Old Testament
The two readings we have heard from the Old Testament today, from Micah and Psalm 15, present a picture of the requirements for anyone who would please God.
Ps 15 says that to approach God, people need to be completely obedient, always doing what is right and speaking what is true, not spread rumours, always fulfil their promises etc.
Micah says we must act justly, show constant love and live in humble fellowship with God
These requirements sound very burdensome and rule most of us out – we have neither the sufficient desire nor the ability to carry them out.
Jesus in the Beatitudes (with help from Charles Gore’s book “The Sermon on the Mount”)
The words of Jesus in the New Testament reading from the Gospel of Matthew are the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount – undoubtedly the most famous sermon ever.
The sermon is around 2,400 words and the major theme is how Jesus expects his followers to act. In effect, it is Jesus’ answer to the question “What does the Lord require of you?”
While there is a good deal of consistency between the OT and NT answers to that question, Jesus’ answer stands in contrast to the words of Psalm 15 and Micah in some important ways. Most notably, Jesus’ sermon on the topic is prefaced with a lengthy description of what it means to be happy, which Cathie read today, and which has come to be called The Beatitudes. Most translations use the word “blessed”, but from my minimal research about the original Greek, the Good News translation that we read from today is just as accurate in using the word “happy”.
It may be clichéd, but nevertheless true, that Jesus fulfils the expectations of God as written in Micah and Ps 15 in a way that no-one else did or could.
It is interested then to listen to how Jesus explains what God expects of us. And it is doubly interesting that he uses happiness (or blessedness) as the basis for that explanation.
Jesus describes here the character of the citizens of his new kingdom. His focus is on character rather than acts. “Christ requires us not to do such and such things but to be such and such people.” In essence, the Beatitudes put the character of Jesus into words. We can see those words backed up by his living example.
What does it mean to be happy?
[Highlight each phrase from the second half of each verse on the screen]
To be part of the kingdom of God, to be comforted, to receive what was promised, to be fully satisfied, to be treated with mercy, to see God, to be called children of God. But above all, to belong in God’s kingdom.
Who among us doesn’t yearn for these things? To be comforted in times of trouble. To have our deepest desires satisfied. To be treated with more mercy than we deserve? To see and know the one who made us. To rest in the security of knowing that we are children of the most loving parent imaginable.
This is the life Jesus tells his followers that God expects for them.
What can lead to such happiness?
We are told through endless media images that to be truly happy we must be young, healthy, rich, and have lots of gadgets.
The Beatitudes start with 3 seemingly negative characteristics, that are in complete contrast to what the world would tell us: being poor, grieving and humble. [Highlight on screen]
Then 4 positive aspects: a strong appetite for righteousness, compassion for others, purity of heart, promotion of peace. [Highlight on screen]
The last beatitude addresses the issue of how such a person is likely to be treated by the rest of the world: insulted, persecuted, lied about. [Highlight on screen]
In practice …
I wonder what your honest response is to this picture that Jesus paints of blessedness.
- Many find these words encouraging and even comforting.
- Others may find justification for the way they have been mistreated – “People don’t like me because I am doing what God tells me to.” Of course it may be just that they are arrogant and obnoxious.
- Still others may see these words as mere platitudes that provide no practical help as we struggle with the difficult realities of life.
In honesty, I have experienced the blessing of many of these statements, but not all. As I stand here and now, some seem particularly hollow promises. Verse 6 claims that those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires (another translation says those who hunger and thirst for righteousness) will be fully satisfied. I apologise in advance for seeming arrogant and presumptuous, but my deepest desire since early teenage years has been exactly that and I am not fully satisfied. I am not even half satisfied. Like Job, I won’t take as an answer that I mustn’t have tried hard enough or must have some hidden sin that block’s God’s blessing. I call on God to explain why this promise has been broken.
[Pause]
But here and now is not the end of the journey. We are caught in a middle time when promises are still promises rather than reality. Like the gallery of heroes in Hebrews 11, we live by faith, looking forward to a goal we may not attain, at least not in this life. If there had been no promise there would be nothing on which to base our faith. When a promise has been fulfilled, there is no further need for faith. But the middle time – after a promise has been made and before it has been fulfilled – is a time that requires faith.
We undertake this journey of faith through the middle time not because our hope for an afterlife makes everything now bearable, as though this world does not matter, but because we follow a leader who is worth following.
At the beginning of the service I posed two questions:
- What does God expect of those who claim to be God’s people?
- What sort of life brings true happiness?
In the end we find that the two have the very same answer: imitate Jesus.
Benediction
Jesus said “I came that you may have life in abundance”
As we seek to mould our lives around the character of Jesus
as we embrace poverty, times of mourning, and humility
as we align our desires with God’s and act mercifully, with a pure heart and a yearning for peace
… we may find ourselves misunderstood and maligned
But we also find blessing and joy
May the grace of our lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and always.
…and may you find happiness this week precisely because God is with you
Delivered at Berowra Uniting Church 30 Jan 2011