Scripture
1One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2and he began to teach them. 3“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. Matthew 5:1-5
Observation
These were the words of a revolutionary. Nothing like the rebellions that had risen up before and would rise up after. This was a revolution of the soul. These were the values of a spiritual kingdom. This was an upside-down kingdom.
Simple Humility: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. (5:3) In a day and age of self-promotion, self-adulation, self-love Jesus modeled true humility as the King of All came to be the servant of all. He then called the rest of us to do the same.
Simple Sorrow: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (5:4) We just celebrated this kingdom reality last week. The brokenness of Good Friday gave way to the breakthrough of Easter Sunday! We can’t skip the mourning if we want to see the morning!
Simple Strength: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth…” (5:5) Meekness is not weakness. It is strength under control. It’s a quality in the upside-down Kingdom that is completely ignored in the earthly one. It’s a lot to ask of people. A willingness to refuse retribution or rollover in passivity. Choosing to take a stand in love when surrounded by hate.
Simple Priorities: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” (5:6) Choosing righteousness is letting go of my right to “rightness”. It’s choosing mercy over offense. It’s choosing to be second when I prefer to be first.
And this is just the beginning of the Beatitudes. This is the beginning of living like Jesus.
Application
It’s literally just a pile of rocks on a hillside located off a main thoroughfare in Israel. If our tour guide in Israel hadn’t pointed it out I would have passed right by it on the way to the “official” site. As I stood there staring at this nondescript location I had to smile as I thought this is the very illustration of the Beatitudes. The poor in spirit, mourners, meek, hungry, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers and persecuted. These are the ones who will receive God’s blessings and these are the ones that go completely unnoticed, uncelebrated, unacknowledged. Much like these rocks on the side of the road. If I’m not careful I will miss the wisdom of the ages because it’s being spoken off the beaten path. If I’m not paying attention I will celebrate that which heaven ignores and ignore that which heaven is celebrating. It’s an upside-down kingdom and the only way in is a simple faith in Jesus. Here’s what I realized as I read the Beatitudes this morning. In a world that's been turned upside-down through the Pandemic of Covid-19, the values of the Kingdom of God are now right-side up. Secular salvation has been exposed for the lie that it is. We can’t save ourselves by our own ingenuity and cleverness this time. Worship of self has given way to a true hunger to find and worship the one true God. Casual Christianity has been exposed for what it is. Those whose faith was built on appearances and tradition rather than on an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ have nothing to anchor them during these tumultuous times. The proponents of the prosperity gospel that have preached health and wealth as the only markers of true believers are having to take a second look. In a day when common things have extreme value (i.e. toilet paper) and sought after things have little status (i.e. celebrity), now is the time to live life the way we’ve been called to. When upside-down is right-side up we have the chance to live out what Jesus was talking about and people will pay attention.
Prayer
Lord, help me walk in humility and serve. Not to be noticed but to notice what You are doing in this one-of-a-kind moment in a human history. Help me to grieve what we have lost so I can find what I have gained in You. Help me walk in meekness in my home instead of trying to control “my kingdom” through heavy-handed rules. Help me learn, unlearn, and relearn what it means to live out mercy over judgment. Fill in every place where I am empty, weak and trying to get things back to “normal”. Your upside-down kingdom was never going to look normal and it’s time to embrace true Christianity as I come back to You.
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