Reflection on Matthew 25:31-46

 

The primary objective of the sermon is to announce the good news of Jesus Christ.  So, the preacher’s primary job, then, is to study a given scripture, seek some words of good news, and proclaim that particular good news so that the word of Jesus Christ can give life to the hearer.

Sometimes we find that good news easily.  Take the parable of the lost coin, where the woman searches and searches until she finds the coin.  The good news is that God is like that; searching and finding us.  That good news is easy to find. 

Sometimes, the good news is hard to find, especially if it is a scripture that is full of judgment with almost no glimmer of light. 

And, sometimes, there is good news to be found, but it is overshadowed with threats of judgment and punishment.  For me, the scripture for today is like that.  There is good news to be heard, but it is overshadowed by threats that cause us to fear.

In it we hear of Jesus at the end of the age, separating us into sheep and goats.  The sheep will be blessed and will inherit God’s kingdom.  The goats will suffer an eternal punishment.  And, as if this threat of potential punishment were not fear inducing enough, those who are separated into the categories of sheep and goats have no idea which one they may be! 

When Jesus commends the righteous sheep for helping him when he was a stranger, the righteous answer in return, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” (Matthew 27:37-39). 

In a similar way the goats, which did not help Jesus when he was a stranger, had no idea that they had not helped.  “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” (Matthew 25:44). 

And, though I do find joy in the fact that those righteous sheep were led by Jesus into living lives that made the kingdom of heaven a reality right here, right now, by feeding, giving drinks, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and imprisoned, that hope in the kingdom is somehow diminished in my mind by the thought that they had no idea they were living the ideals of the kingdom.  Jesus has to point it out to them.

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).

And, maybe that is the way it is.  Maybe, the spreading of Jesus’ kingdom of love for the downtrodden and stranger is something that is best maintained by pointing it out; by naming it when we see it.  Maybe, the kingdom of heaven is something that is best spread when we do it together, and are able to point out to one another when we do or do not see it.

I can tell you right away about the time that my family desperately needed food, and it showed up right at our doorstep.  My father had just gone back to college, and our family of five was trying to survive on the income that my mom could pull in by working a minimum wage job.  Mind you, two of us were very ravenous teenage boys.  We were making it by OK.  There were a lot of meals that included sandwiches, which did the trick, but when Thanksgiving rolled around, the expense of a turkey meal was well beyond what we would be able to swing.  My dad had grabbed a turkey loaf out of the freezer section, because who does not like a good turkey loaf?  It you have ever had the pleasure of having a turkey loaf, you know that it is almost like food, and that it kind of tastes like turkey.

I once said that to someone, and they responded, “Hey, I love that stuff!”  They also ate Spam straight out of the can…so.

But, the day before Thanksgiving there was a knock at the door.  We opened the door to two men from our church, holding a huge, fresh turkey.  How did they know?  We had not told anyone about our situation.  But, there they were bringing a turkey to our stomachs and tears to my mother’s eyes.  Whether they realized it or not, they had brought the kingdom of heaven to our small apartment that day and Jesus was there.  “For I was hungry and you gave me food” (Matthew 25:35).

Then there was the time that I was at a concert with thousands of people, and everyone was jumping around to the beat of the music in the sweltering heat.  Someone in our group became severely dehydrated and needed water immediately, so we started waving our hands, jumping up and down, trying to get someone’s attention because dragging him to a water source was no easy feat when there are thousands of people through which to wade.  Just then, Taylor Swift stopped the show, directed her staff to provide us some water, and did not continue the show until some water was provided. 

OK, so that might not have really happened to me.  I know it is hard to believe that I am not a swiftie.  But, it really did happen to someone.  Just a few days ago, someone’s dire thirst was quenched because a superstar put the needs of one above everyone else.  Whether she realized it or not, she had brought the kingdom of heaven to that crowd of thousands and Jesus was there.  “For I was…thirsty and you gave me something to drink” (Matthew 25:35).

Jesus says that he is there whenever we welcome the stranger, and this story is my story.  Having a dad as a helping hand of hog farms allows you the unique opportunity of joining new schools often.  The hardest part of joining a new school is always the lunch table.  Where do you sit?  Who will want to talk with you?  How do you figure out if the kids are nice?  So, it is like the heavens are opening up and a ray of light is shining down in the middle of the lunchroom when someone sees you standing there with your tray and says, “You are sitting right here!”  She became one of my best friends in High School and on that anxious first day at a new school the kingdom of heaven which welcomes the stranger became real and Jesus was there.  “For is was…a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).

There was also the time that my choir director handed me a shirt for a music festival, which puzzled me because neither I nor my family had the kind of money needed that would have allowed me to attend. 

“Someone from the church wanted you to go, so you are going,” my choir director said simply.  My teenage brain could not comprehend what was happening.  I had wanted to go, but had resigned myself, as I had many other times, to the reality that it just was not something ever in the cards for me.  But, I was going because someone thought I was worth sending.  No one ever came forward to tell me who they were.  I could not send a “thank you” card.  To this day, I do not think that they ever realized just how much Jesus’ kingdom became real to me as I put on that shirt and left for that trip.  In that moment, Jesus was there.  “For I was naked and you gave me clothing” (Matthew 25:36).

Jesus talks about being visited himself whenever we visit the sick and the imprisoned, and though I have never been imprisoned…I don’t care what you have heard…I have been sick more than a few times.  I think especially about the time I had my appendix taken out in an emergency surgery.  Right away that morning as I recovered, I was either visited or called by nearly every pastor in town. It was nice to see the faces of those who cared and to hear their concerned words.  The kingdom of heaven broke into that small hospital room, and Jesus was there.  “I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:36).

Part of the Thanksgiving tradition is taking some time to give thanks for all of the gifts that have been given.  That is a great tradition, and it seems to me that the sort of reflection and recognition that happens as we reflect on all for which we are thankful actually is the sort of thing that would allow us to see Jesus actively at work in us and in our world.

I ask you, when has Jesus’ kingdom come down and broken open around you?  When was it that you were hungry and the kingdom of heaven became real because you were given food?  When was it that you were thirsty and the kingdom of heaven became real because you were given something to drink?  When was it that you were a stranger and you were welcomed, or naked and someone gave you clothing, and when were you sick or in prison and you were cared for and visited?  Rejoice and be glad in each of these instances because each and every time Jesus was there, bringing the kingdom to you.

Jesus has made you a part of the kingdom of heaven.  Your life has been blessed with the good things of Jesus Christ. 

Being a citizen of that kingdom, you are also one of those who offers food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, welcome to the stranger, clothing to the naked, and a holy and healing presence to the sick and imprisoned. 

I pray that the Lord, our king, point out to you all of the times that you have walked in the ways of the kingdom.  May you hear the words spoken by Jesus to trustworthy servants: “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). 

But, if you have somehow failed to be a blessing, I also pray that the time of correction from the Lord be fruitful and a little less than eternal.  After-all, the word “punishment” can also be translated “correction.”  That is a more hopeful translation to those of us who hopelessly fall short of the mark.  Hopefully, those words of correction come from the mouth of someone who is kind and who loves you very much; like when my best friend kindly pointed out one day that I was kind of being an insensitive jerk.  May Jesus allow our times of fiery, refining correction transform us into his kingdom people. 

Blessed are you who come to realize that Jesus has made you citizens in the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you who are citizens in the kingdom of love.

Reflection on Matthew 25:14-30

 

For generations it was the family’s Thanksgiving tradition to box up the massive amounts of leftovers from the family meal and deliver them to those in the neighborhood who they knew were alone for the holiday.  The children would excitedly run meals up to the doors of neighbors in the waning afternoon sun, proud to be a part of such a giving tradition, and those who received the meals felt truly blessed, not only by the food but by the smiles from the children handing them this special meal.

For years and years this was the unquestioned holiday tradition, until the day that someone in the family questioned it.  “Why do we head out into the cold to do this?” asked a new addition to the family, a new son-in-law.  “My family relaxes Thanksgiving afternoon, watches football, and enjoys leftovers the next few days.  Why do we ruin our relaxing day to do this?  Who else does this sort of thing?  Why do we give up all of this great food that the good Lord has given us?”

Of course, grandma was dedicated to the tradition, and the kids loved it.  The tradition would continue as long as she survived.  But, a rift started to ripple through the family as they wondered if the tradition, which survived generations upon generations would last beyond the current generation.  Would the day of thanksgiving be only about “thanks” and have nothing to do with “giving?”  Was the family on the cusp of burying their gifts?

The image of burying a gift, of course, comes straight from the Bible.  It is in the story of the talents in which a man entrusts his property and wealth to his servants.  To one servant he gives five talents (a talent being a weight of money).  To another he gives two talents.  And, to another he gives one talent.  He gives the wealth according to what he thinks each servant will be able to do with it…what he thinks each servant will be able to create with it while he is gone.

The first servant produces five more talents by the time the man returns.  He is commended and rewarded.  The second servant produces two more talents by the time the man returns.  He too is commended and rewarded.  But, the third servant buries his talent in the ground and has nothing but the original talent to offer his master in return.

And, that is where idea comes from: burying your gifts.  The family feared that future generations would bury their gifts, producing no goodness for their neighbors in return.  The family feared that Thanksgiving would produce no sense of “giving” to future generations of children, and the tradition of goodness and love would be lost.

Sometimes, I think that people’s idea of stewardship embraces too tightly the idea of burying.  How many times have you had a great idea that would help your neighbors, whether in a church or a community organization, and there is always that one person who says, “I don’t know if we should be spending money right now.  Aren’t we supposed to be good stewards of what we have been given?”  Their assumption, of course, is that stewardship is all about saving and burying.  But, that actually is not what biblical stewardship is all about.

In Genesis, when God tells humans to steward all that has been given them in creation, it is paired up with the injunction to “be fruitful and multiply.”  The idea is that what we have been given is to be used to continue what God has started.  What we have been given is to be used appropriately to promote God’s life and God’s love. 

Jesus continues with this very notion when he warns, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit,” and continues, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:17-20). 

The basic, plain understanding behind this text is that trees bear fruit.  And, fruit is to be used to both grow more trees and to offer food to other creatures.  “You will know them by their fruits,” Jesus says.  You will know someone by how they do or do not prosper others.  You will know someone by the life and love that they do or do not provide to others.  But, what happens when God’s gift of life and love is buried?

A teen pointed out to me a few years ago in confirmation class that if your gift is not money, but a gift that resides in your body, like singing or dancing, or painting or healing, that if you bury your talent you are actually burying yourself. 

I have to admit that I was blown away by that idea.  Are you blown away by that idea?  Now, I had thought about what it meant to bury my talent before; like burying my guitar playing.  If I buried my guitar playing, then it would not be helpful to anyone or bring joy to God in any way. 

But, I had never thought about the fact that burying my guitar playing is actually burying a part of me.  It is digging a grave for me.  It is digging a grave for a premature death, stifling not only my gift, but also me. 

That is a mind-blowing idea, is it not?  I am so thankful that teen did not bury their wisdom, because their wisdom has been so life-giving to me.

A lot of things make sense when you think of it that way.  Fine actors who end up burying themselves and their talent under illegal substances now make so much more sense to me.  If you bury yourself, you become worthless.  You become a “worthless slave” as the Bible story says (Matthew 25:30).  Now, understand, this is not a moral judgment; it is just the simple truth.  If you are dead and buried, you can help no one.

People who become bitter after the stresses of life have become way too much, who bury their love so as to protect their own hearts make so much more sense to me.  If you bury yourself, you become worthless, as the Bible story says.  This is not a moral judgment; it is just the simple truth.

Those who have used their gifts to only support themselves and improve themselves make so much more sense to me.  If you bury yourself, you become worthless, as the Bible story says.  This is not a moral judgment; it is just the simple truth.

We were created to be trees that are fruitful.  We were created to be servants who use their gifts to create and prosper life, and show love.  In fact, the Greek word used to describe what the two good servants did with their talents is ποιέω, which literally means “to create” or “to produce.”  From the beginning of creation, we were put on this earth by God to help create.  We were put on this earth to produce more life and more love from the gifts we have been given by God.  We were not created to bury our gifts.

But, sometimes we do.  Sometimes, we bury what we have been given.  Sometimes, we have been discouraged in the use of our gifts, and we bury them.  Sometimes, we are tricked out of our gifts, and they become buried.  Sometimes, our gifts are taken away from us either through theft or through poor health, and they end up dead and in the ground.  Sometimes, we have no intention of burying our gifts, but they end up in the ground anyway.

In just the next chapter of Matthew, Peter will bury the gift of knowing Jesus and deny him three times.  In just a couple of chapters, the people will nail God’s gift of goodness and love to the cross, and will bury his lifeless body in the ground, in a cold tomb of death.  Sometimes, we bury what we have been given by God.

Thank you God that when you are buried, you are not like trash that decomposes; rather, you are like a seed that springs to new life. 

God’s gift of life and love for the world, Jesus Christ, cannot stay buried for long.  Like a sapling springing up through the ashes of a burned forest, Jesus rose to life, breaking free from burial and death.  Jesus is God’s life and love!  Jesus cannot be buried for long!  Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). 

So, this Thanksgiving, let us pray that we and our gifts not remain buried.  Let us pray that Jesus lift us out of the ground, into new life.  Let us also pray that Jesus help us remember the “giving” part of Thanksgiving.  And, let us pray that Jesus will share some good fruit plucked from our branches and given to others, that all might give thanks to God. 

The family never stopped, by the way.  To this day, the family still boxes up their leftovers and gives them to lonely neighbors on Thanksgiving.  Guess who heads up the project now that Grandma is gone: the son-in-law.  After a couple of years of participating, he grew to love “giving” on Thanksgiving.  If at all possible, Jesus does not let our talents stay buried for long.

Reflection on Matthew 25:1-13

 

Jesus teaches us to, “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

This is not the first time that Jesus tries to convince us that we cannot know the timing of his second coming.  In the chapter just before this one Jesus is explicit, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36).  Jesus says that not even he knows the timing. So, it seems amazing to me that so many people are convinced that they know the timing of Jesus’ return and they try to convince you that they too know when the end of the world will arrive.

In fact, there are at least 159 recorded, official predictions of the end of the world since Jesus ascended into heaven.

One of the first was right away after Jesus’ time on earth.  The Jewish Essenes, who were like John the Baptist and lived in the wilderness saw the Jewish uprising against the Romans in 66–70CE, and the following destruction of the temple as the final end-time battle which would bring about the arrival of the Messiah. 

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

In the years 992-995, Good Friday coincided with the Feast of the Annunciation; which had long been believed to be the event that would bring forth the Antichrist, convinced a lot of people that the end-times would arrive within three years.

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

Martin Luther, the architect of the Protestant Reformation, predicted that the end of the world would occur no later than 1600.

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

In 1986, a man named Leland Jensen predicted that Halley's Comet would be pulled into Earth's orbit and would cause widespread destruction, bringing about the end of the world.

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

And, quite recently, with recent events in mind, some evangelists have speculated that 2028 is the "most likely" year for the beginning of the end of the world.

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

Even with Jesus’ reminder, the recent attack on Israel by Hamas has caused many people to speculate that the end is near. By the way, this is the number one requested sermon topic as of late.  The horrible loss of innocent life mixed with the world threat of climate change has caused many people to start searching their scriptures for clues to the end. 

Climate change is the beginning of this speculation, finding its prediction in Revelation where “the fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch them with fire...”  (Revelation 16:8)

This is important to this “end times” argument because climate change is actually drying up the Euphrates river as the Bible seemingly predicts.  Iraqi officials are predicting the river to be dry by 2040.  The farmer’s anguish and fear along the shores of the Euphrates have caused them to interpret their reality in the words of Revelation 16:12 which says, “The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings from the east.”  Could this be the beginning of the end they wonder?

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

Some think that the attacks on Israel, as predicted in the Bible, have just begun as prophesied in Daniel 11:40, “At the time of the end the king of the south shall attack him. But the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. He shall advance against countries and pass through like a flood.”

But Hamas is not from the north, nor do they have ships.

Could the attack from the north actually be an attack from Russia yet to come?  Check out these words from Ezekiel, “Therefore, mortal, prophesy, and say to Gog: Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, you will rouse yourself and come from your place out of the remotest parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army; you will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the earth. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I display my holiness before their eyes.”  (Ezekiel 38:14-16)

And though the events of recent times, mixed with these biblical prophesies seem tantalizing, Jesus reminds his followers to “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

One of the most basic Christian teachings is that we follow Jesus.  We listen to him.   Jesus is Emmanuel, “God with us.”  He was sent to us, to save us, to set us free, and to lead us.  Therefore, we listen to him.  Other teachings we hear from preachers cannot contradict the words of Jesus.  If they do, they cannot be trusted.  And, Jesus clearly says, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son.”  He reminds us again to, “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

Even Jesus does not know when the end is coming.  So, the tragic attacks in Israel that caused the horrendous loss of innocent lives at the hands of terrorists, and the continued loss of innocent life in Palestine due to the continuing war against these terrorists might really mean that the end is tomorrow, but it could also mean that the end is 2,000 years from now.  In other words, Jesus does not know, and neither do we.  But, the one thing that God is awakening within us through these events, the one thing that Jesus does want from us, is for us to remain awake.

“Keep awake,” Jesus teaches.  He does not want us to be lulled into sleep.  He does not want our lives to be distracted away from the things that actually matter; the things that Jesus cares about.  And, all of this speculation and calculating of the end of the world is a distraction.  It is a distraction.  It can cause people to forget and stop living their Christian lives of love of God and love of neighbor, drawing them to use their resources to build bunkers and stock up on canned goods.  Or, it can cause people to simply give up trying to make a difference in this world.  “Why do anything, it is all just going to end anyway,” they dismiss.  Do not be distracted, Jesus urges.  “Keep awake!”

Jesus hopes and prays that we will not be like the bridesmaids who failed to bring extra oil for their lamps, just in case the bridegroom was running late.  In the story, when the bridegroom was running late, and they could not keep their lamps lit, these bridesmaids were not able to fulfill their role in the wedding celebration.  You see, their role of lamp bearer was more than standing in the wedding hall as some sort of primitive light bulb for the wedding feast.  These bridesmaids were essential in the splendor and ritual of the occasion.  It is almost as if other people were let down because these bridesmaids were not able to stay awake and be ready for the bridegroom to arrive.

Who would be let down if you stopped caring about God and you stopped caring about your neighbor?  Who would deeply hurt you if they stopped caring for you?

“Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

After-all, Jesus graciously makes you the light of the world.  “You are the light of the world,” Jesus declares.  “A city built on a hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14).  You are Jesus’ light shining right here and right now.  You are his hands, feet, and heart right here in this corner of the world in which he has placed you.  Do not let your light go out!  Do not let anyone blow it out!  No not fall asleep and forget about who you are.  You are Jesus’ light.

With that said, sometimes our lights do go out.  Sometimes, we are unable to be the light in the world.  Sometimes, we are unable to even get out of bed, and wash the dishes. 

There is little in the world that is as hard as having your light blown out.  Maybe, it was blown out because of exhaustion.  Maybe, it was blown out by someone else who did not want to see you shine.  Maybe, it was blown out because you were depressed.  Or, maybe someone convinced you to hide it under a basket by distracting you from what is truly important in life.

Sometimes our lights do blow out.  Sometimes we do fall asleep.  Even the good bridesmaids in our story fell asleep; they just were prepared in case something happened.

And that makes me wonder, how do you stock up on love and kindheartedness?  How do you fill a flask full of self-giving?  Maybe, it helps to have a savior who continues to pour that love into your soul.  Maybe, it helps to have a savior who would go to the cross for you.  Maybe, it helps to have some divine, self-giving love stored in your flask so that the Lord might pour it all over you head, hands, feet, and heart when you have run low. 

That sort of love, Jesus’ never-ending love, can help us to keep awake.

There is a legend about Martin Luther that I really like.  No one knows if he actually said it, but if he did not, he should have.  According to this legend, when Martin Luther was asked what he would do if he ever found out that tomorrow was the end of the world, his response was, “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."

Because, whether the end is tomorrow or twenty thousand years from now, it is always good to plant some life and some love.  Even if the end is hours away, it is still worth it to live in the light and walk in the love.  It is always good to promote life until the very end.  Jesus did.  He loved us to the end.  He loved and forgave that thief hanging on the cross next to him in the end.  And Jesus gave us life even beyond the end in his great resurrection. 

May we all keep awake.  May we all continue to plant our apple trees of goodness and love.

Reflection on Matthew 5:1-12

 

All Saints Sunday gets harder and harder as the years go by.  There are more and more candles to light.  There are more and more people to remember.  When you are young, for the most part, the experience of someone dying is a distant sort of experience.  Often, you do not know the person very well: an aunt in Utah or a second cousin in Missouri. 

As your own years start to pile up though, the people we lose start to be closer and closer to our hearts.  They look more like our parents, our dear friends from school, and our loyal coworkers.  Each time someone else dies the process of grief starts over again with a new name and new details, but the same heartache. 

Like tears in dirt that starts to form mud, the heartache starts to coalesce into words of pain.  These words of heartache sound like the same painful words that flow from Job as he faces the loss of each and every one of his children in a tragic house collapse.  When talking to his friends, who have supposedly come to give him comfort, the words out of Job’s mouth express how it seems that God has forgotten him; God has abandoned him.

This tragedy does not cause Job to stop believing in God.  Nor does Job feel like God is unable to help.  Job does not give up on God like his wife suggests he do as she too anguishes in the loss of her children.

Instead, Job poetically describes all of the powerful things that God can do, including moving mountains, shaking the earth, trampling the waves of the sea, and many other great things that he says are “beyond understanding, and marvelous things without number” (Job 9:10).

Job’s problem, then, is that God has not done any of those things for him. 

This is the problem with people randomly declaring how blessed they are to everyone else; in doing so, they sometimes, unknowingly, cause someone near them to feel as if they are not blessed. 

“Look at all that I have, I am so blessed!”  But, what if you do not have ample food for the day for you and your children?  Do you lack God’s blessing? 

“I am healed!  God has smiled down upon me!”  But, what if your cancer gets worse rather than better?  Has God run out of blessing? 

“I am so glad that my children are safe and sound.”  But, what if your child was not spared the horrors of a tragedy?  Has God failed to care about you? 

Job’s problem is that he sees all of the amazing things that God has done for creation, and he wonders why God has not done any of those things for him.

The Bible says that Job feels like God has walked right past him.  Just as a corporate CEO, on his way to an important meeting, walks right past the janitor without even a single glance, Job feels as if God has walked right past him in order to fight the big battles and do the important things in the world.  But, Job has things that are important to him too.  Job feels as if he has been left behind and forgotten by God.

Job laments, “Look, he passes by me, and I do not see him; he moves on, but I do not perceive him. He snatches away; who can stop him? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’’ (Job 9:11-12).

One day, Jesus looks on a bunch of people who have felt like Job.  They are the sick.  They are the poor.  They are the broken.  They are the ones with tears of grief still dripping from their eyes.  Jesus looks on this crowd and then speaks truth to his disciples on the mountain:

“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.

(Matthew 5:3-11)

Jesus tells his disciples that all of these broken and bruised people below the mountain have been given a promise.  Those whose spirits are broken (the poor in Spirit) will get to live in the kingdom of heaven, that glorious garden of God where God walks with them and they walk with God. They get to be with God.

And, those who are pure in heart, those who focus on God and all that God cares about, will get to see God.  They will be face to face with God.

All those who seek peace will get to be called God’s children, because they are God’s children.  God will be right there with them as they seek ways of peace, even as others can only see solutions that lead to war.

I do not know if you see a pattern yet in what Jesus is teaching us, but in one way or another God’s presence is the reward.  Broken and bruised people are promised the gift of God’s presence; especially those who mourn a deep, heart wrenching loss.

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Grief is such a hard thing.  We want more than anything to not be alone.  But, we also do not want people staring and doting on us.  C.S. Lewis, in A Grief Observed, paints the picture of his own grief well as he explains:

“There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting. Yet I want the others to be about me. I dread the moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me.”

Still, there is this yearning for someone to be there in our pain.  And, those who mourn are promised by Jesus that the Lord is right there to comfort them. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

And, that seems to be what Job wants in the end.  Sure he would like an answer to the “why” of his suffering, but even more than answers, Job just wants the Lord.  He does not want to feel like the Lord has just passed him by with more important things to do.  “I would speak to the Almighty,” Job says, “and I desire to argue my case with God” (Job 13:3).

It is not long before the Lord answers his desire and arrives to speak with Job directly. “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?  Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me’” (Job 38:1-3).

Then God goes on to ask Job if he knows anything about how creation works or what God does to make this world function?  Job cannot answer the Lord, he has no idea.  In the end, Job is given no answers from God that he can wrap his head around.  His question of “why” is not answered.  But, that seems to be OK with Job, because being with God is the answer for Job.

“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you,” Job answers God (Job 42:5).

“But now my eye sees you.”

So often people wrestle with God, and doubt God, and worry that God has passed them by, if God was even there in the first place.  But, here is the thing with wrestling with God: ask any high school wrestler, and you will find out that when you wrestle with someone, you cannot possibly get any closer to them.  The person’s sweat and tears and breath are right there in your face.  And, when you wrestle with God, God cannot possibly be any closer.  Hear this truth again; when you wrestle with God, God cannot possibly be any closer. 

Jesus does not forget you.  Jesus does not pass you by.  Rather, Jesus holds you in those wide-spread arms on the cross, grasping you with all of your suffering, and all of your sin, and all of your pain.  And, Jesus is still grasping you as you struggle in the darkness of the grave.  And, Jesus is still grasping you as he climbs out of that grave on the third day, pulling you into a new day, a new life, and a new opportunity. 

Now, I understand that on days like today when we are reminded of our tears once again, it can seem like you are anything but blessed.  But, Jesus has a promise for you.

“Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8).