Sep 19 2019 Matthew 5: 1-10

Blessed are. . .

Here we get the series of ‘blessed are.. ‘s, known as the beatitudes. are the poor, the meek, the merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers. Blessed are those who mourn, who hunger and thirst. Blessed are those who are persecuted.

When he uttered these blessings, I’m sure they sounded crazy. People who are poor or hungry would not be seen as blessed. Those who are persecuted would not feel blessed. When people are now professing a gospel of prosperity – just believe in Jesus and good things will happen – how can blessings be seen as something that are associated with hunger, poverty, mourning?

Obviously, Jesus is talking about something different than the common understanding of blessing. Blessing isn’t about happiness, or good feelings, or prosperity, or wealth or health. This seems to me to singularly refute the idea of prosperity gospels, where followers are told that if they just believe, and believe hard enough, good things will happen. Conversely, if bad things happen – to their own financial, health, and happiness, or to their loved ones – clearly they didn’t believe or they sinned somewhere along the way.

Jesus is saying that if these bad things happen, we can still be blessed. We can be loved, and feel that sense of God’s closeness as a blessing. Those who mourn will be comforted, those who hunger will be filled, those who are persecuted for Jesus’ sake will inherit the kingdom of God.

Thinking of my own world now, and looking at my very sick loved one, I mourn. They are sick. They are persecuted. It seems that my sense of faith and of God’s grace does provide comfort. I am comforted when I’m sad, not because immediately things are better, but because I have a sense of God’s grace, regardless of current trials.

My loved one is scattered enough, I’m not sure they see or feel God’s love at this point; just yesterday, they asked my husband to help put together the reception for their imminent wedding to a musician, asking about how to get a caterer and where the event should be. But even in their confusion, they’ve occasionally asked for God, asking about maybe going to church. When they were in the hospital, they demanded a Bible. I doubt they’d cracked open their Bible much before that.

So maybe there is comfort and healing, although I cannot see it. 

This morning, I’m thinking about how much my life is enriched by an expansive and longer-term understanding of God’s blessings in my life and the life of my loved ones. I feel a little sorry for people who think of God’s blessing as a transactional commodity, bought and sold with my good deeds of the day. Today, I want to see and feel God’s blessing in midst of my good deeds, as well as the rest of my day.