Blessed?

So, it has been a while since my last post, and I apologize. The search for a new contact is still on. I ask readers to keep it in their prayers.
 But I wanted to write a little something about what has been on my heart lately, which is a part of Jesus' sermon on the mount. We refer to it as the Beatitudes.  You can find it in Matthew 5:1-12.

¹ Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.
 He said:

   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 be shown 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 because of righteousness,
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

   ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The reason this has been on my mind lately, is because I feel that this is often an incredibly misunderstood passage. I've heard people say before that they can't be christians because they cannot be meek or poor in spirit etc. You know, they just aren't those things. And I think that that's a good thing sometimes. for example, nobody wants a meek soldier defending their country. And that is not what Jesus is trying to say. 

There isn't some intrinsic spiritual merit in being miserable, that somehow makes you worthy to receive God's blessings. People who don't understand what Jesus is offering often try to put that spin on it. They think Jesus is teaching, "Become like this and you will be blessed." I think we'd all agree that we know some individuals who fit one of the 'blesseds' and are anything but. And likewise we all probably know someone who is of the opposite side whose life is incredibly blessed. When you take the Beatitudes out of context, it does kinda sound like Jesus is telling people to become wretched.  But it's important to remember that the Beatitudes are only the beginning of an entire 'sermon' or lecture.  In fact, all that Jesus taught us about always ties back in with his central theme--the kingdom of God.  

Now, some will say the kingdom of God is where christians will go when we die. And once we stroll through those pearly gates the Lord is going to reward us for all of the hardships we endured in His name.  In other words, you'll be blessed when you die. Awesome...but what about now?  

The Kingdom of God is not merely a heavenly place we will live in at some unclear point in the future. The Kingdom of God is right here, right now. 

The very word 'kingdom' implies that there is Someone reigning in our lives. Jesus spoke in parables, many of which began, "The kingdom of God is like..." Why would God be illustrating how to live in His kingdom if we weren't going to be living in it?  Do you think the disciples and the believers heard these things and said, "Oh, thanks Jesus. This is good to know for when I die." No! 

They knew that the coming of the Messiah meant the beginning of God's reign on earth. Only, they took it to be in every physical sense of the word. They thought Jesus was going to dethrone all the earthly kings and immediately bring in the new Jerusalem. 

Jesus came to earth to dethrone a much more powerful ruler--Satan. If you don't believe that Satan had some kind of dominion over the earth, read the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.  When Satan offered to give Jesus the entire world, if he would only bow down to him, Jesus didn't laugh and say, "Well, actually, it's already mine...duh." He has his rebuttal ready, and he says, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." Matthew 4:10.

Notice how Satan shows Jesus all of the kingdoms of the earth and their splendor. It does not seem probable that the earth itself is the thing being offered up.  Jesus didn't come here to save the mountains and the trees, or even to defend the political borders of His people. In fact, we are told in Revelation 21:1 That there will be a new heaven and a new earth because the old heaven and earth will have passed away. Was Jesus tempted by a fallen creation he knew would be destroyed in the end? No. He was tempted by the only things that will endure, which is us. Our hearts. Our souls.  

So, it follows that every day, in every heart, someone is reigning. Your heart is either occupied by the powers of darkness, or by Jesus Christ.  If you haven't received Jesus as Lord and you are thinking, 'I'm a good person. I'm not ruled by the powers of darkness,' know this; every person has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and a holy God cannot accept any sin, no matter how small. Because any sin is a little piece of hell, and an infiltration of the enemy. 

 Also, I feel the need to point out that we should be careful not to make the same mistake the disciples made, only in reverse. The Kingdom of God is not some vague ethereal sense of Him that exists in our minds and nowhere else.  Those living in the eternal kingdom of  God now are like salt to the world around them. It will manifest its goodness outside of a person's soul. Which brings us back to the Beatitudes. The meek, the merciful, the pure of heart, all of the people that this world spits on, can have a beautiful, refreshing life in Jesus Christ. All of the people and religious leaders of Jesus' time would have assumed that it were always the rich and the powerful whom God favored. But Christ flips our world on its axis when he proclaims, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." (emphasis mine).  If you are wretched and don't have the Holy Spirit, then you are just wretched. If you are rich but you don't have the Holy Spirit, then you are only rich in this life, and all that you have worked to acquire cannot go with you when you die. 

Jesus is trying to get people to think outside of the box, to stop looking only at the way people look, so that they can see how they actually are. He is also painting a picture of his eternal, far reaching, unconditional love for all people. He loves the homeless drunk on the street as much as he loves Bill Gates. He loves Jeffery Dahmer as much as he loves Mother Theresa. He loves us all.  There is a part of us that recoils at this, because we cannot believe that some people are worthy of God's love. And it's true. They aren't. And neither are we. Praise God that His love is not as conditional and dependent upon circumstances as our love is.  And that is the kind of love that is signature of the kingdom of God. You might even call it otherworldly. People who have Jesus are blessed because they have already received the greatest gift that God can give them.  Nothing else He could give you would matter much if in the end He didn't offer to save you from hell. Empowered with the love of Christ, we can live like Jesus lived, and love like He loved. The Beatitudes aren't merely some pretty sentiment that have no bearing on the way life 'really is'. 

It is true that deeds will be rewarded or punished accordingly on the Judgement day. All accounts will be settled because though God is merciful, he is also just. But that is not why we live for Him. We are not like dogs doing tricks because we know we will get a treat if we do them. We do it because it is an outpouring of He who is in us. Because we love him back. Because we are so grateful and we want as many other people to know the kind of freedom that we know. And that, people, is what the Beatitudes are actually about. No matter how wretched, wicked, or far gone you think you are, God is still stretching out His hand for you. He came back for you. If you were the only person in the whole world who had sinned, God still would've sacrificed Himself for you. Do not underestimate your importance to God. The most fulfilling life awaits all who accept Jesus' offer...now.

If the topic of kingdom living has sparked your interest, I would suggest reading "The Divine Conspiracy". It explains deep, philosophical christian topics in a way that is accessible. Thanks for reading,

-Lindsey