Matthew 5:1-12
Sometimes theological statements in the Gospels look a little different in the three “synoptic” Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus’s teaching about the Kingdom is given through parables, prophecies and sayings which are different to help us better understand. “Synoptic,” by the way, comes from the Greek word “synopsis” (which we still use to mean “a plot summary”). It means “seeing something all together,” and we use it for these three Gospels which share many stories and have a similar organization. The blessings in Matthew 5 isn’t the only Gospel where they appear. The address of Jesus in Luke 6:17 and following is often called the “Sermon on the Plain” because Jesus is speaking to the crowd, especially His disciples, from a “level place.” Like many good preachers, Jesus seems to have reused His stories sometimes. Luke 6:20-26 resembles the beginning of the more famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12), with the notable addition of all those “woes,” of course. The Beatitudes (as this set of blessings has come to be known from their Latin translation) are, as people used to say, “downers.” They are not for those moments in life when we already feel “#blessed,” as the hashtag on Instagram has it. #blessed on Instagram is for the days when everything goes well, we get a new car or a promotion, or go on vacation in Rome. The Beatitudes are for those who are hungry, sad, persecuted, defamed, and poor. And they come with a deep promise that Christ will be faithful to us in those moments and that we stand in the same heritage as the prophets and martyrs. Instead, it is to those who are #blessed in the Instagram sense that Jesus’s prophesied woes come. If we are comfortable, happy, rich, and thought well of, maybe we should instead be using the hashtag #cursed. I need to say that this passage of Scripture has been abused to tell people that they can never enjoy anything about their life and they are only following God if they do painful and difficult things. We are sometimes called to the difficult and the dark, but we are also called to exercise the gifts God has given us and encouraged to joy and take delight in the Lord. But Jesus is still making a crucial point here. What makes us #blessed or #cursed is not money, fame, and a good reputation. How Jesus defined the words “blessed” and “cursed” run counter to how the world uses these words. The fact is, as Christians, we are all blessed: with the love of God the Father, with the salvation brought to us through the sacrifice of Jesus, with the power of the Holy Spirit, with the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. By all means, if you get the promotion, give thanks to the Lord. But if you don’t, give thanks to the Lord as well. Ask for wisdom, discernment, and strength, not more stuff. And don’t for a minute think that because you didn’t get something you wanted, you’re not blessed. Nothing could be further from the truth. What makes us #blessed is the presence of the Lord And in that, Jesus preaches in this sermon, we should rejoice. Comments are closed.
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