#ChristianPerfection
Matthew 5:1-2
"Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them."
Jesus sits down and begins to teach his disciples about the blessings of discipleship. He's teaching them about being a child of God and ultimately being a part of God's kingdom. He sits and teaches them, and they stand and proclaim it.
Jesus teaches them about the realities, responsibilities, and requirements of the kingdom of God. He teaches them about eight actions that God takes in blessing his children. He describes the Christian experience as one of joy and self-fulfillment as they meditate on what God is doing and what he will be do when his kingdom reigns over all the earth.
Jesus wants his disciples to meditate on recognizing their moral and spiritual poverty. And so he offers a blessing for those who are struggling within their spirit, those who understand and confess their unholiness in the sight of a holy God. In their spiritual self reflection, and self examination they immediately experience the rule of God now, they participate now in the future kingdom to come. They are blessed because they cast themselves upon God's grace and mercy as they are currently poor in spirit. It's an immediate advancement into God's fully restored sight.
Jesus continues to build upon the blessings of a disciple, and he again wants them to meditate, this time on the wretchedness of their past. He wants them to understand that there is no other path than God for those who mourn. There is no relief outside of God's hands. He sees their suffering, he forgives their sin, he erases their shame, and he heals their wounds. And so, in God's mercy those who are deeply repentant are blessed with relief in the final judgment as they discover their name is written in the book of life.
Continuing on this theme, Jesus now wants the disciples to discover and adopt an attitude of absolute dependency upon God. And the blessing that comes by inheritance to those who reject all the wicked forms of worldly living, such as violence, manipulation, and deception , in order to achieve one’s own ends. Meekness is a sign of a person who views life from God's perspective. And those who live in meekness when dealing with worldly passions are blessed by God with a miraculous peace, a peace beyond understanding, his peace, not as the world gives, but peace as they humbly submit to his path and sovereign will.
Moving on now, as if Jesus realized that many among his disciples want a less than meekly life, Jesus wants them to meditate on their thirst and hunger for the elimination of repression and oppression. He offers a blessing for those who crave justice and liberation. Jesus explains that there is no justice without social justice. And there is no holiness without social holiness. He teaches here and throughout his entire ministry that there is no justice without holiness. He offers a blessing for them who come to realize that the kingdom of God is holy, and justice must therefore be served in holiness.
And again playing off that message about holy righteousness and justice, Jesus now directs the lesson towards a blessing for those who are merciful. He posits the idea that there is a blessing in forgiveness of wrongdoing. Mercy begets mercy. Mercy is blessed in the forgiveness that is given at the final judgment. If you want to experience forgiveness you must forgive.
Now Jesus has the disciples very close to the kingdom of God in its perfection. He's taught them about the human condition and the blessings that are available for those choosing God's life-transforming path. Now Jesus wants them to meditate on having a completely undivided heart for God's kingdom. Not merely a simple patriotic gesture towards his kingdom cause, but an absolute loyalty and intimacy with him. They are blessed when they come into his presence with a pure heart filled with love and fear.
Moving on now, Jesus addresses all the unspoken questions he knows they will face inside their own minds. He knows they're struggling with the idea of being a person of peace. These are sons of Thunder. They are living in a storm. They need to understand grace and mercy, and especially forgiveness. And he wants them to know the blessings that come when they're really trying to reconcile with their enemies. He wants them to truly know Shalom. He wants them to promote the wellbeing of others rather than defensively attacking the other team. For the peacemaker they know that, the worldly idea that the best defense is a good offense, is not a God approved message. The peacemaker knows that God blesses mercy and a willingness to help promote the fullness and wellness of others, even among your enemies.
And as if Jesus can see the doubts in the eyes of his disciples, he builds upon the concerns about the just and the unjust, and somehow maintaining mercy throughout all these challenging situations. Jesus now turns their meditation towards their very clear and present situation. Jesus wants them to know that God understands that when people try to live by holy principles, especially for his sake, they will encounter opposition. And strangely, Jesus wants them to count that opposition as a blessing. He wants them to consider themselves fortunate because there is no greater evidence for the disciple that they are on God's path then when they experience persecution for his sake. Jesus teaches them that in their lives they will experience repression, but in that life of righteousness they join in fellowship with all of God's prophets. And like those prophets of old, Jesus' followers will receive vindication in the kingdom to come.
The disciples are blessed in all these ways, and with blessings comes great responsibility. The disciples must be salt in the wound. They are a light in the world of darkness, and operating under these beatitudes they will serve as a contrast against the darkness of an evil world. The purpose of that light, the purpose of discipleship, is to bring stability, wholeness, and the knowledge of God to every person throughout all the earth. That is the purpose and it requires perfection. Jesus spells out the character of the disciple as one that is greater than the righteousness of the Pharisee. This is a surpassing righteousness, that contrasts that of the Holier-than-thou crowd. Not a righteousness that is liberated from responsibility, but one that is purified by love. The principle of love stands behind all of Jesus' statements in Matthew 5:21-48. God's entire law is summed up in the command to love God and one another as God has loved them.
Matthew 5:48
"But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."
Perfect love.
This means that they are to love not only those who love them, but also those who hate them and persecute them. This beatitude yields all the blessings that were taught earlier. In obedience to God's commandment to Love (agape), all the blessings come. Christian perfection, doing good to both the righteous and the wicked. Humanly speaking, such perfection is impossible, but following the path of God's righteousness, the disciple will never fail to receive God's grace and power to overcome their human shortcomings. As they follow in love they will be perfectly embracing the kingdom of God. God's love cannot fail. Perfection is impossible without God's love, but nothing is impossible with God.
Amen.
#Beatitudes #Perfect #Agape #Love