Matthew 5: 1-16 ‘The Beatitudes”

“Blessed are” followed by the situations most of us would never choose to be in. Would never want to be in. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Those who mourn. The meek. The list goes on and on. Jesus, in this series of teachings referred to as the Sermon on the Mount, speaks startling words. In these particular teachings, in the words of theologian Larry Bouchard, we find that “God’s reign interrupts the usual expectations of life”.

We are now in the second week of our sermon series on the stories of the faith found in the Gospel of Mathew. We have found Jesus speaking about the Kingdom of God above all us and redefining exactly what that Kingdom means, even for us, here, now, today. 

Jesus begins the sermon on the mount with the Beatitudes, or blessings. Blessings were used to show the favor of God and curses or woes to express God’s displeasure. Some of the greatest blessings God could bestow during biblical times were around family and land. To have a large family, especially sons, and an abundance of crop. But if blessings show God’s favor, how many of us would consider these beatitudes to be blessings in our own lives? I think many of us would actually consider what Jesus is saying to be more of a woe then a blessing. Even those that are are not as intense in emotion as those who mourn, are not looked upon well in today’s society - the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted. 

The truth is deep down inside many of us want the opposite of what the beatitudes are expressing. We want to be rich, successful, powerful. We want to be the ones on top of the world, without a care. It is as if with teaching, Jesus is redefining what it means to be in God’s favor. It’s not what we think it is. It is not being the most popular. Or having the biggest church. Or having the fanciest programs. Its about seeking peace, being meek, being merciful. Not the most popular things by the world’s standards, but are reflections of the heart of Jesus Christ. 

For far too long we have tried to take Jesus’s teachings and lay them over the ideals of culture. But brothers and sisters, that simply won’t work. Because there are too many areas were they are simply atitetical. They won’t meld together no matter how hard you shove. For a period of time, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, it seemed like we could make a go of it - the church and the world’s standards being melded together, but in the end, we found that it couldn’t work, because the church, reflecting the heart of Jesus, was more about embedding the beatitudes then power and success, and we drift far from the heart of the gospel message when we forget that truth. We are to be transformed by the heart of Christ, not transformed by the other ideals. 

In a way, the beatitudes were a gift to the disciples and to those gathered at the foot of the mountain. They are a gift that reminds us that above all, God’s ways aren’t the same as our ways - so we need to make a choice - will we follow our own path or God’s? And they are a gift because they free us from trying to be like everyone else - trying to fit in to a mold of success that was never meant for us. They free us to live differently, intentionally, so that other’s may see the light of Christ shining through us. 

Which is exactly where Jesus went next in his sermon on the mount. In many of our Bibles there are breaks in the text in big bold letters, which help us focus on topics or scriptures that go together. But in this particular text those big bold letters can be a hinderance - causing us to forget that these verses, were part of one teaching together. Jesus moves right from the blessings, the Beatitudes, to talking about what it means to be salt and light. 

I used to teach at a mini-camp for students in the northern part of the annual conference. One year, we were learning about the sermon on the mount and for one of the lessons I gave the students flashlight. We talked about this passage about being salt and light and what it means to share our light with the world. And those kids - starting in fourth grade got it, they got it church! They understood that that Jesus was using us, all of us, as vessels to shine forth the light of God. A light that had already changed some of their lives! 

In the ancient world people under stood how important salt and light were. Salt was the chief way of perceiving food. It was used in worship. It was a small thing of great worth. Light was also important. It dictated when people could work. Illuminated what they could see. Both salt and light were ordinary things that had extraordinary importance. 

Sometimes we forget just how important the gift we have to share as the church is. We have the light and love of Jesus Christ. We have a message that cannot be contained. Yet, at times thats exactly what we try to do - especially when we try to fit in with everyone else. We stop looking for opportunities to share the love of Jesus and start looking for ways that we can be just as successful as everyone else. We stop trying to reach out to new people to share Christ’s love with and start thinking that we are good enough as we are. The result, church, is us hiding our light and losing our flavor. 

I love the word choice of Jesus in this section of his teaching. He isn’t saying we should be salt and light, or that we will be salt in light, rather that we are. We are salt and light. By virtue of our faith in Christ we are sent forth to share the message with the world. Because we have been adopted into the family of God, we have a task to share the life-giving love of Jesus with others!

One of my professors told the story that every time he goes out in public – even to buy something as simple as socks for his feet – salespeople recognize him as a preacher. He is not a well-known man even inside the circle of the church, yet alone outside of its community. He does not wear a cross around his neck and he dresses like any other working person. But people recognize something inside of him that he cannot escape from – he is a preacher. Oh that we would live in such a way that those around us would know that we are Christians. Live is such a way that pushes aside the standards of blessing that the world holds – of popularity, wealth, and health, and pick up the radical cross and immerse ourselves in this peculiar way of living. A way that is just as peculiar today as it was when Jesus spoke it over the disciples sitting at his feet. Some may say that we are foolish. Others may say that it is impossible – but we know that it is not. For our Lord and Savior walked the very path of blessing that he laid out to be our example – to show us that it can be done. One step at a time – one blessing at a time. For you are blessed.