The Light of a (New) Day

I bet, at this point, the crowd is utterly silent, with an occasional "hush!" from a mama to a wiggly child being the only other sound. He began with the "poor in spirit"--an acknowledgement that despite God having chosen His people out from among the nations, redeeming them from slavery and leading them into the Promised Land, despair, sadness and fear still permeates the Jewish people. Perhaps, like today, the lack of hope is palpable, and everyday, the people walk with their heads down.

So, Jesus zeroes in on their condition and to the human condition that plagues us all: we are poor, beggars at the gates of heaven, and we feel no one is there, and no one is listening to our pleas. We turn away and wander off, impoverished in spirit and wondering if there will be a day when hope presents itself.

It did that day.  Or should I say, He did that day. 

Then Jesus moves from poverty of spirit to its natural outcome: mourning in spirit.  How could it be otherwise? 

We want to hear what the solution is, Rabbi. Get rid of the Romans who offend us daily? Sounds good. Get rid of the burdensome rules imposed on us daily? Yes, please! Get rid of the religious leaders who scorn us daily? We all can agree on that. 

No.  Getting rid of all those people and things will not solve the heart problem. For a while, this imagined new order would be fine...until the deeper loneliness and the famished heart once again asserts themselves.  

Consider:  If money means happiness, and more of it means more happiness, then the wealthy, the Hollywood types and world leaders would be radiant with joy.  

No. Not even close. 

Consider:  If the current political scene is overturned, and people are now free to follow their hearts, then revolutions, elections and new governments would have a long history of benefitting mankind, but all to often, when the old order is replaced with a new order--the new older replicates the old order and the people are once again in bondage.  

Consider:  If religion(s) would go the way of the buffalo, then this world would be a freer, more inclusive place.  Think of all the religious wars that have horribly disfigured the face of God!  But in the 20th century, when religion was replaced with atheistic systems that elevated leaders to a divine status, more people died in genocides than in all the previous centuries' religious wars combined. An estimated 100 million people died in the 20th century under the guise of newly constructed societies.   

Jesus pierces through the haze of quick-fixes, what-ifs and sees what needs to truly change if a person were to be find healing: a deeper relationship with His Father.  This Kingdom of God, with its reversals of the world (not upgrades or enhancements of it), will provide the blueprint.

Now, Jesus lands on "Blessed are meek, for they will inherit the earth." (verse 5)

Huh?  The meek?  What a minute, Rabbi.  The meek?  Let me tell you about the meek. If we are humble --meek--with the Romans, we are abused. If we are meek with obeying the Torah, we feel inadequate.  If we are meek with the religious leaders, they see us as weak and judge us even more.  Meekness is not a ticket out of this mess we are in.  Oh. Wait...now I remember.  Psalm 37 reminds me of what meekness is. 

Jesus never teaches in a vacuum. He reaches deeply into the Old Testament, and draws out its richness to remind His listeners of truths they may not have thought about in many years. 

Let's define "meek" first. The Blue Letter Bible has a mind-blowing definition:

"Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time (Isa 41:17, Luke 18:1-8). Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will (Gal 5:23)."

Wow. Doesn't that show a reversal of epic proportions? Jesus is pushing back on what His listeners see as a system that is utterly powerful, implacable and dominant and reminds them that God is in control, not the societal elites. (Applicable to us today, yes?)

Let's walk through Psalm 37, and see how it relates to the Kingdom of God.

"Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away."

Really, Rabbi?  They seem awfully permanent to me. 

"Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Oh.  That is good to know. I haven't been delighting in Him but fretting over everything. 

"Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun."

My righteousness comes not from what I do, but from Him. I feel somewhat relieved.  The religious leaders make it so hard with all their rules to really enjoy God. 

"Be still before the Lord

and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity."

Wow.  I am sorry, Rabbi. I do fret over how the powerful wear us down, and I ponder doing evil right back at them. But that means I will go deep into evil myself, and I am not trusting You to handle it. I do not want to become like them, relying on my own strength and using my own "wisdom" to solve this; only You alone are wise to do what needs to be done. 

"The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.

Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous."

 I never thought that my "little" had any real value, meaning or purpose.  But in God's eyes, it is far better than what the wicked have; who knows how they got it? Their gain, though much, was obtained with much evil. 

"The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

But the wicked will perish:
Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed."

Oh, really, Rabbi?  I can be and should be generous to others?  All I have, really, comes from You--if You give me enough to be generous with, why wouldn't You continue to do that? But, it's not just a matter of being generous--we show our trust in You when we give, that's true, but we also show how the wicked are all about themselves and we, as Yours, should not be. We act as children of Your light and that shows just how dark the dark really is. No wonder they hate us and try to bring us down. 

"The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.
Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones."

Really, Rabbi?  God loves me? God will not forsake me, even when I fail?  I stumble all the time, yet You catch me--I take great comfort in that truth. It is true that those who trust in You are not left as beggars in the streets; in fact, it's odd how the more we give, the more we acquire to give. That the difference with those who don't give: They hoard and hoard and feel they never have enough, because there is always someone who has more than they do. They're caught in a cycle of pursue, acquire and envy.  I am sorry, God, I have wanted to be like them at times. How utterly wrong to want that. 

"Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak what is just.
The law of their God is in their hearts;
their feet do not slip.
The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
intent on putting them to death;
but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemned when brought to trial."

I guess what is in your heart will come bursting forth from your mouth. This Rabbi seems steeped in our Scriptures, and He is giving them life and breath. I now see what the greatest sin of the wicked is:  They think that all of their abundance comes from themselves--their cleverness, their acumen, their theft. They ignore God, and use whatever means they deem necessary to carve out a life that does not acknowledge God in any way. They think, (oh, perish the thought!) that they are god. They worship the idol of money and then, because their thoughts are so darkened, they think they sit on the throne of the universe. 

"Hope in the Lord
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.
Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
a future awaits those who seek peace.
But all sinners will be destroyed;
there will be no future for the wicked."

This Rabbi wants us to hope in the Lord and to keep His way. Maybe this Rabbi will make God's way much clearer than the leaders do.  They weigh us down with so much that we grow weary; their burden is heavy. I need to realize that God will destroy those who act contrary to His ways; I pray I am not one of them, by harboring hatred or by being darkened in my thoughts. I take comfort in knowing that God listens to us, hears our cries and knows us by name.  Maybe this Rabbi is here to remind us of these truths. Is this Man more than a rabbi? Maybe a prophet?  Maybe (dare I say it) the Messiah? Time will tell.  

"The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him."

Yes, Lord, You alone are my refuge!  How quickly we forget this!   Thank you, Rabbi, for reminding us! 

Jesus isn't just delivering a mighty sermon on that hillside that day: He is calling the people to return to the truths of God and to see this new kingdom swinging its doors wide open and His Father inviting them (and us!) in.