One of the things I love about Jesus’ teaching, was the clarity he brought about our own confusion.  One of Jesus’ most powerful teachings is widely called The Sermon on the Mount.  Matthew records it in his gospel from chapters five through seven.  As challenging as it, it  started very simply.
“One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. Â His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them.” Â Matt 5.1,2
In words that follow, just 112 of them, he shows us just how innacuractely we can look at our world.
Those 112 words, called the beatitudes (Matt 5.3-10) were so named because the Latin word we derive blessing from is beatus. Â While not very lengthly, they give us some of the most straightforward descriptions of who is blessed in the Kingdom of Heaven. Â Eight phrases that show us how God says things should be. Â Other biblical writers use the term Kingdom of God, but Matthew, as he was tasked to write to the Jews, wouldn’t have used God’s name like that, hence, Kingdom of Heaven.
So, this week, let’s mediate on the Beatitudes. Â I would suggest this; Â take two each day and meditate on them. Â Ask yourself some questions: does this describe how I feel? Â Do I believe that those phrases are more accurate of what truly is a blessing than what the world around me says is one? Â Where is my thinking off? You might also want to consider using a different translation that what you are accustomed to using. Â The slightly different phrasing might help you to engage the verses in a fresh way. Â has a great list of translations you can choose from… and an interesting of a guy I know.
A couple of easy pitfalls to avoid. Â When Matthew writes blessed, he doesn’t necessarily mean material blessing. Â Blessing from God certainly includes that, but it involves so much more. Â We are blessed when we are adopted into God’s family, when we are aware of his presence, when we are more able to see our world, as well as God’s kingdom, more clearly. Â Cool?
So… Â take this week and each day, focus on two. Â Write them where you will see them, (I will put them up on my googlecal.) Take a bit of time, even as little as ten to fifteen minutes daily and reflect on those questions I listed above. Â You may find that God leads you to others, if that is what happens, dump mine and follow God’s lead.
Then pray.
At least once this week, take about 30-ish minutes and pray for your heart to more clearly reflect God’s explanation of beatus. Â Pray for those around you, wherever you are to understand it as well, pray for [nlcf] overall to do the same. Â Finally, pray that when you return to [nlcf], that God would show you how to be beatus to those you will be around. Â If you can do that with others that are in your area, please do.
If you are in the Blacksburg area, how about we meet Monday, June 14th, at Jackson St. Â Say 7am? Â Can everyone here make it? If you are at LT, in the 757, Richmond, Northern VA or elsewhere, email around and see if you can link up as well. Â If not, either becuase you cannot find a time or you are in Portland :), maybe ask some people around you or you and God do this alone.
Last thing… at least once before next Tuesday, comment in about what God shows you through this week. Â I will be praying that he speaks to us all.
So…
So… let’s go get em!
Peace, Jim
Cory said...
1So I guess I will get this going. I’ll be open and honest, it’s not like anyone outside this group will be able to read what I post-ha.
What stood out to me most was 5:5,8,10. I feel those three, humble, pure heart and persecuted for doing right, are aspects not in my life currently. I am not sure if persecuted for doing right has ever been, kind of sounds like a tough one to me, however having a pure heart was always atop my “good-list” if you will. Ha.
If you start to hardened your heart towards some things-it makes it easier to lose that pure heart. And after awhile it’s gone. And without a pure heart it’s hard to see God. And that my friends, is trouble.
Journey well.
06/13/10 4:21 PM | Comment Link
said...
2I must confess that I just read this post today. I have been packing as my lease ends next week and an old friend just came into town.
I have not done most of what Jim asked, but I did read the verses.
The last few months have been hard and it is cool that through this weekend, and I can see it in these verses too, God has reminded me that he does see and care about the circumstances in life.
And he has a plan beyond me and beyond the current situations that he is working to fruition.
That there is more to God’s plan than the current issues I find myself in and that at the same time he does not ignore the now, he is with us in every season is comforting.
Grace and Peace,
Allen
06/14/10 10:01 AM | Comment Link
Greg G said...
3The Message has a really interesting take on the beatitudes and I felt that reading Peterson’s version alongside my traditional NRSV bible really breathed new life into the passage.
The Message, after describing that you are blessed when blessed when people persecute you and revile you for your faith in verses 11 and 12, ends with the following sentence:
“My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.”
I can just see God saying something like that with a wry little smile on his face. The statement reminded me of a speech I heard from Congressman John Lewis a year and a half ago.
I don’t do it justice by boiling down a 45 minute speech into a couple sentences, but in this speech (given at the College Conference at Montreat in Montreat, NC) John Lewis, a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, explained that there was a time when he and the other members of the movement had finally decided that it was time to get in the way – that it was time to get into trouble. With this mindset, the sit-ins began. In his words, “they were standing up, by sitting down.”
It made me wonder about how I could “get into trouble” for God today. I also asked the question, what do I do once I’m in trouble? How do I handle the people who revile and persecute me?
Thankfully, John Lewis gave me a relatively simple answer for the latter question –
“Love the hell out of them. Literally love the hell out of them. Love them until all of the hell leaves their bodies.”
Now, how do I answer the first?
06/14/10 7:01 PM | Comment Link
said...
4allen, thanks so much for sharing that. i will continue to pray for you and for you (and those around you) to see what God is up to, that you would sense his love for you in a very palpable way. God deeply cares for you and sees where your life can go. hope to see you in bollo’s soon! 🙂
06/15/10 7:12 AM | Comment Link
said...
5great thoughts cory and very true. in the letter of james, james tells us that it is possible to sear your conscience to the point that what bothered you at one time no longer does. i really appreciate your honesty and your willingness to peer into your heart. may we all have the same courage! will be praying for you bro. not sure i can make the game tonight, but really hope to be at the next one! peace,
jim
06/15/10 7:14 AM | Comment Link
said...
6greg, thanks so much for sharing that amazing quote. “it was time to get in the way.” when you think of what that meant for their lives and the danger it would put them in, that is truly inspirational. i also love that he made that decision not just out of anger (although it would have made sense if he had) but it seems like he reflected on it, and then decided. it is so great to hear the hard won words of inspirational people. thanks so much for sharing it. praying for you out on the west coast bro and your bible study group. hope you enjoy the book.
06/15/10 7:18 AM | Comment Link
said...
7so, i should probably add my comment, eh?
as i was reading and reflecting on the beautitudes, i have been struck by how easy it is to think i am looking at the world correctly but be completely wrong. i look at things through my eyes so much more than i want to. what i want, are God’s eyes. to do that, i need to make sure that i am allowing him to be sovereign in my life. i need to let him be more in charge of my life than i am presently allowing him to be.
06/15/10 7:21 AM | Comment Link
Kristen F. said...
8Aaah I tried to post this like 2 days ago, but I was out of town and my friend’s internet wasn’t letting me post anything here or on facebook or send emails. . . so here it is!!
This particular part of Matthew has always kind of stuck out to me, but I never really took this much time to contemplate them and pray about them and figure out how they fit into, or how they don’t fit into my life. It was really great to come to a deeper understanding this week.
5:7 really caught my attention as I was reflecting. Mercy is such a hard concept for people to grasp, myself included. The idea that someone who may have done wrong and may deserve to be in the terrible place they may be can be forgiven and can receive generosity and mercy from others is hard to grasp for me. I have always been of the opinion that if you mess up, you have to live with the consequences in full. But reflecting on this passage has brought me to some new conclusions.
Take a homeless man for example. Homeless due to a drug habit. Something happened in his life, some influence was bad enough or some conditions were rough enough for him to turn to drugs, and now he sits on the streets miserable. Who deserves that? We are all humans, all children of God. Shouldn’t we look out for each other? Shouldn’t we love one another? Isn’t love the focus of so many verses and chapters and books of the Bible?
So, I have learned to have much more mercy for people. This verse stuck out to me, and it is for that very reason. It is hard, especially being in Portland, where for safety’s sake, you have to completely ignore begging homeless people every single day (because you never know what kind of mental state they are in).
But instead of giving them money, I say a little prayer for them. I pray that God will watch out for them and that they will find happiness someday. I don’t know if that’s considered mercy. . . but it’s something I’ve started doing recently in an attempt to have more mercy for people. When I pray, I think harder about the situation at hand from a more God-focused perspective. I remember this verse, and that these people deserve respect and mercy.
06/15/10 8:48 PM | Comment Link
said...
9Kristin,
what a great reflection. i think that what you are starting to do is a great deal of the point of the beattitudes. to consider how we think and look at the world we live in everyday. you may also want to consider getting involved in some ministries/service organizations that serve the poor/homeless populations. what a great way to enact what we are looking at this week (allowing God’s flavor to show more clearly in our world.) i know some great people out that way so let me know if i can connect you with what they are doing. have a great day and i really look forward to hearing more of what God is doing through you…
06/16/10 7:04 AM | Comment Link