What is the best known passage in the Bible? I suppose John 3:16 would be up there. Same with the 23rd Psalm, the Lord’s prayer, and the Golden Rule. Among Bible class smart alecks looking for an easy verse to memorize, it might be “Jesus wept”. The Ten Commandments would be in this company, though sadly only 14% of Americans can name all ten, according to a USA Today poll.
One other passage that I would place among the best known in Scripture are the beatitudes of Jesus, found in Matthew 5:3-12 at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. Not only are they recognized as among the literary and religious treasures of humankind, they also contain some of the highest expressions of spiritual insight and moral inspiration.
A beatitude typically denotes a privileged recipient of God’s favor, as in “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” The “blessed are” statements could also be translated “happy are,” “fortunate are,” “congratulations to,” “honored are,” or “esteemed are.” Jesus’ beatitudes in Matthew 5 function as eight (or nine, depending on how you count) vignettes, eight imaginings of what God’s grace working in human lives can look like in the present along with a promise of the future outcome of that grace when God’s kingdom comes in its fullness.
This Sunday, we’re beginning our fall sermon series titled, “The Beatitudes: Present Grace, Future Promise,” and during the next two months, we’ll be exploring these vignettes of grace and hope. Here are three things to keep in mind. First, these beatitudes are intended to startle, to arrest our attention, to contradict typical expectations. We don’t usually consider those who mourn, those longing for justice, or those who suffer persecution to be blessed. Jesus is pushing against business as usual, where the powerful and prosperous are viewed as ones to be envied. God’s kingdom moves in surprising ways and among unexpected recipients and we’re invited to be alert to God’s work.
Second, the beatitudes are pronouncements of blessing, not commands to be obeyed. In fairness, it’s possible to discern an implicit call to be peacemakers or purer in heart in these blessings; but as pronounced, these qualities are seen as an outgrowth of God’s grace at work in the lives of Jesus’ followers. Their tone is less about gritted teeth and striving and more about living gratefully by God’s empowerment.
Third, the beatitudes are intended to plant seeds of hope in God’s future. The second part of each beatitude offers a promise: “theirs is the kingdom,” “they will be comforted,” “they will receive mercy,” “they will see God.” All who live in hope of God’s future kingdom are sustained by such promises in the midst of life’s ups and downs.
Recent Comments