WEEK 1: MONDAY The worst mistake we can make about this famous and stunning passage is to see it as a list of rules (youve got to try hard to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, and so on). It isnt. Its a royal announcement that God is turning the world upside down — or, rather, the right way up. Come with me into the crowd that has followed Jesus away from the villages and up onto the hillside. What are we hearing? What does it mean to us? Weve been longing for this moment, you see, but we didnt know what it was going to be like. For generations weve all been taught that one day our God, the maker of heaven and earth, would come back to us and set everything right. But as time has gone on its looked more and more as though hes forgotten us. Arrogant foreign soldiers have pushed their way into our land. Other nations, with their strange and lurid cultures, have taken over some of our towns and changed them into places where decent people wouldnt want to go. And the taxes they make us pay! Anyone would think we were still slaves, instead of Gods free people. But nobody quite knew what it would look like when God came back to us. Some people have said it would be like a great pillar of cloud and fire. Some have said hed come riding at the head of a great army to defeat the horrible people who are making our lives miserable. Some have even said that wed better not wait any longer, that perhaps God wants us to act first and then hell come and help us. So when we heard about this prophet who was going round the villages healing people and saying that the sovereign rule of heaven was now on the way, we were really excited. Whats his plan? Whats he saying is going to happen? And now hes telling us that God is indeed on the move — and that people like us are going to come out on top! Weve had our spirits crushed all right; weve been sorrowful, weve been longing for Gods way to triumph. Its been a hunger eating away at us inside. And now hes saying that the poor in spirit will inherit heavens kingdom, that the sorrowful will be comforted, that the hungry will be satisfied. All right! This is what weve been waiting for! But how will it hap- pen? What do we have to do? What are his plans for making it happen? Well, hes saying some other things, too. Hes saying that its the meek who will inherit the earth — not the rich, the powerful, the violent or the pushy. Some people in the crowd dont like that. It sounds like a cop-out to them. And hes saying that the merciful and the peacemakers are the ones who will receive Gods mercy, who will be called Gods children (we think all the people of Israel are Gods children; it sounds as though hes saying that God is reshaping Israel itself!). Thats not going to please those who want to fight and kill to make Gods will happen. And then hes saying that its going to be tough. People are going to hate us and persecute us. Well, weve had plenty of that already, so whats new? It sounds as though hes saying that God is doing a new thing — and that like the ancient prophets many of our own people wont like it. He wants us to follow him, even though its going to be unpopular. I dont know where this is leading. But Ive never heard any- one speaking like this before. Its a whole new way of being Gods people. Its a whole new way of being human. Well, weve tried everything else. Maybe, after all, this is what its going to look like when God comes back to rescue us. Im ready to sign up. What about you? TODAY Lord Jesus, help us to hear your voice, to accept your challenge, and to follow you in the way of your kingdom. Tom Wright’s Lent for Everyone Matthew Year A (SPCK, 2002). Courtesy of SPCK Publishing.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 04:17:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015