Psalm 15:1-5 NIV
A psalm of David. LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? 2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart 3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, 4 who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, 5 who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
Matthew 5:1-12 NIV
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying: 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 sons 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.
“The Light Revealed: as Meek and Mild”
This past month, we’ve spent a lot of time pouring through the prophets, learning more about Jesus Christ. If we are to truly be his followers, if we are to follow his lead, we need to know where it is he is leading us. That is why we should always continue to spend time in the Bible discovering the character and call of our Lord.
Today, we step out of the Old Testament, and into the New Testament: the book of Matthew. To finish our series we will no longer look at what other people have said about Christ’s ministry… we hear from Christ himself.
The text is one of Christ’s most familiar sermons. We know it as the Beatitudes, the sermon on the mount, or… if you’re in Luke: as the sermon on the plains. This comes early on in the book of Matthew… chapter 5. It is Christ’s first sermon… his first public address in Matthew. It is also his longest speech in the entire book of Matthew.
THIS… brothers and sisters… is Christ’s “Inaugural Address.” We know Inaugural Address well in our culture because of the Presidential Inaugural Addresses.
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
What does the Inaugural Address do? It sets the stage for what this new leader is going to be all about. It tells the people… this is the direction we are going. THIS… is Christ’s “Inaugural Address.”
Finally, the savior has come and it’s time to set his agenda. Would it be war? Would it be rise to power? Would it be time for all good followers to glorify themselves and see themselves exalted? Perhaps, but not in the way we expect.
He gives them… the Beatitudes… which means “blessings.” Not a bad way to start your leadership… tell them how they will all be blessed! But it is a very strange list of blessings:
1) Poor in spirit (humble) = Kingdom of Heaven
2) Mourn = comfort
3) Meek = inherit the earth
4) Righteous = filled
5) Merciful = mercy
6) Pure = see God
7) Peacemakers = sons of God
8) Persecuted = heaven
9) Insulted = rewarded (like a prophet)
Not the kind of list most people would want to find themselves on. Like we’ve said over the past several weeks, Christ’s message went against everything they had hoped for, and for this reason alone it was often rejected. Now, his opening statements to his followers, his “Mission Statement”… comes out: “If you wanna be blessed… you have to be humbled, you have to be meek, you have to mild, you have to be subservient, you have to be unprivileged, you have to put all others before yourself. THAT, is what I’m about. Not quite as inspiring as “We have nothing to fear.” But, what else was Christ going to say? This is exactly what Christ, and his ministry, is all about.
This sermon… this “Inaugural Address” sets the stage for the entire gospel of Matthew. Matthew uses these words to set the agenda for the rest of his Gospel. And why not? Christ used these words to set the agenda for the rest of his ministry… for the rest of his life! Christ hopes his followers will use these words to set the agenda for there own life. However… the bible tells us flat out that his followers didn’t get it. A few got it much later on, but some of them never got it.
When I was in school, almost every single religion professor I knew had the same “Beatitudes Joke” pinned to their cork board. And it always went a little something like this:
Then Jesus took his disciples up on the mountain and gathered them around Him. And then He taught them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
Blessed are the meek,
Blessed are the merciful,
Blessed are you who thirst for justice,
Blessed are you who are persecuted,
Blessed are the peacemakers."
And Simon Peter said, "Do we have to write this stuff down?"
And Philip said, "Will this be on the test?"
And Andrew said, "John the Baptist’s disciples don’t have to learn this stuff."
And Matthew said, "Huh?"
And Judas said, "When am I ever going to use this in real life?"
Then one of the Pharisees, an expert in law, said, "I don’t see any of this in the syllabus. Do you have a lesson plan? Is there an activity for each of the seven intelligences? Where is the study guide? Will there be any authentic assessment? Will remediation and extra credit be provided for those who did not meet class requirements so they can still pass?"
And Thomas, who had missed the sermon, came to Jesus privately and said, "Did we do anything important today?"
And Jesus wept.
I’m sure my college and seminary professors could feel a certain companionship with Jesus in this regard: having a life changing message… that everyone misses or takes for granted, or disregards as something we should KNOW but not DO!
Let’s be clear on one thing here… this is a list of imperatives: this is Christ saying to all of his followers, “THIS DO!” If there is any doubt, let us turn once more into our bibles and read on:
Matthew 5:13-16
13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Christ gives us a laundry list of commands and tells us, “THIS DO!” Christ hopes his followers will use these words to set the agenda for there own life. Not simply that we know this stuff, not simply that we understand this stuff, not simply that we agree with this stuff… but that we LIVE this stuff.
You know… maybe if we put it into language we like a little more. You all like “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” right? Let’s try this then… let’s keep the imperative tone and message of Christ… and view it through a “nothing to fear” lens.
1) Don’t be afraid of being humiliated
2) Don’t be afraid of being put into a position of loss
3) Don’t be afraid to hold yourself back
4) Don’t be afraid to say no to the world
5) Don’t be afraid to open yourself up to forgiveness
6) Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe
7) Don’t be afraid to be the first to put down your guard
8) Don’t be afraid of people making fun of you
9) Don’t be afraid of people speaking ill of you
Now how does this list sound? Much less awkward and confusing than “Blessed are the poor.” But, the message is the same even if the set up has been changed. Yet, now… this list is sounding like something I might be able to get a hold of. But the point is… we shouldn’t have to change Jesus’ words for them to be acceptable to us. The message is still the same! The point is still the same! Christ’s words and his call to actions are good!
Christ gave us his “Inaugural Address,” he has given us his agenda… his call to action, and has put the challenge before all of us. When JFK declared “ask what can you do for your country” a record number of youth signed up for the peace corps! Christ has declared to all of us to “let our light shine to the entire world.” How many of us will enlist?
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
