Jon Hauerwas – July 16, 2017 – A New Attitude

Micah 6:1-8 and Matthew 5:1-12

Every preacher has a style. Mine is typically to choose a certain topic or biblical theme and then to build a message around it, hoping along the way to relate the ancient to the modern. I lovestories and use narrative as means to draw us deeper into the texts, whether the message is foreign or familiar. Sometimes, I use illustrations from my own life, and I frequently draw insight from world events.

But today, I’m offering a different style entirely in the hope of connecting each of the beatitudes in a systematic way. I want to show that these sayings are not independent teachings, meant to be read or studied on their own. Instead, I aim to impress upon you that Jesus’ teachings are related parts of a collective and unified worldview. His teachings and sayings are intentional, carefully worded, and disruptive. Throughout, they remind us that, in the economy of God, the first shall be last and the last shall be first.

Speaking of poverty, many of us are greatly concerned about our personal health and finances.In this sense, poverty is not our friend. Those who find themselves impoverished in one way or another are said to be struggling or in crisis. Who among us is quick to welcome the deterioration of the mind, to celebrate the bodily pain associated with aging, or torejoice in the commencement of our own bankruptcy proceedings?

And yet, these realities befall many who soondiscover that there is no shortage of coping mechanisms to be found. One can choose to avoid social gatherings, to distance herself from friends and loved ones, or to stop going to church. Self-medication, depression, and burn out are common. Why, then, does Jesus say “blessed are those who mourn”?

To mourn is to grieve. We may grieve the loss of something that we once held dear, like a job, a relationship, or a possession. Or we may mourn the realization that our current path did not yield more positive results. Either way, Jesus does not argue that grief, in itself, is a blessing. Instead, he focuses upon the comfort that those who mourn will receive.

It is obvious that every human creature is vulnerable to grief. At one time or another, we are all caught in its snare. One possible response isto find some element of comfort in the absurdity of this world.Surrounded as we are by unhealthyfixations on money, overt obsessions with power andjudgments which are oftenblinded by status, we have become experts at recognizing the world’s attempts to silence the way of the cross. Yet, in God’s radical reordering of life as we know it, Jesus is meek and poor in spirit, and so are those to whom his kingdom belongs. [1]

Here in his Sermon on the Mount, as is true of his many other teachings, Jesus inverts the typical value system by pronouncing blessing on the poor, the hungry, and those who weep.[2] Credibility and authority are closely related. And Jesus speaks in the prophetic tradition, by which the truth of the prophet’s word depended on his or her authenticity as a person of God.[3]

It is, then, in the context of this prophetic tradition that Jesus says “blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” HereGod’s preference for the timid, the unsure, and the cautious ismade known for all to hear. Nowhere, I might add, does Jesus imply that the meek will earn a position of strength in all of the earth. Instead, he says that they will inherit the privilege.And this inheritance, like all others, is a gift. To inherit God’s blessing requires that we lay aside every form of human posturing and that we dispel our visions of grandiosity. To inherit what God has to offer, we are asked to check our ego at the door and to come in peace.

Yet, as we all know, seeking to keep the peace is a perpetual human struggle. Sensing our deficiency, Jesus teaches us with these words, saying,“blessed are the peacemakers” for “they will be called children of God.”We are left to imagine that, for the sake of peace, adversaries might choose to freely relinquish the spear of self-righteousness or the armor of personal protection. We are left to hope that foes might choose the path of compromise or toplainly agree to disagree.We are left to pray that today’s opponents might adopt an intentional ceasefire in their heated war of words.

Granted, none of these outcomes is likely to make the evening news. But, that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? That in a world of mutually assured destruction, decisions need not be flashy in order to be noteworthy. When a just peace reigns, God rejoices.For as our first lesson reminds us, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

It seems to me that this is all dependent upon mercy, which is just another way of affirming how God disrupts every act of human aggression and oppression. Scripture tells us of God’s intentions saying “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Andbuilding upon this premise, Jesus’ preaches “blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” Implicit in this pronouncement is the notion that true faith isrevealed in our response – in our actions. Those who harbor ill will toward their neighbor will not become the recipients of God’s favor. Instead, we are to live in a spirit of forgiveness. As the Lord’s Prayer teaches, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Because our debts are real, forgiveness is not passive.

But, to whom are we indebted? Jesus says, “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” In this, we find allusions to the sacrament of Holy Communion. At Table, our hunger and thirst for righteousness find their meaning.In the presence of God, the pure in heart can rightly see. These pronouncements, like many of the beatitudes, are aspirational messages for the disciples of Christ. They are not entrance requirements for outsiders, but a declaration about insiders who may one day face persecution. [4]

Many of us will never know the full wrath of this world. But, God has many enemies, and the threat of violence is all around us. What else could we expect from the world that killed the Prince of Peace? To all who face hardship on account of their faithfulness, Jesus offers these words of comfort and support, saying, “blessed arethose who are persecuted for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Throughout this sermon, Jesus makes no attempt to lighten the mood. And as one scholar puts it, “in none of the beatitudes is advice being offered for getting along in this world, where mercy is more likely to be regarded as a sign of weakness than to be rewarded in kind… Christianity is not a scheme to reduce stress, lose weight, advance one’s career, or preserve one from illness. Christian faith, instead, is a way of living based on the firm and sure hope that meekness is the way of God, that righteousness and peace will finally prevail, and that God’s future will be a time of mercy and not cruelty. So, blessed are those who live this life now, even when such a life seems foolish, for they will, in the end, be vindicated by God.” [5]

May it be so and all thanks be to God both now and forever. Amen.

[1] M. Eugene Boring, Matthew, The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary Volume VIII, ed. Leander Keck (Abingdon Press, 1995), 178.

[2]Ibid., 176.

[3]Ibid., 177.

[4]Ibid., 177.

[5]Ibid., 179, 181.