The Upside-down Kingdom
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matt. 5:3, 4, NKJV.
Not a good way to begin a sermon. The preacher hasn't got it figured out yet. He certainly isn't very astute politically or in tune with the times. Definitely He lacks the insight of a public-relations expert.
After all, who wants to hear about poverty of spirit and mourning? To be "successful" a preacher needs to give people what they want, to present them with the words and ideas they desire to hear.
And anyone who has been around for a while knows that people really tune in to such messages as "Blessed are the rich" or even "Blessed are the rich in spirit."
Now, if Jesus really intends to draw a crowd, He will have to wise up to the ways of the world. With a message that begins with "Blessed are the poor in spirit" and "Blessed are those who mourn" He will never even get to first base with most people. Jesus will never achieve the kind of success that the larger culture will respect.
But that's precisely where the rub comes between conventional values and Jesus. He is not concerned with the admiration of the world around Him. Rather He wants to be in tune with God.
As a result, His message is the opposite of that of the larger culture. It is counter to the world's wisdom. In effect, the Beatitudes set the world's value system on its head. They turn it upside down.
Jesus announced His kingdom as being radical from the beginning of His ministry. Thus its citizens would be radical also. That is the starting point of the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, and the entire New Testament.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit" and "those who mourn" are some of the world's most revolutionary statements. Yet they stand at the foundation of Jesus' message.
And that message is for me personally. It is for you. We have to make a choice between Jesus and the world--between His values and the world's.
Father God, why is it that the church in my community is so "normal"? Help me to become "abnormal" from the perspective of the world so that I might be among Your "blessed."
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matt. 5:3, 4, NKJV.
Not a good way to begin a sermon. The preacher hasn't got it figured out yet. He certainly isn't very astute politically or in tune with the times. Definitely He lacks the insight of a public-relations expert.
After all, who wants to hear about poverty of spirit and mourning? To be "successful" a preacher needs to give people what they want, to present them with the words and ideas they desire to hear.
And anyone who has been around for a while knows that people really tune in to such messages as "Blessed are the rich" or even "Blessed are the rich in spirit."
Now, if Jesus really intends to draw a crowd, He will have to wise up to the ways of the world. With a message that begins with "Blessed are the poor in spirit" and "Blessed are those who mourn" He will never even get to first base with most people. Jesus will never achieve the kind of success that the larger culture will respect.
But that's precisely where the rub comes between conventional values and Jesus. He is not concerned with the admiration of the world around Him. Rather He wants to be in tune with God.
As a result, His message is the opposite of that of the larger culture. It is counter to the world's wisdom. In effect, the Beatitudes set the world's value system on its head. They turn it upside down.
Jesus announced His kingdom as being radical from the beginning of His ministry. Thus its citizens would be radical also. That is the starting point of the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, and the entire New Testament.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit" and "those who mourn" are some of the world's most revolutionary statements. Yet they stand at the foundation of Jesus' message.
And that message is for me personally. It is for you. We have to make a choice between Jesus and the world--between His values and the world's.
Father God, why is it that the church in my community is so "normal"? Help me to become "abnormal" from the perspective of the world so that I might be among Your "blessed."
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