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The Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Prayer: Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise this morning and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that you have inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation and that you will empower our application. Amen The Message: We return to the Gospel of Matthew this morning and find ourselves reading one of the most well-known and familiar passages of scripture. Yet this is one of the passages that I believe most of us find challenging. Can I just say if we don't find the Beatitudes challenging then perhaps we need to examine these verses a little more closely? Perhaps we should begin this morning by asking the question what is the context of what Jesus is saying here? So, briefly, let's look at what has been happening and what has led to Jesus making these extraordinary comments The Beatitudes appear in two places in Scripture. Here in Matthew and also in the Gospel of Luke. Both times the scene we witness is preceded by a time of hectic ministry. Both Matthew and Luke record the story we heard last week about Jesus calling Peter, Andrew James, and John then launching into very public ministry. In Matthew at the end of chapter 4, we read: "He came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them." In Luke, it says: "He came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them." Crowds of people - both Matthew and Luke describe it as a multitude - milling around, miraculous healings happening, unclean spirits were cured. This is the picture of a vibrant and raucous crowd with Jesus in the center of it all publicly displaying what he had spoken of last week in Matthew - The Kingdom of God has come near! Then in both Gospels, there is an abrupt change in the tone of the crowd and also in Jesus' demeanor. It is almost as though a hush came over everyone and it suddenly becomes a very intimate moment. Just something between Jesus and his closest disciples. Matthew records it this way: "When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:" Luke is even more abrupt: "Then he looked up at his disciples and said:" There is a poignancy and a sense of awe about this moment. If it were an opera there would be cashing of symbols, a thundering of drums, and a blaring of trumpets. Then abruptly silence! Into that silence, into that quiet poignant moment, with a deep sense of the awe of the majesty of God Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." In my mind, this moment reminds me of the story of the disciples in the boat surrounded by and tossed by the waves terrified that they are about to perish, and then Jesus stands up and says "peace, be still" and the wind and the waves obey him. Utter silence. Or the other moment that comes to mind here is God in the midst of creation in Genesis. Into the chaos that is the beginning of all things God speaks and things are changed. Out of the roiling and thunderous cacophony that is described at the beginning of Genesis God speaks and order appears. Then God declares it good! Jesus speaks to the disciples. Following the volatile and to some degree chaotic moments of the reality of the ministry of Jesus meeting the needs of the crowds. He speaks to them and declares a new order of things and a new understanding of how the Kingdom of God should operate. These are not words casually spoken, these are not directives for the crowds, and these are not instructions for the general populace. This is an intimate conversation with his closest and dearest friends. Jesus is imparting great spiritual truth to disciples. He is seeking to help them grasp a glimpse of "The Kingdom of God." We get to experience this moment because, by the grace of God, it is recorded for us to read and to hear it read to us. Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that most of the people in the crowd never heard these words? They didn't, ever, get to know what Jesus said to the Disciples that day. We do get to hear them. We get the opportunity to apply them so ourselves and our lives. If we, are Jesus' modern-day disciples, then what are we supposed to take from hearing these words? What are we supposed to understand because we have heard these words today? Can I ask you, have you ever felt poor in spirit, have you ever mourned, have you ever felt meek, have you ever hungered and thirsted for righteousness, have you ever had to be merciful, have you ever been pure in heart, have you ever been peacemakers, or been persecuted for righteousness sake? Do you feel blessed today? Can I tell you that I don't always feel blessed? But when I come right down to it the reason I don't feel blessed is that I don't like it when people revile me and persecute me. I don't like it when people utter all kinds of evil against me. I often forget that what people say falsely against me only has value if it is on account of Jesus. If I am being really honest I find it very difficult to rejoice and be glad, or to remember that my reward is great in heaven when I am being accused of things that I know are not true. I find it hard to remember that "in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Suddenly the words of Paul in our reading from Corinthians, this morning, have a new relevance: "Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Or perhaps the words from Micah are a simpler and more direct way to understand how we are blessed: "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" How blessed are you today? Can you judge your circumstances by the Beatitudes or are you judging the Beatitudes by your circumstances? Perhaps you are feeling the chaos and the uncertainty of your world at the moment. Perhaps you need Jesus to say: Peace be still. Then as Jesus speaks quietly and directly to you this morning do you hear him assuring you that you are his blessed? The Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. Prayer: Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise tonight and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that you have inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation and that you will empower our application. Amen The Message: We begin today in the Gospel of Matthew with a reference to the arrest of John the Baptist. Then Jesus withdraws to Galilee. Matthew then proclaims that is to fulfill a prophecy by Isaiah. That somehow the redeeming of the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali is a vital part of Jesus' ministry. Jesus proclaims that the Kingdom of God has come near. The next thing we know we experience the calling of Peter Andrew, James, and John. As I begin this morning I want to say that I realize I got "lost in the weeds" last week about mid-way through my sermon. I forgot one of the cardinal rules of preaching. "Sermons are written to be read out loud." What looks good written down on paper may not translate well when it is presented verbally to a congregation. So, having been reminded of that lesson I am going to try to keep away from that particular rabbit hole in the future. Both for your sake and mine. So, this week I am going to tell you that I am going to reference both the Gospel and Isaiah. I am doing this because they are linked and Matthew references Isaiah in his commentary on why Zebulun and Naphtali might be important in the narrative of Jesus' life and ministry. Perhaps we should begin by asking the question why did Jesus choose to go to Capernaum in Galilee when he heard about John the Baptist being arrested? Why did he choose to begin his ministry in this particular place? In Isaiah chapter 9, it says: "In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali" Why were Zebulun and Naphtali held in such contempt? Then why did Isaiah also say: "but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations." I am going to try to keep this as brief and as clear as I can. Zebulun and Naphtali were two of the sons of Jacob. When the People of Israel settled in the Promised Land their descendants chose to live in the north. Good prosperous land that produced great crops and lots of the bounty of the land. They should have been considered blessed among the People. But they had two problems. The first one was that they allowed their prosperity to distract them from their worship of the one true God. They got caught up in syncretism. They allowed themselves to be influenced by the worship practices of those around them. That is what Isaiah is referring to in chapter 9. God turned his back on them because they had lost sight of their relationship with Him. The second problem they had was that over time they were invaded and decimated as armies of other nations pillaged their lands on their way south to conquer the nation of Israel. By the time of Jesus, Zebulun and Naphtali were dark places that needed restoration and reinvigoration. It is important for us to know this history because in starting his ministry in this place he removes the contempt and raises it up as the place where God first chose to be evident in Jesus' public ministry. Then Jesus begins his ministry by calling Peter, Andrew, and then James and John. He says simply that they are to follow him. In fact, he is asking them to choose. To do it without reservation and immediately. One of the commentators I listened to this week made me laugh when he talked about how Jesus came as a "troublemaker" into the lives of these four men. Jesus calls them away from their families, he calls them away from their livelihood, and he calls them to forsake everything that would say that they are good Jewish followers of their faith. This is his first act in beginning his ministry of proclaiming that the King of God is at hand. There is no opportunity for syncretism here. They have to choose between their prosperity and following Jesus. They have to choose to leave the well-being of their families, it can't be a priority over the call of Jesus on their lives. They must respond and put Jesus and his call above anything else. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined." For many of us sitting here this morning, this goes against everything we understand about our social responsibility and being good citizens in the world. It is challenging and scary to think that Jesus might call us out of this place. As we consider these scriptures this morning there is a lot for us to digest and consider. How are we doing with keeping our life in Christ as central as it should be? What could be some of the challenges that we face in the world in which we live if we were to respond to the call of Christ in our lives now? If we feel that we are living in darkness, how can we be encouraged by the work of Jesus in Galilee, particularly in Zebulun and Naphtali? How could this be a redeeming sign for our own lives? Who do we know who might need to hear the message of Jesus this week: "From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”" How can we take the words of the Collect for this morning and make them more than just words we have heard in a worship service this Sunday? Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. |
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