to these questions have been speculated about and preached on. I don't think I've ever heard the same explanation twice. And true to Jewish teaching tradition, many different interpretations are valid. Words spoken by God can have different meanings to different people. That's one of the beautiful things about Him. He is a personal God. He would much rather lead us on an individual basis than give blanket commands and broad guidelines that have to apply to everyone in every time period, in every region of the world, in every circumstance. He is much more creative, relational, and wise than that!
So why am I writing this? What is my point? I was looking at these verses this week, and I had an insight I haven't thought of before that I'd like to share with you: What if Jesus was making a comparison between the physical needs of the crowd and the spiritual needs of the disciples? We don't know a lot about the disciples, but those we at least know the names of--Peter, John, Matthew, etc., we know they weren't living in extreme poverty, dying of sickness, or demon-possessed. But that doesn't mean they didn't have needs. They weren't poor in a monetary sense, they weren't suffering from illness or pain, they had nothing noteworthy about them that drew the attention of others, but they were 'poor in spirit'...searching for significance, frustrated, sad, confused, worried, having some trouble with their enemies, living in sin and guilt, surrounded by the religion-police, feeling distant from God, looking for a more full and meaningful life...
"...Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth...."
I can hear a woman thinking, 'Is He talking about me? I thought He was bringing us up here to give us a crowd-control training session, but...how does He know about my private pain? Why is He saying that those who aren't usually noticed...like me...have such a great inheritance? That this is my land, and I have been chosen by God to receive it, that my ancestors are just as blessed as those religious big-wigs, and it doesn't matter that I'm not a man, or that my husband left me, or I haven't done a lot of great things...'
"...Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world..."
'Others say I'm nothing, that I have nothing to give, nothing to hope for, nothing to accomplish, no purpose, no real importance to God, no way of overcoming my mistakes and sinful habits, no chance of...'
"...Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you...how much more will your Father give good gifts to those who ask him!"
She begins to weep. She's not the only one. She can see grown men, usually brave and stoic, beginning to break down, letting their tough exteriors crack as they drop to their knees.
'Jesus, where have you been all our lives? We've heard about the Messiah, the Promised One. Is it you? Is what you're saying true? And why are you saying it to...to me? Who am I that I should hear such wonderful words that fill my heart with hope, peace, and joy?'
I constantly marvel that we have the words of Jesus to read for ourselves today. He came to share a message of love, peace, joy, and hope. Don't try to read it any other way. Even the difficult passages that seem harsh or condemning or unmerciful, they really aren't. There's always an underlying message of love for those who have ears to hear them with the grace that is intended.
I encourage you to read Matthew 5, 6, and 7 when you have the time---all in one shot, or a little each day. There's a lot to take in. There's a lot to be challenged by. There's a lot to think about and put into practice. But keep this in mind: You are loved by a holy God who wants the best for you. Those who choose to be disciples of Jesus may give up a lot to be devoted followers, but we gain far more than we ever lay aside. That's why He speaks the truth. The truth of what we truly need.
"Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock." Matthew 7:24-25
