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.
Reflection
This
Lent, as we continue to look at what Jesus’ idea of the good life looks like
for us, we will shift our focus first to see who it includes. We will likely be surprised by some of the
people that the good life includes. I
say that, because we usually assume that those who are well off in life are the
blessed ones. The well off are living
the good life. Even our own desires to
have more tell us so. “If I only had a
bigger home, then I could live the good life.”
“If only I could afford a maid to clean, then I could live the good
life.” “If only I could have more influence
in this society, then I could create the good life for us all.” We assume that the good life is given to
those who are well off and powerful.
But, Jesus’ vision of the good life includes a very different set of characters. It includes the very people who were seeking him, following him, and hoping in his healing. Jesus says, “The good life is for the poor in spirit.”
If we remember that the word “spirit” in the Bible is attached to God’s wind, God’s life giving breath, and God’s creative power, then it starts to become clear who Jesus is talking about here. The good life belongs to those who lack the creating power to accomplish important things. Jesus is not suggesting that God has abandoned these people, quite the opposite; they get the kingdom of heaven. Rather, Jesus is saying that those who have no power over anything in this world are well set to receive the gift of God’s kingdom; they are well set to live the good life that Jesus wants to create. “The good life belongs to the powerless, for they get to be a part of God’s kingdom.
Not only does Jesus’ idea of the good life include those who have little ability to wield power in this world, Jesus also says, “The good life belongs to those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Mourn is a little too soft of a way to translate what Jesus is saying. A better way to translate this would be, “The good life belongs to those who constantly suffer grief and loss, for they will be comforted and restored.”
You might have noticed a retranslation of the end of that statement as well. In it you find a word of deep promise from Jesus. To be comforted in the Bible is not only getting attention and hugs, which we do need, but it also has a hint of things being put right once again. The promise is that Jesus’ good life belongs to those who suffer death and loss, because they will be comforted and their life will be restored.
Grief is not something to be pushed away. Those who allow the death and destruction of this world to make an impact on them will be comforted, and they will see things being restored. According to Jesus, grief is not something to be pushed away. Grief is essential to seeing the problem and also to seeing Jesus’ restoration of life. That is Jesus’ promise. “The good life belongs to those who constantly suffer grief and loss, for they will be comforted and restored.”
As Jesus looks out into the eyes of those in the crowd who have actively sought him out, Jesus tells them to whom else his vision of the good life belongs. Jesus says, “The good life belongs to the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” The word “meek” is unhelpful here because it makes us think of people who refuse to “stand up” or “stand out.” But, Jesus intends us to think of those who cannot “stand up” or “stand out.” If we look at Job 24:2-4, we get an idea of the sort of people that Jesus is talking about. It reads:
“The wicked remove landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. They drive away the donkey of the orphan; they take the widow’s ox for a pledge. They thrust the needy off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves.”
The orphan’s pet donkey being stolen by a powerful and heartless man is a heart wrenching image of a young, helpless person who is picked on because they can do nothing about it. The image of a poor person having the fences of their land removed by someone more rich and powerful, and their flocks taken by these rich and powerful for their own enrichment is enough to make you want to cry. Jesus says that “The good life belongs to those who are afflicted and unimportant, for they will get the land.”
These are the people who have sought out Jesus. Those who are powerless, those who are in deep grief, and those who have been made unimportant all look up at Jesus as he speaks from the mountain, and they hear straight from Jesus’ lips that God is looking out for them. They will get the good life. They will stand in God’s kingdom. They will be restored. They will get the land.
Those who stand in front of Jesus with empty hands will receive the goodness of the Lord. The good life belongs to those who stand before the Lord, with hands open, ready to receive what the Lord has to offer.
For those of us who feel as if we are the powerless, the grieving, and the unimportant, I want you to know that the Lord has decided that the good life belongs to you. The future of Jesus’ good life vision has you as an essential member of the family.
And, to those of us who stand in front of Jesus with hands full, who do have power, who ignore the painful cries of the world, and who are important in this world, well, we have found our reward already and it has nothing to do with Jesus vision of the good life. Maybe, we will do well to have our hands emptied, so that they are ready to receive the true good life of the Lord, not our broken vision of the good life where only some are loved and prosper.
Seeing Jesus visions of the good life come into reality all starts with getting our relationships right again. That is what Lent is all about. Is not Lent about getting in right relationship with God and one another? But, we will get more into that next week. For now hear what Jesus has to say about those right relationships.
“The good life belongs to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. The good life belongs to the merciful, for they will receive mercy. The good life belongs to the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:6-8)
For more information on the Sermon on the
Mount, and to discover the source information for this reflection, check out
the Sermon on the Mount study series on Bible Project.
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