The Beatitudes: The End

Quick Review

The word translated as “Blessed” with which each Beatitudes begans, seems to be a promise of things to come. But the word is better translated as “O the bliss...”  Bliss is a word that properly belongs only to the gods. Yet, Jesus is stating that it is his followers’ now. As William Barclay says, “...The Beatitudes are not promises of future happiness...they are affirmations of the bliss into which the Christian can enter here and now.”

Today’s Beatitude: The Bliss of the Martyr’s Pain

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when you are reviled and persecuted, and have evil spoken against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be very glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so they persecuted the prophets before you. Matt 5:10-12

In the early Church, the word for witness and the word for martyr were the same Greek word, martus. Originally used only for witness, the time came when those who witnessed to the faith were often killed or martyred. Very early on, persecution was inevitable. A follower might not be killed, but they were often ostracized. Not until the 4^th century was it really safe to be a Christian.

Persecution was carried out simply because Christians were different. They didn’t conform to the cultural standards and practices. In a time when conformity was highly prized, non-conformists disrupted the peace of the city or kingdom. Christians had a different moral standard. A simple example or two will make this clear. Since pagan meals began with a prayer to a pagan god and some kind of small offering, Christians couldn’t participate. That made them look rude and discourteous. Christians were encouraged to avoid teaching as a profession because it required teaching about the pagan gods. They couldn’t make incense because it might be used in pagan temples. The list goes on.

Christians were misunderstood. Their worship which excluded the unbaptized when the Eucharist began, was described as lewd orgies (because of the kiss of peace they exchanged), cannablistic meals, and child killing. But most of all, they were accused of being atheists because they wouldn’t worship pagan gods, and the supreme insult, they wouldn’t worship the emperor.

Christians came to believe that while persecution brings pain and suffering in the present, in the end, staying faithful brings satisfaction and peace to the soul. The First Letter of Peter includes the idea that to suffer for the faith is to share in the suffering of Christ. The ultimate reward for the pain and suffering is clear: union with Christ and participation in the glory to come. 

With all this in mind, we can restate the Beatitude this way: Oh the bliss of those whose demonstration of faith is so great as to bring persecution upon themselves simply by being faithful.  They shall live with God.

Postscript

This is my final post as Theologian In Residence. I’ve enjoyed our two years together, but that time has come to an end. I will continue to post on a personal blog on a variety of topics, that generally speaking, will touch on the intercession of faith and life. The blog address is www.JerryLHarber.blogspot.com and is titled Stuff I’m Thinking. To receive an email when I post, please go to that blog and type your email address in the box Follow By Email. I hope you’ll give it a try.

Peace,

Jerry+

The Beatitudes: Part 7

Quick Review

The word translated as “Blessed” with which each Beatitudes begans, seems to be a promise of things to come. But the word is better translated as “O the bliss...”  Bliss is a word that properly belongs only to the gods. Yet, Jesus is stating that it is his followers’ now. As William Barclay says, “...The Beatitudes are not promises of future happiness...they are affirmations of the bliss into which the Christian can enter here and now.”

Today’s Beatitude: Those Who Break Down Barriers

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.  Matt 5:9

When we think of peace these days, we tend to think of the absence of conflict or trouble. Even when Germany was in shambles after WWII, with limited services and hardly any food, the residents would likely have said they were finally at peace. The Greek word which is translated as peace is eirene. It is used to translate the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom is a very rich word. It describes perfect welfare, serenity, prosperty, and happiness. When used as a greeting, it doesn’t just wish a person freedom from conflict, but wishes everything positive for the person being greeted.  Shalom also describes a right relationship with another, intimacy, fellowship, goodwill. When we exchange the Peace during the Eucharist, this is what we are offering our fellow worshippers!

Peace is important in the New Testament. Paul begins all his letters with a prayer for grace and peace for the readers. The word peace occurs in every New Testament book. Jesus wishes peace on his followers, especially when he says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you” (John 14:27)

Notice especially that the Beatitude doesn’t offer bliss to the one who loves or longs for peace, but to the person who is a peace-maker. Too often we shy away from speaking up when we are sure something is amiss in work situations, family life, or even church. We don’t want to rock the boat, upset the apple cart, create a stir--in short, create conflict. We might be called peace-lovers in such a situation--or perhaps conflict avoiders. And the person who speaks up? That one might be called a trouble maker. Yet, in the sense in which peace-maker is used here, speaking up is exactly what’s called for. Wrongs need to be made right.

Bliss, it seems, comes when a person is prepared to disrupt the status quo, when that status quo needs disrupting. The peace-maker will face difficulty, unpopularity, scorn and more in the pursuit of real peace. It was in this sense that Jesus said, “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matt 10:34) He means, “I didn’t come to allow the illusion of peace to continue. I came to disrupt it, to shine light into darkness, and by doing so, bring shalom.

The second meaning of shalom about right relationships requires this sword of which Jesus spoke. When relationships are broken, bringing healing will disrupt the truce that exists between people or between people and systems of government or other powers. As Jesus overthrew the moneychangers, creating havoc, he was trying to bring peace, to restore the peoples’ right relationship with the worship of God, and thereby with God himself. And if we attack the barriers that stand in the way of right relationships, what will we receive for our trouble? Jesus says we will be called the children of God. Because Hebrew has so few adjectives, the word “son” or “child” often prefaces a word to give it richness. The name Barnabas, or Bar-Nabas, means “son of consolation,” while James and John, because of their volatile personalities were calls “sons of thunder.”

The peacemaker becomes a “son” of God, that is, becomes like God, or takes on attributes of God! And while it may not be as short and to the point as the original Beatitude, we can now restate this one. Oh the bliss of those who break down barriers, who make relationships between person and person and person and God right again. They are truly God’s children, doing the work God requires to restore wholeness to his creation.

Peace, and I mean that in all its richness.

 Jerry+

The Beatitudes: Part 6

Quick Review

The word translated as “Blessed” with which each Beatitudes begans, seems to be a promise of things to come. But the word is better translated as “O the bliss...”  Bliss is a word that properly belongs only to the gods. Yet, Jesus is stating that it is his followers’ now. As William Barclay says, “...The Beatitudes are not promises of future happiness...they are affirmations of the bliss into which the Christian can enter here and now.”

Today’s Beatitude: The Pure In Heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Matt 5:8

As we’ve come to expect in our studies, our English words often fail to do justice to the Greek. In this case, the word is pure. In Greek it means: (1) clean in contrast to dirty, as in clean clothes, (2) without blemish or alloy, such as pure water or pure wine, (3) a person who has been cleared of debt or released from a duty he/she has fulfilled, (4) ritually fit to enter the temple, and (5) free from moral pollution and guilt.

The word Greek katharos, translated as pure was also used in the Old Testament Greek translation called the Septuagint. In context, we can add some levels of meaning: (1) integrity, (2) blameless against a charge of misconduct, (3) innocent in the sight of God, (4) the quality of prayer of a good person, and (5) free from sin.

The quick conclusion can be drawn that the word was used to describe the ritually or ceremonially pure, something or someone who followed the regulations of ritual purity. But it can also be applied to the moral realm of life. There it describes purity as a matter of life lived, the conduct of heart and mind.

In the Anglican tradition, especially the Anglo-Catholic tradition, we can speak of the Eucharist as being valid or invalid. In this tradition, for the Eucharist to be considered valid, (1) it must be performed by a properly ordained priest, (2) it must use an approved prayer form, meaning priests nor parishes can’t just make up their own and use them, and (3) the Gospel must be read, to name but three. The Roman Church has a much longer list. These are examples of ritual purity.

It is likely Jesus is not emphasizing this meaning, but the other, that is, no tainting or mixture. In that sense the Beatitude can be read, Blessed are those whose motives are absolutely unmixed, whose thoughts, motives, and desires are genuine and sincere. This may make this Beatitude the most demanding one, according to Barclay. This Beatitude requires honest self-examination, followed by a sense of humility. Our motives are seldom pure. We might serve in a soup kitchen, because “we’ll get more out of it than” those who eat, but is this the purpose of service? Even Paul, late in life, described himself as the “chief of sinners.”  Can anyone attain to this? “With God’s help,” we pray in our baptismal vows.

What is the bliss of the one who strives and obtains such purity, having been made right by God in Christ? Nothing less that a vision of God! In Jesus’ time, to see your monarch was a powerful gift. In our time, it’s akin to seeing the president or some national hero--forever thrilling and memorable.

On one level, this promise to see God can be thought of as to somehow understand fully God’s nature. As Paul said, “Now I see through a glass darkly; then I will see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know even as I’m known.” (I Cor 13:12) This idea describes a new level of intimacy with God, surpassing any intimacy we’ve ever known.

We can now state the Beatitude this way: O the bliss of the person whose heart has been cleansed by the Spirit, whose motives, thoughts, and desires are unmixed.  They will be given nothing less than a vision of God.

 Jerry+

The Beatitudes: Part 5

Quick Review

The word translated as “Blessed” with which each Beatitudes begans, seems to be a promise of things to come. But the word is better translated as “O the bliss...”  Bliss is a word that properly belongs only to the gods. Yet, Jesus is stating that it is his followers’ now. As William Barclay says, “...The Beatitudes are not promises of future happiness...they are affirmations of the bliss into which the Christian can enter here and now.”

Today’s Beatitude: The Kind Heart

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.  Matt 5:7

Did you know that the word mercy is found more than 150 times in the Old Testament? Nine-tenths of those times, the word refers to God’s mercy.  The Hebrew word chesedh, which is translated as mercy in these instances may not give us the full range of meaning of the word. For the most part, we moderns think of mercy as relaxing a penalty or demand which could be enforced. We “throw ourselves on the mercy of the court” to obtain a lesser sentence than might otherwise be handed out. So mercy has the idea of agreeing to not treat someone with the severity or stern justice which is deserved.

But the Hebrew word is much more positive than that. The word includes the meaning of “kindness” and this is the basic meaning of the word. When chesedh is translated this way, it carries the idea of something active. As Barclay put it, “...when used of God, [it] is the outgoing kindness of the heart of God. It is the basis of God’s whole relationship to [us], and especially of his relationship to” Israel.

Mercy belongs to God and God delights in it (Isa 62.12, Micah 7:18). God’s mercy is so infinite that it reaches to heaven (Psalm 36:5); so enduring it lasts forever (Psalm 89:1,2). God is said to be “plenteous” in mercy (Psalm 21:7). God’s mercy gives hope (Psalm 33: 5). This list goes on. Knowing this about God, Moses can appeal to God’s longsuffering nature and great mercy to ask forgiveness when the Israelites sin against God.

Mercy in the Old Testament is connected to God’s fidelity and steadfastness in relating to creation, including humankind. God is faithful and keeps his covenant with those who love him (Duet. 7:9). The idea of covenant is central to the whole story of the Old Testament. God graciously entered into a special relationship with the people of Israel in which he would be their God and they would be his people--a covenant which God initiated! This is the clear example of God’s outgoing love of God of his own.

The covenant carried with it a condition: God’s people would be obedient, specifically, they would keep the Torah. Repeatedly, in the story, we see that mercy is shown especially to those who love God and keep the commandments (Exodus 20:6).  “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Here we see then, that if God is to show mercy toward humankind, it is expected that humankind do the same, that is, show mercy in their relationships. Micah says that showing such mercy is required.

Jesus speaks this Beatitude in a world in which toleration for differences was nearly impossible to obtain. Jews and Gentiles had little use for each other. Romans ruled with an inflexible iron fist. Rebellions weren’t just put down; they were crushed. Jerusalem wasn’t just defeated in the rebellion of 66-70 AD. Jerusalem and it’s temple were obliterated and the people scattered. In this kind of world, Jesus says, “O the bliss of those whose outgoing love for others reflects and reproduces the outgoing love of God, for they will be loved completely and unconditionally by God.”

Clearly Jesus was calling his contemporaries and us to act in a counter-cultural way. No wonder  outgoing love is so hard to show or to find.

Peace,

 Jerry+

The Beatitudes: Part 4

Quick Review

The word translated as “Blessed” with which each Beatitudes begans, seems to be a promise of things to come. But the word is better translated as “O the bliss...”  Bliss is a word that properly belongs only to the gods. Yet, Jesus is stating that it is his followers’ now. As William Barclay says, “...The Beatitudes are not promises of future happiness...they are affirmations of the bliss into which the Christian can enter here and now.”

Today’s Beatitude: Starving Soul

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Matt 5:6

First of all, this Beatitude is about hunger and thirst. For those of us who have never really experienced hunger, it may be difficult to understand the depth of this one. Oh, we’ve been hungry because dinner’s late, but very few of us reading this will likely have experienced the relentless hunger experienced in parts of undeveloped countries, or even in the impoverished areas of our own city. The same is true of thirst. Quenching our thirst is moments away most of the time. We don’t have to go to a well head that operates only once a day, if that, to carry away all the water we need for the next twenty-four hours.

But Jesus knew of the kind of hunger and thirst people in underdeveloped countries experience. Indeed, during Jesus’ life time, there were many who could not be certain of their next meal or who often went to bed hungry and thirsty. So when Jesus speaks of hunger and thirst, he’s speaking to people who know its pain. In effect, he’s saying to them: Blessed is the one who longs for righteousness in the same way a starving person longs for food or a thirsty person longs for water.”

Jesus wasn’t the first to use this metaphor. In Psalm 42, the psalmist compares the deer panting for water with the soul of one thirsting for God. It’s a good metaphor and it’s easy to see why Jesus would have adopted it. He’s asking the question, “Do you desire righteousness as much as the hungry and thirsty desire food and water?” Elsewhere he says he has no place to lay his head, even though foxes have holes and birds have nests. Then he asks, “Do you want to follow me enough to have a life like that?”

To put it another way, a Christian can’t really say, “I’m interested in Jesus.” Rather, a Christian would say as Paul did, “For me to live is Christ,” or “I surrender to Jesus.”  In Luke’s version, he has Jesus say, “Woe unto you who are full! For you shall be hungry,” meaning if one is self-satisfied now, beware of a day that will come when it will all seem empty to you.”

On the upside of this demanding Beatitude, Jesus is not talking about the bliss obtained by those who have obtained righteousness. He’s talking about the bliss of those who seek it with their whole heart and mind. On a more mundane level, we can compare this to those of us who practice some skill or craft as a hobby, perhaps sewing or painting or woodwork. Our excitement comes, not because we have achieved perfection in our hobby, but because we see our dedication to it improve our work. We continue to strive for more improvement, but we don’t withold our pleasure waiting for perfection. In this way, our striving for righteousness is the minimum requirement for this bliss.

Having spoken of righteousness, let’s take a minute to define it. Like many words, it is rich in meaning. One meaning is justice for the world, not just ourselves. Another is righteousness in the sense of living right. A third is justification, such as our theology tells us comes by faith. The first two seem obvious, the third may need a bit more amplification.

The word in the sense in which Paul used it in his writings means to treat and accept another person as if that person is a just and good person. God, through Christ, has “counted us as righteous,” Paul says. God’s grace and mercy allows God to see us as if we are without sin and acceptable to God. Far from being a punitive God, God is, by nature, loving and accepting. Since very few of us can pull that off, it may be very hard to understand this attitude. But, understand it or not, it’s God’s attitude towards us. It is because of this that we will be “filled” in the words of the Beatitude. The Greek word is “stuffed to the point of complete satiety.” Not unlike how many of us will feel after Thanksgiving dinner!

Now we can state the Beatitude in a new way: O the bliss of those who hunger and thirst after a right relationship with God, for they shall be filled to bursting, until his/her longings are achieved and soul is satisfied.

Hunger and thirst to you!  Jerry+

The Beatitudes, Part 3

Quick Review

The word translated as “Blessed” with which each Beatitudes begins, seems to be a promise of things to come. But the word is better translated as “O the bliss...”  Bliss is a word that properly belongs only to the gods. Yet, Jesus is stating that it is his followers’ now. As William Barclay says, “...The Beatitudes are not promises of future happiness...they are affirmations of the bliss into which the Christian can enter here and now.”

Today’s Beatitude: The Meek

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  (Matt 5:5)

The real meaning of this Beatitude is obscured by the word “meek.” Today, it means a Casper Milquetoast kind of person; shy, withdrawing, submissive. The Hebrew word is anaw and is used often in the Psalms. It describes a person who, because he/she loves God, accepts God’s guidance and never grows resentful about what comes, believing God knows best. Such a person is dear to God, say the Psalms over and over. Psalm 37 is very reminence of Jesus’ remark about this and reads, “But the anaw shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.”

When the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek, the word praus was used for anaw. That word is used to describe an animal that has been tamed and is subject to the control of its handler. For example, we speak of horses being broken to the saddle or a sheepdog trained to herd on command. This animal is not weak, but controllable both within itself and from outside itself. The animal is not cowering, nor is it aggressive; it is praus. To paraphrase Aristotle when he talked about this quality in people, “[Such a person] feels anger on the right grounds, against the right person, in the right manner, at the right time, and for the right length of time.”

The Greek view of such a person describes a person who is gentle when it is within his/her power to be forceful. There is a certain strength in this person. This is the attitude of Jesus when he says, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Or as Paul put it, “Be angry, but don’t sin.” Paul is saying the anger can be appropriate, such as Martin Luther King’s anger toward racial oppression, but it can’t be destructive. This is why non-violence appealed to King and was his chief weapon.

When Jesus speaks of inheriting the earth, this is an enlargement on Psalm 37’s promise to inherit the land, i.e., the territory of Israel. It is instead a promise of life (which is what “land” means in this context) here and now. If one is committed to God, then he/she will know peace which is beyond human understanding. Praus is the quality that gives that person power through self-mastery.

Thus, we can restate the Beatitude as Barclay does: Oh the bliss of the person who has so committed self to God, that that person is entirely God-controlled, for such a person will be right with God, self, others and will enter into that life which God has promised and God alone can give.

Wow!

Jerry+

The Beatitudes: Part 2

Quick Review

The word translated as “Blessed” with which each Beatitudes begans, seems to be a promise of things to come. But, as I said last post, the word is better translated as “O the bliss...”  Bliss is a word that properly belongs only to the gods. Yet, Jesus is stating that it is his followers’ now. As William Barclay says, “...The Beatitudes are not promises of future happiness...they are affirmations of the bliss into which the Christian can enter here and now.”

Today’s Beatitude: The Sorrowing

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matt. 5:4

It may be this Beatitude is meant to be taken literally. There is a Arabic saying, “All sunshine makes a desert.” The composer Elgar once said, upon listening to a young woman with a beautiful voice and faultless technique, “She will be great when something happens to break her heart.” When I have been at a nadir in life, it was there I learned who my friends were and who loved me. So in this sense, sorrow has it’s own blessing to bring.

But, there is another possibility. O the bliss of the person who is moved to bitter sorrow at the realization of his/her own sin for they shall be encouraged and comforted. We often forget that the way to the fullness of a relationship with God is the realization that we aren’t worthy of the love that God gives us. Grace, as we say, is unmerited love. New life, in every sense, begins with the an awareness of dissatisfaction with life as it is.

Some years ago, seeing myself in a photograph, I realized I was dramatically overweight. I didn’t like the way I looked, nor the way I felt. My diabetes was hard to control. I decided at that moment I wouldn’t continue on the path that led to the many extra pounds and that I would turn my life in a new direction. And I did. This process is the same one that addicts face if they are to begin moving toward sobriety. They come to the sad and sorrowful realization they are out of control and need the help of a Higher Power.

In a very real sense, we are talking about penitence. But, this Beatitude doesn’t stop there. If we were to truly to come face to face with the depth our own sinfulness and our lack of merit before God, we might feel crushed and hopeless. This Beatitude says, “No.” The awareness of how far short we have fallen of acting like citizens of the Kingdom of God brings comfort. The Greek word here parakalein means comfort or console, but that is the rarest of it meanings. It also is the word used to call someone to become an ally, a helper, a counselor. It is also the word used to invite someone to a banquet. Quoting Barclay again, “God does not only accept and receive the sinner back again. He treats him, not as a criminal, but as an honoured guest.”

The word means even more. It also means to extort or to encourage. So the awareness of our sin, not only promotes forgiveness and joy, but we become filled with courage. Our minds are stimulated to new thoughts and new understanding. Though Andrew Lloyd Webber didn’t intend the description of love in his song Love Changes Everything to refer to God, it clearly has a deep theologial meaning. Think of God love for us as you read the lyrics.

Love changes everything:

Hands and faces,

Earth and sky,

Love,

Love changes everything:

How you live and

How you die

Yes, Love,

Love changes everything:

Now I tremble

At your name.

Nothing in the 

World will ever 

Be the same

Love

Will turn your world around,

And that world

Will last for ever.

Yes, Love,

Love changes everything,

Brings you glory,

Brings you shame.

Nothing in the

World will ever

Be the same.

Peace, Jerry+