Jacobs Thoughts and Doings

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:10

How can I put this into familiar language?  Let me try.  “People whose motives and acts are approved by God suffer persecution.  They are in the kingdom of heaven.”   Or something like that.

Once again, Jesus’ teaching seems strange to the usual way of looking at things in our cultures.   We might wonder how it would be possible to even think that it is just fine to be persecuted because we are righteous?  If I am not mistaken, that is the point that Jesus is making.

So, friend, how can we make sure that our culture respects us?  By doing evil, I suppose, or at least not doing what pleases God.

I do not see Christians suffering very much around here because they are being molded by God.  Our culture likes it when the followers of Jesus act like the world.

What has gone wrong?  Has our culture become friendly to the things of God?  Or have we become lured into thinking that the ways of our culture are better than the ways of God?

I recall the words of Jesus, “If salt has lost its saltiness, what good is it?”  My paraphrase.

Lord Jesus, give us the grace to take your word seriously.  Spoken to Christians like the unregistered churches in China, Jesus’ teaching make sense.  Does it make any sense to us?  If not, why?  Something to think about, that is for sure.

This scene caught my eye as the sun was setting, turning the grey smoke from my little brassier to a soft yellow.  I just stood and took it in.  God creates, we find.  I didn’t realize how beautiful evening smoke was – lit by the setting sun on the far horizon.

 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

 Matthew 5:9

I am now reading the latest book on Napoleon, huge and thoroughly detailed.  Napoleon was a warrior.  He gained prominence in France by his military skills.  It is ironic that after the French Revolution that destroyed the ruling class, even the royalty, a few years later this man Napoleon from a small island in the Mediterranean appeared on the scene and remade France as a military power.  He was so successful that the nation made him their Emperor!  As such he extended the power of France all the way to Russia, where he was finally stopped.  It is easier to make war than peace, I suppose. He did much to restore France as a modern state, but he was still “Emperor.”  Like in the ancient Roman Empire.

With the buzz from this book in my head, I read these words of Jesus.  They sound so strange!  “Blessed are the peacemakers.”  One would have guessed that in our world it is, “Blessed are those with the most power, all kinds of power.  Because the powerful are blessed, not the weak.”

I believe that Napoleon thought peace would be the result of conquering others and ruling them according to the laws of France.  History reveals the futility of that.

This brings us back to the clear word of Jesus.  I will restate his words. “The children of God, those who are in his family and under his authority, are the blessed, above all others as they make peace.”  I believe that to make peace one must lay down one’s rights, so to speak, and then reach out to embrace the enemy.  As I write this I am made aware, again, of how preposterous it sounds. Our culture pits people against people.  That has dominated tribalism in Africa for centuries. And the story goes on.

Once again, the teaching of Jesus is clear, the children of God make peace.  I live in the light of this reality but do I really put it into practice?  I need to keep reminding myself that it is easier to fight than to make peace.  May God show us the way.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8

I am finding that many phrases or words in the Beatitudes are quite strange.  Here is yet another, “pure in heart.”  Pure means clean, unsullied by any impurity. That is a high standard and is possible only because of the cleansing blood – the result of the atoning work of Jesus Christ.  Of course, Jesus spoke these words before he was actually crucified, dead and raised from the dead.  However, without the blood of Jesus Christ no one can stand pure before God.  That gives us hope.  Jesus is not speaking of some elusive goal, but a present reality, not because we determine to purify our hearts but because the Spirit of the Lord in us seeks to do the will of God.  None of these blessings are achieved by us, even though we strain every nerve to live like we should.  The presence of Jesus in our lives makes all the difference.   Praise Him!

I hear King David cry out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”  Psalm 51:10  A clean heart is God’s creation, not our achievement.

The promise is that those who are cleansed by the Blood of Jesus see God now and will adore Him into all eternity.

I join you in praising God for this marvelous provision that gives us rest, hope and determination to please Him in all things.

Ten days ago these leaves were green, lovely green.  Then things changed as the days grew shorter which we call Fall.  Now they are crimson red, photographed here as the sun was setting.  My heart soars when I see such marvels of nature, so very near, and precious beyond telling.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 5:7

Mercy is unearned grace.  We do not deserve it, but we gladly receive it – freely.  My mother tried to instill this into me.  Dad would agree with that.  However, Mom was with us all the time and her teaching meant a lot to me.

She tried to teach us not to exact revenge or as we used to say, “Fight back.”  No.  She warned us of that often.  Not that we always obeyed, but we knew that we were acting badly when we stand up for what we thought were our rights and were prepared to go to war to defend ourselves. There is something in human nature that wants to fight.

After I gave my heart and life to Jesus as a young man, I began to understand what Jesus was talking, and to my amazement, I found myself blessing the merciful as I tried to be merciful myself.

Jesus told us the way.  It is the way so clearly set forth in the Gospels.  “Be full of mercy in relating to others.”   Growing up we thought people like this were wimps.   In school I saw kids putting others down.  It looked “manly” to stand up and fight!  The idea of showing mercy sounded like bad advice.

But Jesus made it clear, show mercy, never harbor ill feelings, and let it in the hands of God. That sounds so out of touch with human reality.  But, according to Jesus, that is the way of all saints, as he himself showed the way.

Anna Ruth brought home the most fantastic cauliflower.  Here are two heads.  She made a batch of four colors – all delicious to palate and eyes!  This set apart our Friday noon family meal as special, to me.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

Really? We hardly hear the word “meek” any more. Therefore, it is necessary, as we ponder the meaning of Jesus’ startling statement, to understand its meaning to discern the heart of God.

To begin, what does the word mean? Here is a list I have. Passive, submissive, obedient, compliant, patient, resigned, yielding, accommodating, humble, subdued, lowly, abject, and so on.

I should have thought that it is the determined, single-minded, self-assured achievers who “inherit the earth.” The culture I live in confirms that. The “meek” are dismissed as not even in the picture. Or we might say, the honored people are the least meek!! It is better to be strong, self-reliant, we are told. The meek people have no meaningful future.

It is quite unbelievable that Jesus can say, Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. I read again. Are the meek blessed? Over those who are brave, unyielding, uninhibited? And, what does Jesus mean by inheriting the earth? I thought that the point of it all was to merit a place in heaven.

I believe the emphasis should be on the word “inheriting.” It is a gift of grace, not a thing to be achieved by self-effort.

Again, Jesus turns the world view of his hearers upside down. Or, more accurately, turns the world view upright as it actually is, as it should be!

Lord, say more! (He will if I listen.)