The Sermon on the Mount is the most comprehensive collection of Jesus' sayings in the New Testament, and begins with a set of teachings that have come to be called the "Beatitudes." This set of teachings was the scripture and subject of the sermon last Sunday. In this listing of blessings as well as the teachings that follow, we have a vision set forth, a value perspective that is central to Jesus' teachings and complementary with the "good news" of the gospel. The beatitudes and even the rest of the teachings presented in the Sermon on the Mount are not the Gospel, per se; they seem to be focused upon the vision and spiritual foundations that needs to be present in the ambassadors of the Kingdom of God--the disciples of Jesus. This next Sunday we will talk further about the Sermon on the Mount, beginning with "the salt of the earth" and the "light of the world."
Looking back and reflecting further upon the sermon last Sunday, I'm struck by the "blessings" that seem pointedly relevant today. And one especially I've found myself thinking about: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."
One way of trying to understand the beatitudes, to get a handle on what they mean for us today, is to pose the possible opposite attitudes or values for contrast. For instance, here, the opposite of pure heart would be--what?--impure, polluted, muddy or cloudy, duplicitous, double-minded, conflicted, and more, suspicious, skeptical, cynical, negative, etc. (You can do a lot with opposites). In my sermon last Sunday I tended to focus more on our tendencies to be cynical and suspicious, surely not qualities associated with what we would call the pure in heart. Thus, this beatitude can be problematic for us: How can we be pure in heart today in our modern world and culture? How can we be pure in heart (purpose, will, devotion) and at the same time be realistic about other people and the world around us? Did Jesus understand this problem? Was it not a problem then as well?
And yes, it was an issue for Jesus and his disciples as well. There are plenty of instances where it is obvious that Jesus was not an out-of-touch visionary and dreamer. He new and understood the world. He was a realist. Thus: "I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). Jesus knew the world and those in it. There was a place for caution and very realistic assessments, and Jesus knew and spoke of these things. Yet we must be able to affirm that Jesus himself was pure in heart, indeed embodying and expressing all the beatitudes within his life and ministry.
In this modern world, with all the good but also all the darkness and evil, we as Christians must be discriminating, realistic, alert and ready, prepared for what comes our way. We must be able to recognize the darkness. And yet, we must live in the light as children of God, committed to purity of heart, along with meekness, humbleness, openness, mercy, peacemaking, righteousness, and all the rest. It can be done. Jesus' has done it. And by his grace - and our commitment and cooperation, so can we.
Peace in Grace,
Pastor David
Looking back and reflecting further upon the sermon last Sunday, I'm struck by the "blessings" that seem pointedly relevant today. And one especially I've found myself thinking about: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."
One way of trying to understand the beatitudes, to get a handle on what they mean for us today, is to pose the possible opposite attitudes or values for contrast. For instance, here, the opposite of pure heart would be--what?--impure, polluted, muddy or cloudy, duplicitous, double-minded, conflicted, and more, suspicious, skeptical, cynical, negative, etc. (You can do a lot with opposites). In my sermon last Sunday I tended to focus more on our tendencies to be cynical and suspicious, surely not qualities associated with what we would call the pure in heart. Thus, this beatitude can be problematic for us: How can we be pure in heart today in our modern world and culture? How can we be pure in heart (purpose, will, devotion) and at the same time be realistic about other people and the world around us? Did Jesus understand this problem? Was it not a problem then as well?
And yes, it was an issue for Jesus and his disciples as well. There are plenty of instances where it is obvious that Jesus was not an out-of-touch visionary and dreamer. He new and understood the world. He was a realist. Thus: "I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). Jesus knew the world and those in it. There was a place for caution and very realistic assessments, and Jesus knew and spoke of these things. Yet we must be able to affirm that Jesus himself was pure in heart, indeed embodying and expressing all the beatitudes within his life and ministry.
In this modern world, with all the good but also all the darkness and evil, we as Christians must be discriminating, realistic, alert and ready, prepared for what comes our way. We must be able to recognize the darkness. And yet, we must live in the light as children of God, committed to purity of heart, along with meekness, humbleness, openness, mercy, peacemaking, righteousness, and all the rest. It can be done. Jesus' has done it. And by his grace - and our commitment and cooperation, so can we.
Peace in Grace,
Pastor David
RSS Feed