Context

Chapter twelve in the Gospel of Matthew is given over to controversy and increasing conflict. The controversy has to do with violations of the sabbath, first the issue of picking grain on the sabbath (12:1-8) and then  healing a man with a withered hand on the sabbath(12:9-14).

Then comes an expansion of Jesus’ healing ministry, with the admonition to those healed “not to make him known”(12:15-16). A demoniac, who is also blind and mute, is then brought to him, as opponents more or less up the ante to see what happens.

To a mixture of amazement and dismay, Jesus meets the challenge, so that the individual is not only cured of possession but can then also see and hear.  This provokes messianic speculation among the crowds and resentment among the religious authorities, who allege that Jesus is essentially an instrument of the devil(12:22-24).

The remainder of chapter twelve is given over to Jesus’ response to this accusation (12:25-32), commentary about “a tree and its fruit,” conversation about “the sign of Jonah”(12:38-42), and concern about “this evil generation”(12:43-45). It closes with the poignant picture of Jesus’ mother and brothers, standing outside and waiting to speak with him. It is entirely possible that, as in the Gospel of Mark, they are afraid that he is out of his mind (3:20-21; see also Mark 3:31-35).

The thirteenth chapter is the beginning of Jesus’ third discourse (out of five altogether in the Gospel of Matthew). Unlike other occasions when he preaches or teaches, Jesus uses a boat to gain a little distance from the crowd and presumably be heard by more people. He is seated, which is the traditional posture for a teacher.

He uses the example of a farmer who went out to plant seed, using the method of sowing that would have been familiar to those in the crowd. At first hearing, it sounds like the sower wasn’t particularly proficient–sowing seed on the path, rocky ground, and among thorns as well as on good soil. But the point is not proficiency but in the extravagance of the sower, in spreading seed all possible sorts and kinds and varieties of soil!

And extravagance is also seen in the results–though not in three of the four instances. According to one knowledgeable authority (Joachim Jeremias in The Parables of Jesus), a first-century harvest would have been seven-fold to ten-fold. Thirty-fold would be bountiful, and a hundred-fold amazing!

Reflection Questions

• How has this parable been interpreted for us in the past? Has there been a temptation it to be moralistic, i.e., that we are responsible for “becoming good soil?”
• Do we ever think of ourselves as the ones “sowing the seeds,” or do we think it is only Jesus–or someone officially in charge of things?
• Do we realize the extravagance of God’s grace–and the promised results?

Prayer

Lord, we often want to limit the extravagance and generosity of your grace. We want to confine your grace to predictable areas. But your grace is such to be extended far beyond what we would have expected or imagined. Help us be open to your extravagant grace and to rejoice in the promised harvest. Amen.

Context

This passage takes place after Jesus completes his directions to the disciples as he sends them forth on their mission(Matthew 10). Perhaps unexpectedly, he does not go with them or wait for them to return. Instead, he continues his own itinerant teaching mission, presumably in the cities of Galilee(11:1).

By this time, news of Jesus’ ministry has come to John, then in prison. John sends his disciples to ask Jesus a key question, “Are you the one who is to come, or are to wait for another?”(11:3). There is apparently some  doubt in John’s mind about Jesus’ status as messiah(cf. 3:13-17). So he dispatches emissaries to ask Jesus, essentially in code, his messianic status or identity.

Asked a question in code, Jesus responds in kind. He tells John’s disciples to go and tell what they see and hear(11:4-6), i.e., “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news preached to them.” This list dovetails clearly with the testimony of Isaiah (35:5-6) about what will characterize the “return of the redeemed to Zion.” The inference is that the evidence in plain sight should be convincing and compelling, but John will have to decide for himself–just as we do.

Jesus then begins to speak favorably about John, asserting that, for those “willing to accept it, he is Elijah” . . . that is, the forerunner of the messiah.  Neither Jesus nor John, however, has received the kind of welcome that should have been expected, at least from the religious authorities of the time. The complaint about John is that he is too strict. The complaint about Jesus is that he is too lenient.  People are upset with each of them, though for opposite reasons.

Jesus’ frustration is vented in the five verses not included in this week’s lesson (11:20-24). They are words of rebuke for towns in Galilee that should have responded to Jesus’ ministry with repentance and thanksgiving, but instead have gone their own self-absorbed way.

After these words of reproach, the focus of the passage changes dramatically. It moves from disgust with the proud and haughty  who reject Jesus to appreciation for the lowly and humble who accept him. It closes with a powerful invitation for all those who are “weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”(11:28).

Rest, of course, is not a permanent condition. It is meant to be a time of refreshment and renewal. We are not exempt from carrying a burden; instead, we are called to share it with one who knows the situation best of all. We are not freed from the yoke of obedience; we are partnered with one who knows us and desires the best for us.

Reflection Questions

• When are we like the proud and haughty who live like they have no need of Jesus? When  are we like the humble and penitent who know clearly  their need of Jesus?
• What is most burdensome to us in the life of faith? What weighs us down? What wears us out?
• What would the rest promised by Jesus look like? What would it feel like? What would it sound like? What would it taste like?
• When are we at our best in meeting the opportunities and challenges of faith?

Prayer

Lord, help us not to live as though we have no need of you. Help us to live humbly. Help us to live wisely. Help us to hear your invitation to come to you and find rest. May we take your yoke upon us and learn from you. Amen.

Context

The Gospel of Matthew receives sustained attention in the “Season after Pentecost,” the longest season in the liturgical year. It begins with Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost, and continues through Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent.

The Gospel of Matthew represents a fusion or synthesis of different elements. It follows the geographical outline in the Gospel of Mark in which Jesus’ ministry moves from Galilee to Jerusalem.

The Gospel of Matthew has birth stories at the beginning and resurrection appearances at the end. It begins with the genealogy of Jesus, traced back to Abraham through David (1:1-17). It ends with the “Great Commission,” delivered on an unspecified mountain in Galilee (28:16-20).

The Gospel of Matthew contains five major “discourses,” each concluded in much the same way. [See 5:1-7,10:5-42, 13:1-52, 18:1-35, 24:3-25:46.] This may be a way of recalling the five books of the Torah, with Jesus understood “as a new Moses offering a new Torah that fulfills, yet supersedes, the old (13.52)”(The HarperCollins Study Bible, p. 1858).

In this passage, Jesus is addressing the disciples, named individually in 10:2. He gives them “authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness”(10:1).

Jesus specifies their mission (10:5-15), and he speaks of coming persecutions. He sends them out “like sheep into the midst of wolves,” so they are to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves”(10:16).

Despite the ordeal facing them, the disciples are to “have no fear” of those who so vigorously and violently oppose them”(10:26a). After dealing with the “cost of discipleship,” Jesus then turns to the issue of “the reward for hospitality.”

The reward is not given to the disciples–or to Jesus for that matter. The reward is for those who respond in welcome and hospitality for those coming among them in the name of Jesus.

The reward is not anything monetary or magical.  It is being acknowledged by Jesus before God in heaven (10:32-33). It is seeing and hearing what “many prophets and righteous people longed to see . . . but did not see it, and to hear . . . but did not hear it”(13:17). It is shining “like the sun in the kingdom of their Father”(13:43). It may even mean suffering–and dying–for the sake of being faithful(23:29-39).

Reflection Questions

• Do we expect to be exempt from suffering when we follow Jesus?
• What instructions or guidance does Jesus give us today?
• What is the reward that we expect for following Jesus? What’s in it for us? What’s in it for others?
• Is there any cost to the discipleship that we are called to practice?

Prayer

Lord, help us to follow the path that you set before us. Encourage us, guide us, bless us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Context

This passage opens the Book of Acts, which is the companion volume to the Gospel of Luke. They are both apparently written by the same individually, traditionally Luke–a physician and associate of Paul (Col. 4:14, 2 Tim. 4:11, Philemon 24). However, neither book specifically attributes authorship to a particular individual.

The book is addressed to “Theophilus,” a name that means “lover of God.” This may have been an actual person–”perhaps a recent convert asking for instruction or a Roman official whose tolerance the church seeks”(The HarperCollins Study Bible, p. 2057). It is also possible that the book is intended for anyone who “loves God,” whoever that person may be.

The opening verses recount the ascension of Jesus into heaven, a reality also reported in the closing verses of the Gospel of Luke (24:50-53). The description in the Book of Acts is more extensive that what is found in the Gospel of Luke.

It specifies that Jesus appeared to the disciples (now called “apostles”) during a period of forty days. He instructed them to remain in Jerusalem for an indeterminate time, waiting “for the promise of the Father”(Acts 1:4). He alluded to the coming baptism of the Holy Spirit, “not many days from now,” but he did not specify what that meant.

Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God was clearly not something that the disciples understood.  They still thought that it meant some sort of earthly kingdom, and they wanted to know when it would occur.  Jesus told them–and us, if we listen!–that it is not for us to know. Instead, our task is to wait expectantly for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus did leave his disciples with specific promises. One, they would receive power, when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Two, they would be witnesses for Jesus “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”(1:8)

Reflection Questions

• Do we consider ourselves “those who love God?” How is that evidenced in our lives?
• What is it that we most want to know from Jesus? How do we handle the reality that there are some things that we will never know–at least not in this life?
• What would the power of the Holy Spirit look like in our lives? Where is God calling us to be witnesses?
• How is God calling us to live our lives “in the meantime,” that is, between where we are now and the promised coming of the spirit on–and in–our lives?

Prayer

Lord, help us to hear your words–again and again, if needed–about how we are called to live and what we are called to do. Keep us from being dissatisfied with not knowing all the details. Keep alive in us the promise of the power of the Holy Spirit, and empower us to be witnesses wherever you may send us. Amen.

Context

This passage comes immediately after the healing of a man born blind(9:1-41) and just prior to the raising of Lazarus (11:1-45). These two “signs” of Jesus’ power are the last in a series that began with Jesus turning the water to wine at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee (2:1-11) Then came the healing of a royal official’s son (4:46-54), the healing on the Sabbath at the pool called Bethzatha (5:1-18), the feeding of the five thousand (6:1-14), and Jesus walking on the water (6:15-21).

Jesus’ words about shepherds and sheep are directed specifically to the Pharisees, who were upset at his healing the blind man on the Sabbath.  In these verses, Jesus does not explicitly identify himself as the “good shepherd.” That will come later–in verse 11.

Instead, Jesus outlines the qualities of a true shepherd, including entering by the gate, calling “his own sheep by name,” leading them out, and going ahead of them (10:3-5). The Pharisees, he infers, are shepherds without faithfulness or integrity, but “they did not understand what he was saying to them”(10:6).

Aware of the Pharisees’ cluelessness, Jesus goes on to make his point more specifically. He offers one of the “I am” sayings that are scattered throughout the Gospel of John, saying, “Very truly, I am the gate for the sheep”(10:7).  With verse 11, his claim will become even more specific, affirming “I am the good shepherd”(10:11). [See also John 6:35, 8:12, 11:25, 14:6, and 15:1 for the other "I am" sayings.]

In the closing verse of this passage, Jesus highlights one of the themes of the Gospel of John about the purpose of his life and work. “I came,” he says in verse 10, “that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” [See also 1:4, 3:16, 4:14, 5:26, 6:27, 6:40, 6:47, etc.]

These is an extraordinary claim, but its power can be diminished by familiarity. The translation by Eugene Person in  The Message makes it more compelling,  “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

Reflection Questions

• How is Jesus the means by which we find shelter, strength, and safety?
• How do we hear Jesus calling our name?
• What happens when we put ourselves in charge of our journey and choice of destination?
• How do we experience Jesus’ gift of life, “more and better than we ever dreamed of?”

Prayer

Lord, thank you for caring for us. Forgive us for not recognizing your presence in our lives. Help us to hear your voice and follow you, without complaining about the journey or arguing about the destination. Help us to know your gift of life, “more and better than we ever dreamed!” Amen.

Context

May 8 is the third Sunday of Easter. The season of Easter lasts fifty days, from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. It encompasses the forty days that Jesus spent with his disciples until ascending into heaven and the ten days from the Ascension until Pentecost.

This Sunday’s reading continues the pattern of resurrection appearances, though now from the Gospel of Luke rather than from the Gospel of John. The story of the two disciples “on the road to Emmaus” is recounted only in the Gospel of Luke. The physical location of Emmaus is not known, although there are several possibilities.

This account tells the story of two disciples, one named Cleopas and the other unnamed, and their encounter with Jesus. The name, Cleopas, is not used anywhere else in the New Testament. It is an abbreviated form of “Cleopatros,” a common name of the time meaning “son of a renowned father.” The other disciple is never named, and his (or her) identity has never been decidedly determined.

These two disciples are traveling together, dejected and despairing over what had happened in Jerusalem that week. Jesus himself comes near, “but their eyes were kept from recognizing him”(Luke 24:16). They travel together, with Jesus admonishing them and then unfolding the message of scripture to them about the Messiah (24:25-27).

In a traditional gesture of hospitality, the two disciples insist that their still unknown companion stay with them, since the day was nearly done. At table with them, he takes bread, blesses and breaks it, and gives it to them.

These are almost exactly the same words used to describe Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper (22:19). They are the same actions used in the feeding of the five thousand (9:12-17). They are what the host at a meal would do in the home. In this ordinary act, “their eyes are opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight” (24:31).

After the fact, they realized that Jesus had been with them all along. Indeed, as they reflected on their experience, they recalled that their “hearts [were] burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us.” (24:32). Undeterred by their fatigue or the lateness of the hour, they return the seven miles to Jerusalem to share the remarkable news.

Reflection Questions

• What are the things that “keep our eyes” from seeing the presence of Jesus with us?
• How often do we not recognize Jesus’ presence with us until the moment is past?
• In what common, ordinary actions do we suddenly (and unexpectedly) experience the presence and power of Jesus?
• With whom have we shared the glorious good news of Jesus’ resurrected reality?

Prayer

Lord, forgive us when we do not recognize the reality of your presence, “walking and talking” with us. Help us to see you in the common, ordinary actions of life. Bless with a commitment to urgent hospitality, rather than letting convenience or custom get in the way. Amen.

Context

The setting is the evening of the “first day of the week,” i.e., the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Peter and “the disciple whom Jesus loved” have seen the empty tomb, but it seems not to have made a difference. Mary Magdalene has told the disciples that she has “seen the Lord” and reported what he had told her, but again without apparent impact. Her words must have sounded delusional.

The disciples–ten of them, as it turns out–are huddled together behind locked doors. After all, one of them had betrayed Jesus, one had denied him, and virtually all had abandoned him. [In the Gospel of John, the "disciple whom Jesus loved"--presumably John--is noted to be "standing near the cross"(John 19:25) during the crucifixion.] For whatever reason, Thomas is not there.

The usual focus in this passage, at least for me, has been the absence of Thomas, his refusal to believe, and his confession the following week, “My Lord and my God!”(John 20:28).

Prior to these verses, however, comes what amounts to John’s Pentecost. The story of Pentecost, of course, comes from the second chapter of Acts–fifty days after the resurrection, when “they were all together in one place” and they experienced the particular power and presence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).

For the Gospel of John, the gift of the Holy Spirit comes directly from the resurrected Christ, speaking with ten of  his disciples on the evening of the first day. After blessing them with peace, showing them his hands and side, and blessing them with peace again, Jesus gives the disciples their apostolic commission, i.e., their marching orders.

Jesus breathes on the disciples, reminiscent of the “breath of life” which God breathed into Adam (Genesis 2:7) or the passage in Ezekiel about breath coming into the dry bones (Ezekiel 37:9-10).

This is Jesus’ “gift of the Spirit,” and the sign of the spirit is not speaking in tongues as in the book of Acts. The sign of the spirit is the power of forgiveness, whether offered or withheld. It is a different kind of Pentecost, but one that is nonetheless compelling.

Reflection Questions

• What is the most persistent and powerful expression of God’s spirit in our lives?
• When and how have we been commissioned, i.e., sent forth to do the work of God?
• How is forgiveness a sign of God’s spirit?
• What happens with those who refuse to forgive? Or with those who never seek forgiveness?

Prayer

Lord, help us hear your blessing of peace, witness the reality of your resurrected presence, and hear your call and claim on our lives. Help us never to take forgiveness lightly. Help us to let go of hurts that have been done to us and to seek forgiveness for when we have hurt others. Amen.

Context

This is one of the traditional stories of Jesus’ resurrection, typically read on Easter morning. The story in John differs in detail but not in substance from the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

The setting is the garden where the body of Jesus had been laid to rest on Friday. (See John 19:38-42.) It is Sunday, described as “the first day of the week” and not as the “third day after Jesus’ death or burial.” It is “still dark,” i.e., before sunrise. This may be a reference to the continuing theme of light and darkness in the Gospel of John.

The story features Mary Magdalene, mentioned earlier in the Gospel of John as a witness to the crucifixion of Jesus (19:25) and described in Luke as a woman “from whom seven demons had gone out”(8:2).

Mary Magdalene has come to the tomb, presumably as an act of devotion or expression of grief. In the Gospel of John, the preparation of Jesus’ body for burial occurred on Friday, thanks to Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

Mary Magdalene’s first encounter with the reality of the resurrection is the fact that “the stone had been removed,” presumably rolled back from the entrance (v. 1 c). All that she can assume is that some unknown perpetrators have taken Jesus’ body.

She herself does not apparently look in the tomb on her own but goes to tell the the disciples–or at least Simon Peter and the “beloved disciple”–of what must have seemed horrific news. They are the ones that are actually the first to witness the empty tomb, but by no means do they fully comprehend what has happened.

After the two disciples return to their homes, Mary remains standing outside the tomb, weeping. Actually, the Greek word used for “weeping” could more accurately be translated “sobbing.” There is no quiet, almost imperceptible grief here. Instead, there are loud, racking sobs.

Summoning a last measure of courage, devotion, or desperation, Mary Magdalene bends over to look into the tomb. She sees “two angels in white,” who ask her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” This is yet more stunning news, and her disbelief increases.

After she responds, Mary turns and sees one whom she supposes to be the gardener, who first asks her the same question as the angels, “Woman, why are you weeping?” This was exactly the same question asked by the angels in the tomb. But this unidentified individual then asks, “Whom are you looking for?”

Mary’s bewilderment and confusion continue to grow, until finally Jesus speaks her name. With that, Mary turns toward him and recognizes him for who he is. What had been confused is clear. What had been grief is now joy. What had been sorrow is now celebration.

For Mary Magdalene, resurrection is a reality!

Reflection Questions

• What causes us to weep (or sob) so that we do not see the reality of the resurrection? Pain? Loss? Disappointment? Defeat? Despair? Death?
• What other experiences in life keep us focused on ourselves, so much so that we do not notice Jesus alongside us? Anger? Emptiness? Fatigue? Frustration? Meaninglessness?
• What do we put first in our lives? What do we seek? And, more importantly, whom do we seek in life? Do we genuinely look for the living Lord, or do we settle for past evidence of a once vital faith?
• When and how does Jesus speak our name, making it possible for us to lift our eyes (spiritually speaking) and recognize his presence?

Prayer

Lord, thank you for your presence with us–even in ways that appear to us as absence. Thank you for helping us to see through our tears and recognize the reality of the resurrection. May resurrection be a reality for us! Amen.

‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister,^* you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister^* has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister,^* and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court^* with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Context

This is the portion of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus moves, as an old preacher once said, “from preachin’ to meddlin’.” That is, he is no longer dealing with the lofty words of blessedness nor the somewhat vague admonition to be “the salt of the earth” or “the light of the world.”

Instead, Jesus is putting in specific and unmistakable terms the high standards of authentic belief. He does not lessen the expectation, but instead he seems to go out of his way to make these expectations beyond any reasonable (or unreasonable!) hope of accomplishment!

It would be easy to be overcome by the impossibility of what is set before us. You can almost see the jaws drop when those gathered on the hillside first heard what Jesus said. Our jaws drop as well, though perhaps not literally. However, Dick Donovan, offers this viewpoint in his exegetical account of this passage in this week’s scriptural treatment available on SermonWriter.com

“As we read through these antitheses, we will become increasingly aware that we have failed miserably to meet Jesus’ standards. He has set the bar impossibly high, so that we must despair of ever reaching it. We could respond in one of two ways. One way would be to lapse into despair–to give up–to say that we can never meet these impossible standards. The other would be to allow ourselves to fall backwards into Jesus’ arms–to acknowledge our guilt, but also to trust in the work of Jesus and the grace of God  to bring us forgiveness and a clean slate.”

Reflection Questions

• Which of Jesus’ admonitions seems the most unrealistic to you? Which is the most realistic?
• Is it easier to give up in despair or to actively receive the gift of God’s grace?
• Who is called to take the initiative in reconciliation?
• How do you experience the power of words? How do they hurt? How do they heal?

Prayer

Lord, help us not to be overwhelmed by the expectations of Jesus. Help us learn to repent of our own sins and to acknowledge our own shortcomings, painful as this may be. Help us to rest  fully and completely “in the arms of Jesus.” Help us to find strength and courage to move beyond what is superficial to a real relationship with Jesus. Amen.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ¹

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Context

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus has just begun his ministry. It gets under way when Jesus hears the news of John the Baptist’s arrest [at the hands of Herod]. Or at least that is when Jesus relocates from Judea, where he has experienced baptism and temptation, to Galilee, where the bulk of his ministry will be carried out.

He makes his home at Capernaum, situated on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee, rather than at Nazareth where he grew up. He begins preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near”(5:17b).

He calls two sets of brothers as his first disciples–Simon Peter and Andrew, and then James and John. He ministers to many, and his notoriety or fame becomes widely known almost immediately.If there had been You Tube at the time, video clips of his success would have “gone viral.”

Seeing the crowds, Jesus goes “up the mountain,” which is not so much an actual mountain as a symbolic one. The writer of Matthew makes a conscious effort to equate the experience of Jesus with that of Moses, who also went “up the mountain” at Sinai. Jesus then “sits down,” which is the traditional posture of a teacher. Again, the writer of Matthew has a continuing emphasis on Jesus as a teacher.

Then comes what is traditionally known as the “Sermon on the Mount.” [In the Gospel of Luke, it is the "sermon on the plain."] For Matthew, this is the first of five great discourses, again paralleling the life and times of Moses and the Torah.

The Sermon on the Mount begins with what we have come to call “The Beatitudes.” The Greek word for “blessed”  is makarios. It ordinarily means “good fortune” or “fulness of life.” It is the kind of blessedness that consists of “trust in God, forgiveness of sins, righteousness even in affliction, and final deliverance”(One Volume Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, p. 548). The word is sometimes translated “happy” of “joyful,” but neither of these words is adequate. In my judgment, contentment begins to get at the meaning, but it doesn’t get us all the way there. Perhaps “blessed” is still the best translation, even though we tent to think of blessedness in material rather than spiritual terms.

The list of beatitudes is fairly straightforward and appears reasonably manageable until the last one, dealing with being reviled, persecuted, or spoken of falsely. This is the kind of thing that we ourselves would scarcely consider any kind of blessing, yet Jesus pushes us to a new depth of understanding.

Reflection Questions

• How does Jesus make himself known in your life? How do you learn to listen to him and to learn from him?
• What is the difference for you between blessedness and happiness? Between blessedness and joy? Between blessedness and contentment?
• Are the beatitudes a “guide to life,” or are there simply left-over ideas from a long ago age?

Prayer

Lord, help us learn to listen as you teach. May we stop and take the time to hear what you have to say–not just with our ears but with our hearts and in our lives. Guide us toward you in all things. Give us a sense of blessedness that is far beyond any happiness or joy or contentment than we may have known. In Jesus’ name. Amen.