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by Lilly Hunter
This semester, the youth and I are together taking a deep dive intoJesus’ teaching in the Sermon onthe Mount. It is an incredible passage that contains a primer onthe ministry of Christ. The summation of the sermon is the beatitudes, given in the first 12 verses.
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Throughout my life, from the time I memorized these as an AWANA volunteer through reflecting on them as an adult, I always assumed that Jesus was offering a blesssing, consoling those in difficult situations and commending those with godly traits. But the reality is, the root of the word blessing that Jesus uses here is much more convoluted. Jesus is saying “the good life belongs to those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek.” Christ is holding up these deplorable situations as examples of people who have achieved his version of the good life.
All humanity is seeking a good life- for ourselves, our children, and those we love. We all frame it differently, but essentially we seek comfort, safety, success, adventure, well being, health, a good reputation, etc. However, from the outset of his teaching, Jesus wants the listener to know that he has a different idea of what makes life good. The good life belongs to those who are in the position to be added to God's kingdom. the good life belongs to those who, once they are children of God, are uncomfortable with the lack of right relationship with God and with others, who seek justice to make peace.
The more that I dive into these verses, the more I am convicted that my idea of the good life, and all the effort I put into making it happen, are simply vanity. God is calling us to so much more. Jesus is calling us to seek not comfort but to be literally hungry, physically uncomfortable with a lack of right relationships in our lives. Jesus is calling us not to seek wealth but to give so generously to those that don’t deserve it that God can stamp us merciful. Jesus is calling us not to seek happiness but to insert ourselves into conflict to make peace. Even my service to him, the good deeds I do (often reluctantly out of obligation or half heartedly out of selfishness) do not live up to pure in heart. Jesus of course recognizes our humanity and sin nature. He knows that even the most Godly among us will continue to sin in this regard. But on the same token, he expects this good life for his followers. There is not one line in the sermon that Jesus did not embody on this earth.
He simply asks us to follow in his footsteps.
This month, I pray that you, along with me, would begin to pray these things over your life. Allow the words and the life of Christ to convict your heart. Turn from the sin of seeking the good life by your own standards and wholeheartedly devote yourself to seeking the good life according to Jesus Christ. Jesus promises that it will transform us and our community as we seek to create pockets of heaven here on earth.
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