Comfort, challenge, and warning.

It is usually a slam-dunk to preach on the beatitudes. Especially when they are read from Matthew’s gospel - without the inverse list of ‘woe to you…’ verses that seem to divide folks into opposing teams. Matthew’s telling from this morning’s lesson is nothing but hope for the downtrodden - a breath of fresh air for a weary and worried people. 

So, yeah, it’s usually a lark. We imagine whatever it is about our current situation that might fall in to one (or more) of Jesus’ categories, then we ‘call it all blessing’ and head for the fellowship hall.

But today, it’s different. This morning’s reading spans a little more emotional depth. It turns out that the ‘Sermon on the mount” takes a turn - though we rarely read so far in one sitting.

Salt and light - righteousness and the fulfillment of the law. Jesus refuses to let us rest easily on our blessings. 

 

We should not be surprised.

The hope and comfort are still there - don’t get me wrong. The weary and those who mourn - the meek and the persecuted - the merciful and those who long for thing to be done correctly (righteousness) are still singled out for this blessing - this joy that they have been taken from them by the misery that comes from living in a competitive, chaotic, challenging world. That is a very important thing to remember - the people to whom Jesus addresses these potential ‘blessings’ are NOT just unlucky. There are people who have tried to twist he world to their advantage, and that means others are left out.

Jesus has come to a world shattered along partisan lines. The imperial mindset  has endured for ages. There is a desire to ‘throw off the Roman chains.’ Some in the provincial hinterland of Palestine long for freedom - for independence - for a taste of ‘the good old days…’

And within that group, there are divisions. Royalists and those who crave a religious awakening. The Religious authorities have some measure of power. They may get their way, but it will mean a very regimented, legalistic way of life.

Jesus is navigating these perilous waters - he brings a fresh approach to the divine; a new way of thinking and talking about God. He offers a more direct approach - love and kindness and mercy; a re-ordering of priorities that will put things right. And first comes the promise of ‘blessedness - the promise that the world as you are currently experiencing it is NOT the world as God intended it to be. True ‘righteousness’ - a right and orderly and merciful and just way of doing things is still preferable - and still possible.

These blessings - this ‘happiness’ is aimed at those who are troubled by the way things are. They are not among the powerful - the wealthy - those longing for a return to the ‘thrilling days of yesteryear…’ Jesus offers the hope that there is a different way to order the world - a different way to experience the connection between the human and the Divine…

And that sets the stage for Jesus’ challenge to us.

 

That comfort - the promise of blessing - it has to mean something.

Be salt and light. Stand tall - go public. Carry those blessings to your community - your neighbourhood - the world. As Jesus tells it, there is a cycle that is at work here. The meek, the mourning, the poor in spirit, the tenderhearted, they will take the lead. They must show the way.

The principles of God’s peaceable kingdom have been pushed aside long enough. This is not a call to arms - an urgent demand to overthrow the oppressor and make them pay. This is an invitation for goodness and mercy to become the standard measure for how society works. The ‘kingdom of heaven’ is not the reward at the end of the journey. It is the goal for the here and now - a kinder, gentler way of organizing humanity. Get ready for that, says Jesus. Go and model your ‘blessedness’ and see what happens.

But be careful.

Being thrust into a leadership role is challenging. Beware the feeling of power that can accompany your role in the front of the parade.

 

There are still rules, says Jesus. History is important too. Learn its lessons and don’t repeat its mistakes.

This seemingly discordant warning about keeping the ‘letter of the law’ is meant to remind us not to become the thing we despise. The scribes and pharisees had become tyrants of the holy - judging without justice; managing without mercy. The idea that perfection was both possible and desirable had created a religion of impossible demands - not a ‘path to blessedness’ but a fence around it. 

 

Jesus’ declaration of ‘fulfilling’ the law and the prophets is challenge and warning both. Our instinct is to imagine a perfectionist, literal ‘checking of all the boxes.’ But the truth is - Jesus has his own way of thinking, talking, and acting where ‘the Law’ is concerned. 

And those actions suggest that, rather than the letter of the law, Jesus embodies the true Spirit of the law. 

Jesus isn’t misquoted here - and I’m not taking liberties. The thrust of Jesus work - the sum of his life, death and resurrection - all suggest that he is asking us to look past the surface of this statement. The context of this extended set of sayings is everything. He will go on to say that no only murder, but anger (or thoughts of murder) are as much a sin as the act of taking a life. The point here is that there is no safety in legalism - there is no safe refuge in some gloriously remembered past. The keys to the kingdom are in the moment - here and now - and God waits on our understanding that the way we treat one another can either bless us or break us.

The choice is ours, and Jesus suggests the choice is clear. 

Seek justice, mercy and compassion. Love one another. Serve in humility. Seek grace. The path to the kingdom of grace is before us - and Jesus is leading the way.