From
The Rectory
This
Lent some of us have been reading Matt Searles’ devotional reflections on The
Beatitudes[1], with which Jesus began
his famous Sermon on The Mount (Matthew 5:1-10).
These
sayings of Jesus, “Blessed are… for…”, with their much-treasured poetry, will
be at least vaguely familiar to many of us. But we might be tempted to overlook
just how truly extraordinary and revolutionary
they are. They present a counter-cultural vision of The Good Life and of the
pathway to human flourishing. It turns out that the values of the Kingdom of
God, which Jesus proclaims, are radically at variance with the ways of the
world, both in Jesus’ day and ours. Although Jesus’ ethic (e.g. of humility and
mercy) has shaped the West, there is something in the human heart which
defaults to a love of power or prestige and which needs to be called back to
this better vision which Jesus is presenting. Jesus says the way up is down.
Particularly
interesting for me has been to try to think about these statements of Jesus
with an eye to Easter. Perhaps they are more properly called promises and
whilst they await their full consummation in heaven and the New Creation, the
pattern of cross and resurrection seems a partial fulfilment of the trajectory
and hope embedded in The Beatitudes.
“Blessed”
seems like a very religious term. Perhaps it can sound a little twee in our
ears. Some have even suggested that it might be translated something like
“fortunate”. “Happy” might be a straightforward way of putting it. And to do so
brings out the surprising nature of these sayings.
“Happy
are the poor in spirit”. Well, poverty is normally a source of pain and
difficulty, not of rejoicing. But the poor in spirit are offered real and
lasting treasure – the kingdom of heaven.
Or
even more strangely: “Blessed are those who mourn.” If we translate it “Happy
are the sad” we can see that it almost a contradiction. But tears are not the
end of the story.
What
can Jesus be on about? Part of being poor in spirit is to acknowledge our
spiritual need. It is the opposite of pride: to admit frankly our lack of moral
and spiritual resources. In the words of The Prayer Book, Jesus would have us
admit that we are “miserable sinners” and that left to ourselves there is “no
health in us”.
It
is appropriate, sometimes, to mourn over the broken and aching state of our
world, and the darkness we can find in our own hearts.
Jesus
said it is the sick who need a doctor, and to admit our heart-condition is the
beginning of the road to health: a step towards coming to Jesus the great
physician of souls.
Jesus
taught that if we sorrow over our sin such that we repent and come to him, we
shall be comforted.
We
have so many disordered desires. We often look for real lasting satisfaction in
all the wrong places. If we hunger and thirst for righteousness, Jesus says, we
will be filled.
The
crucified Messiah is meek and merciful. He is supremely pure in heart and when
he has paid the price for sin he is welcomed in to glory. Trusting in him, we
too will receive mercy and see God. A very happy and blessed Easter to you!
The Revd Marc Lloyd
[1] In
Quietness & Trust (10 Publishing) ISBN: 9781837280278 available from https://uk.10ofthose.com/ and elsewhere. You
can also find some hymns and songs which Searles recommends on this Spotify
playlist: ‘In Quietness and Trust – Lent Playlist’ https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4fgnpWmZ21qrZp8JOSJLZC?si=74e130f74bbe42b0
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