Beatitudes speak Hope

You may or may not know this… but today is a particularly special day. We have the rare joy of something that has occurred only one another time in the history of creation. Today is only the second time EVER that Superbowl Sunday and Groundhogs day coincide. So if the quarterback comes out of the pocket and sees his shadow, we’ll know there’ll be six more weeks of complaining about whoever wins.

But who doesn’t like a good winner? After all as human beings we tend to cheer on the people who come out on top. Sure an underdog story is a neat thing to follow… but it’s a lot more interesting if the underdog wins.

I think that’s partly why the beatitudes that we hear Jesus talk about in our Gospel reading today catch the attention of so many people.

Don’t worry if you’re poor in spirit… because you’re going to eventually get the kingdom of heaven.

Find yourself in mourning? No sweat. Just stick it out because God’s going to comfort you in time.

Feeling particularly meek? Steamrolled by others? Again, don’t worry about it. You’ll get your chance and if you are meek long enough then you’re going to inherit the earth later on.

And if we go down the list we might see a pattern where it almost seems like God is promising a big WIN for the underdog.

Bible Camp

I remember the first day of Bible Camp we were going to travel in a line from our cabins to the meal hall. Everyone quickly got in line and there was a bit of rough housing by a few kids to be the very first ones in line.

Well, that was all fine and good until our camp counselor told us that the “First would be last and the last would be first.” The whole line did an about face and the kids in the rear became the leaders.

The next time we had to travel, there was another squabble; this time over who was going to be last in line… because we knew what was coming. Whoever could be the biggest underdog in the line would get the big W.

Sometimes I think that’s how we see the beatitudes. We can imagine that this is Jesus’ way of telling us that one day the underdog will win… one day we’ll come out on top.

Be Happy Attitudes

Back in the late 80s there was a popular book called the “Be Happy Attitudes.” The idea behind it was that the beatitudes were prescriptive for us… in other words they were Jesus’ hints to live a happy life. It was, in essence, a self-help book.

The author walked through each of the beatitudes and talked about successful behaviors for us to take on in order to be at peace with the world and at peace with ourselves and find a general state of happy.

An example of that was:

"I'm going to remain cool, calm, and corrected"

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"

Summary:

* Be Mighty enough to be controlled and disciplined.

* Be Emotionally Stable enough to realize you can't do it all by yourself

* Be Kind enough to be sensitive, quiet, unselfish

There you are. You'll come to the end of your life with pride behind you, love around you, and hope ahead of you!

All of this sounds great… except there’s one fairly major flaw in all of this. Here’s where knowing a little Greek can be helpful.

In these beatitudes, Jesus doesn’t use what’s called the “imperative” voice. In other words, he isn’t commanding people to be meek, or mourning or anything like that. Nor is Jesus using a causality… in other words, You’ll blessed if… your meek, etc.

Instead, when Jesus says Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth, he is making a declarative statement. He is speaking a word of truth about how things are… not how they might be or could be… but how they are.

Change in Perspective

Ok, pastor, that’s all fine and good but what does that actually mean? What do we need to do?

Well, see, here’s the rub about all of this. It’s not about what we need to do to earn God’s favor or blessing.

In our first reading today from , God reminds the people of Israel about the story of King Balak and Balaam.

In that story, found in the book of Numbers, King Balak seeks an alliance with Balaam against the people of Israel. Balaam, however, continues to refuse King Balak saying that God doesn’t want him to go to war with Israel.

So King Balak starts going from place to place building altar after altar to sacrifice bulls and rams to God. It’s the idea that if he can prove himself humble enough before God that he will be able to receive God’s blessing.

Well, the reader’s digest version of the story is that God declares that God can’t be bought. The people of Israel will continue to be God’s people no matter how much King Balak offers up in sacrifice.

God’s blessing is something that can’t be chased after and won… but can only be received as gift.

Tying in

But still, what does this mean? What is Jesus trying to say here to us?

If you recall last week we heard Matthew chapter 4, the passage leading up to the text we have today. Jesus heard the news that John the Baptist had been imprisoned and so he left Nazareth, walked along the sea of Galilee, and began to proclaim:

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.”

I bring this back up for us because Jesus’ words here frame his ministry in the Gospel of Matthew.

And it’s important to notice that immediately after picking up his first four disciples, Jesus goes out, he starts proclaiming the good news to folks and he starts healing them.

Matthew tells us that Jesus healed those who were ill with all kinds of diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures… those who were paralyzed.

The people who were healed is that they were all people who were victims of disease that couldn’t be treated. Many of them likely would have been ostracized from their communities as unclean… cursed… perhaps deserving of their punishment due to some sin whether it was known or unknown.

They were in hopeless situations that seemed to have no way out except for death. That is, until, Jesus came near. Until the Kingdom of Heaven was with them.

And then immediately after these amazing healings, Jesus talks about the beatitudes and says Blessed are they… blessed are they who are hurting.

But you know… you would think after starting his ministry with a message like, “repent for the kingdom of Heaven has come near” that we would see a heavy emphasis on people asking for forgiveness and then Jesus granting the healings… but that’s not what we see here.

Repent

But you see, to repent means more than just to stop sinning, though that’s generally what we think about because we hear people say, “Repent from your sins.” But repent means more literally to change… to turn around… to do a 180 on something.

The big turn around… the 180… the change that Jesus is pointing to is a change in perspective. The Kingdom of Heaven has come near.

For those who Jesus encountered who had felt ensnared in a hopeless cycle of disease and disregard… for those who felt abandoned perhaps even by God… the news for them was that God was present. God was with them. Rather than imagining that God is far off, that God is present… here… in the now.

And the news of the Kingdom of Heaven being present did not mean that they needed to live in fear of judgement and damnation. Change their ways OR ELSE. No.

For those who found themselves in pain… their lives spinning out of control… questions filling their hearts about their worth in the eyes of their neighbors and in the eyes of their God… Jesus tells them that there is reason to hope. They and we are blessed.

Beatitudes Conclusion

The blessing that Jesus talks about isn’t some cultural stereotype about having something to do with wealth or fame or power or even happiness.

It’s not a blessing that we can earn by being good enough or generous enough and somehow proving ourselves to God.

Instead, to be blessed is being made open to the presence of God that gives without asking in return and blesses that we might be freed to be a blessing.

Maple Wood Lutheran

I recently came across an article about another ELCA congregation up in Minnesota that partnered with a non-profit called RIP Medical Debt. This last August, the congregation sent a gift of $15,000 to RIP Medical Debt to be used to purchase delinquent medical debts that were going to collection.

You may or may not know this, but when those debts are sent to collection, they are sold for literally pennies on the dollar… helping that $15,000 get stretched much farther than it normally would.

Families in Arkansas and Texas received letters, instructing them to keep the letter for their records. Their debt had been purchased… by a church in Minnesota…. a 1,000 miles away. And the message was this, “You don’t have to pay anything. You’re free.”

All in all, 472 families received letters covering a total debt value of $1.6 million saying that Maple Grove Lutheran Church had taken care of their debt. They weren’t alone in their debts… there debts had been fulfilled. They were free.

That’s the kind of blessing the Beatitudes is talking about. A blessing not paid for. A blessing is not earned by being the greatest winner or even the biggest loser. But the blessing is the gift from God that frees us even in the midst of our struggles. It is the knowledge that God is right there with us, standing in our struggles, caring for us and loving us and at times, shedding tears alongside us.

Repent from hopelessness; the Kingdom of Heaven has come near. Hope is alive and with us.