Pastor Ray preached there is a refrain of those who are blessed. They are poor in spirit, those who mourn, who are meek, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are persecuted. Initially we might be tempted to look into ourselves to see if we believe ourselves to be any of the people Jesus calls out. We might think Jesus calls us to emulate people who are in these states. Looking carefully at Jesus' words, however, these are not really moral platitudes to live by.
The reversal Jesus is teaching is not about turning inward to perfect ourselves by reaching these states of soul that Jesus is calling out. Instead this can be framed using Matthew 4, where just before these verses, Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. He calls his first disciples and says “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.” In the Beatitudes Jesus teaches what this fishing looks like. The presence of the kingdom of heaven Jesus brings about is liberating. A key principle of embracing this life is understanding "blessedness."
The word "blessed" does not mean "holy," nor "happy" in the sense of being in a good mood. Rather, the word, "blessed" refers to a fortunate state of life. Jesus is saying that those who are poor in spirit are fortunate.They are fortunate and we can respect and honor those in these states by applying the presence of the kingdom of heaven to them. This does not mean we do not help or have empathy for their circumstances but, rather, we approach them without pity. We do not need to think about some circumstance they find themselves in, that we may cavalierly label as unfortunate, and think "there but for the grace of God go I".
Pastor Ray noted the verbs in the first verses are in the present tense: "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The kingdom that Jesus proclaims infiltrates the present condition of the unfortunate and transforms their lives. Jesus had begun his public ministry announcing that the kingdom of heaven has come near. Later, when Jesus sends his disciples out to preach and heal, he tells them to make the same announcement as they go. The kingdom of heaven breaks into the world with the words and work of Jesus regardless of their state or if they are vindicated or escape the condition Jesus has identified.
After listing the beatitudes, Jesus says, "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account". The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who suffer because of their faithfulness to Jesus. But Jesus is also calling them to follow his own way, since he himself will suffer for his faithfulness to God, trusting that God will vindicate him.
While Jesus affirms the present experience and simultaneously promises future vindication for the unfortunate in verses 4-9. While the verbs in the second half of the beatitudes in verses 3 and 10 are in the present tense, the verbs in the second half of the beatitudes verses 4-9 are in the future tense.
The promise of future vindication does not mean, however, that the focus is entirely future. Jesus insists that God has the final word, bringing assurance into the present. This is why he can say, "Blessed are those who mourn...blessed are the meek...blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...blessed are the merciful...blessed are the pure in heart...blessed are the peacemakers." Jesus gives his followers eyes to see that the future is certain and this transforms the present.
My family's present has been transformed with the suffering my wife has gone through in recent weeks with her health. For the past couple of Sundays I have not been at worship because Mary was either in the hospital or she was in Immediate Care. We, however, did feel Creator's care surrounding us. The congregational prayers were there and felt sustaining.
This first day I was able to make it to worship was meaningful. Marilyn noticed how I sang the first Creator Praise song, I Will Sing a Song Unto The Lord, and knew, without asking, that Mary was better. Others noticed something special in all of the music leaders when we sang Blest Are They. Together with that Creator's Quilting group presented a quilt for Mary. My wife was touched by the work and care that went into the quilt and the cheerful colors and patterns. It transformed the room she is recuperating in. Many in the congregation offered to provide food but our family's strict current diets made that unworkable. The congregation found many other ways show their care and concern for Mary.
Jesus calls us to join a radical kingdom. He gives us a radical vision to match, that the kingdom of heaven infiltrates our present. We can continue fishing for people, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom at great cost to ourselves, fighting oppressive powers in Jesus' name. We can suffer for the sake of Jesus and the gospel, with the assurance that God has the last word. When we see people receiving the word of God, and finding healing and freedom in Jesus' name we can announce, "the kingdom of heaven has drawn near."
There are many ways and states in feeling blessed.
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