Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
It is the season for festival Sundays
(Reformation, All Saints, Christ the King) as our church calendar will soon
roll over into Advent, beginning another liturgical year marked by the birth,
life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But as for this day: today is
All Saints Sunday, a festival Sunday in our church year, even though it doesn’t
always feel like a cause for celebration. Today is loaded with mixed emotions as
we mourn the loss of our brothers and sisters over the last year along with all
the saints of the church triumphant. Sisters and brothers, I know the
laments and joys that this festival All Saints Sunday. I understand the
emotions of this day.
I, along with many of you, if not all of you, have
heard the name of a loved one read aloud in the prayers on this day. A
name followed by the tone of a bell. I acknowledge the difficulty of
today’s celebration.
But at the same time that we hold this pain and grief, we seek hope and celebration for the life of the saints in Jesus Christ. A life formed in Jesus’ resurrection, which gives way to the gift of eternal life. And so on this day, we’ll say their names aloud, we’ll ring a bell, and together we’ll mourn and grieve.
Friends, I also know of the deep, yearning hope
found in today’s celebration. A name echoed by a bell that rings abundant
joy as the great multitude of saints. As Revelation says, "every nation,
tribe, and tongue stand proudly robed in white before the Lamb of God Proclaiming
“Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be to our God forever and ever! Amen."
It’s a day of mixed emotions, but in our grief
and mourning, may we find the hope and grace and promise of God’s eternal
kingdom.
In the 5th chapter of Matthew today. Jesus
teaches in public for the first time. After his baptism he was tempted
in the wilderness, and emerged preaching the kingdom of God has come near. He
called his first disciples and traveled throughout Galilee. He’s gained a
following, but it isn’t until chapter 5, this moment that the author of Matthew
presents Jesus in front of the crowds, ready to teach for the first time.
For Matthew’s Gospel account this is an important
moment because it will set the tone for Jesus’ ministry in the next 20
chapters. It will prepare the way for Jesus’s purpose and identity. It
is the public’s first educational moment with Jesus, and Jesus reveals the
depths and direction of his ministry. So with his disciples gathered closely
around Jesus on a hill, and the crowds behind them, Matthew’s Gospel account
launches into the first major discourse of Jesus’ public ministry.
It is a 3-chapter conversation that we know as
the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus will teach anger, murder, adultery, divorce,
loving your neighbor, turning the other cheek, prayer, worrisome-ness, truth
and temptation. But in the first 12 verses, which we affectionately know as the
Beatitudes, we receive the blessed be statements:
3“Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted.
5“Blessed are the meek, for
they will inherit the earth.
6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness for they will be filled.
At the heart of these “blessed be” statements is
Jesus’ characterization of the kingdom of God. For Matthew, this will be
at the heart of Jesus’ ministry…God’s abundant and grace-filled kingdom ushered
in. God’s kingdom breaking in among us with Christ the lamb seated at the
throne, to reign eternally.
This is a significant entry into public ministry because
for the longest time the Jewish people had very clear expectations regarding a
future Messiah. They had set expectations about God’s anointed king and the
kingdom in which he would rule. They envisioned a king of king, a mighty ruler,
Lord of Lords. An earthly ruler who a savior who would deliver the Jewish
people from all forms of oppressive governments. He would strike down
their foes and enemies would hold no chance of challenging him.
This earthly king would establish an immense
kingdom where he would restore proper order and care for the community within
his kingdom. He would reign forever and ever at the right hand of God.
A powerful, mighty, ruler. For the longest time, this was their
expectation. And so as the crowds gather to see and hear this new Rabbi, Jesus
offers 12 verses that both define the nature of his ministry within Matthew and
challenge their expectations of God’s in-breaking kingdom.
For this kingdom, God’s kingdom, Jesus will
surely reign, but it won’t look anything like what they expected. Rather
than a fierce, strong, competitive and conquering king, God promises Jesus, a
king who rules with humility, patience, and service. Rather than defeat his
adversaries with sword and war, this king would lay down his life, turn the
other cheek, and offer forgiveness.
Jesus begins his public teaching ministry by
characterizing the very nature of this kingdom of God in what we know as the
beatitudes. Jesus turns the world and their expectations upside down. In
the kingdom of God, Jesus rules in favor of the least the last and the
lost.
God’s kingdom is not characterized by pride or
self-righteousness, but by the poor in spirit and those who experience mourning
will inherit the kingdom of heaven and be comforted. God’s kingdom is not
characterized by power but by humility for the meek shall inherit the
earth. God’s kingdom is not characterized by self-interest, personal gain,
or success, for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and justice will
be filled.
God’s kingdom is characterized by mercy, wholesomeness, faithful struggle, honesty humility, and perseverance. God’s kingdom was different then their worldly expectations. When Jesus emerged from the wilderness in chapter four he proclaimed, “the kingdom of God has come near.” The good news for the disciples on that hill side, the crowds surrounding them and even us today, Is that the kingdom of God has come near.
God’s kingdom, which lifts up the lowly, humbles
the proud, seeks out the least and lost, advocates for the oppressed, acts for
mercy and justice. That kingdom is present among us in Jesus Christ. And
by the power of the Spirit in baptism, we are granted access to this kingdom. Made
participants, kingdom builders in God’s abundant reign of grace and mercy.
God’s kingdom gives us the freedom wrestle with
our faith. God’s kingdom…where we can both grieve and hope for joy. Where
we can name our mourning and our pain, while also seeking comfort and
assurance. God’s kingdom is a where our faith is put to work, challenging the
earthly systems of power, and standing firmly in favor of the meek, the lost,
the hungry, the poor in spirit, and those who mourn. For they will inherit the
kingdom of God, not because of the current pain or struggle, but because in
their struggle their hope is found in God. Faith that is securely rooted
in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The good news brothers and sisters is that God
sees us and our pain, our grief, our struggles. God stands with us in our time
of deep questioning and promises to be with us always, especially through death
and into eternal life. God honors our earthly struggles and blesses us
through Jesus Christ, the one who accompanies us on this journey of faith.
God’s kingdom has come near, and we are invited
to participate. Our participation may not always be cheery, joyful, or
struggle-free, but it is participation nonetheless. After all, lament also has
its place within God’s kingdom. So on this All Saints Sunday, a day marked with
mixed emotions, doubts, faithful struggles, simple joys, and uncertainty, hear
the promise of God in Jesus Christ.
God’s kingdom will prevail against all earthly
powers. God’s kingdom will have no end. In Jesus Christ, all will
dine at the great banquet table. Saints past and present who is seated on
the throne and “They will hunger no more, they will thirst no more; the sun will not
strike them, nor any scorching heat; 17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will
be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
All will rejoice in the lord, the kingdom of
God…AMEN
© Pastor Daniel Locke Nov. 5, 2017 @ St. Mark’s JAX
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