Matthew 5:1-9
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were (his followers) apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said: Matthew 5:1-2 (MSG)
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (NRSVUE)
You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you, there is more of God and his rule.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (NRSVUE)
You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. (NRSVUE)
You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are- no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (NRSVUE)
You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. (NRSVUE)
You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
Blessed are pure in heart, for they will see God. (NRSVUE)
You’re blessed when you get your inside world – your mind and your heart – put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (NRSVUE)
You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
What do you think of when you hear the word “blessed”? I think most of us would probably say that it means we have or will receive good things, that all will be right with our world (at least eventually if not now), and we would typically focus on the good, especially when that is what we most need and want. According to my dictionary, the word “blessed” means “holy,” “sacred”, “bringing comfort or joy”, “enjoying great happiness,” and ironically “confounded” (confused/bewildered). The latter meaning therefore encompasses its opposite and challenges us to really think more deeply about “blessings.” After all, how are we blessed when we have lost a loved one, been told we have a terminal illness, lost our job or our home, are in a broken relationship, feel like nothing is going right in our lives????? Can we see and understand them as “holy moments”?
This passage, interpreted by Eugene Peterson in The Message Bible, opens us up to a whole new understanding of what it means to be “blessed” because both sides of life, the weak and the strong, the rich and the poor, the sad and the joyous are contained in it. Clearly God is still and always at the center, and at the edges, of all of life.
Today I honestly don’t know which blessing touches me the most deeply; I think it often depends on what I am feeling about life on any particular day. But I do think these are wise words for every day. They have a way of turning the world upside down and sideways so that I can see God’s view of the world more clearly, instead of just my own limited view. I wonder if you agree with me?
Questions for Reflection:
- Which blessing touches you the most deeply today? And why?
- What does it mean to be “at the end of your rope” and discover it is not “the end”?
- How is God like “food and drink”?
- Recall those moments when you were “content with just who you are.”
Prayer:
Gracious and loving God,
You always want the very best for us no matter what situation in life we find ourselves. You want to bless us and sometimes we don’t understand how we are being blessed in the midst of sorrow, hardship, confusion, pain, and loss. Enfold us in Your Grace and help us to know that Your Love and Grace surround us at all times; and that is the ultimate blessing. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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