HAPPY OR BLESSED?  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ Matthew 5:1-3; Luke 6:17-20

Rev. Paul Wrightman  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 6/26/22

MANY YEARS AGO THERE WAS A DRAMATIC MOVIE

ABOUT THE FIRST TEST PILOTS TO BREAK THE SOUND BARRIER.

BACK THEN, NO PLANE HAD FLOWN FASTER​​ 

THAN THE SPEED OF SOUND.

MANY PEOPLE DIDN’T BELIEVE IT WAS​​ POSSIBLE.

SOME THOUGHT THE PLANE WOULD DISINTEGRATE​​ 

UNDER THE FORCES THAT WOULD BE GENERATED.

EVENTUALLY, IN THE​​ MOVIE, VARIOUS PILOTS TOOK THEIR PLANES

OVER THE MAGIC FIGURE OF 735 MILES PER HOUR,

ONLY TO HAVE THE PLANES FALL APART, OR CRASH.

THE CONTROLS, IT SEEMED, REFUSED TO WORK PROPERLY​​ 

ONCE THE PLANE CAME TO THE SOUND BARRIER.

FINALLY, AT THE CLIMAX OF THE MOVIE,​​ 

ANOTHER TEST PILOT FIGURED OUT WHAT TO DO.

IT SEEMED THAT WHEN THE PLANE BROKE THE SOUND BARRIER

THE CONTROLS BEGAN TO WORK​​ BACKWARDS.

PULLING THE STICK TO MAKE THE PLANE BRING ITS NOSE​​ UP

SENT IT​​ DOWN​​ INSTEAD.

GREATLY DARING, THIS LAST TEST PILOT FLEW AT THE SAME SPEED.

AT THE CRITICAL MOMENT, INSTEAD OF PULLING THE STICK BACK,

HE PUSHED IT FORWARD.

THAT WOULD NORMALLY SEND THE PLANE INTO A DIVE,​​ 

BUT HIS HUNCH HAD BEEN CORRECT.

THE NOSE CAME UP, AND THE PLANE FLEW ON, FAST AND FREE,

FASTER THAN ANYONE HAD TRAVELED BEFORE.

THIS STORY, LIKE MANY MOVIE HISTORIES,

IS NOT COMPLETELY ACCURATE.

CHUCK YEAGER, THE FIRST HUMAN TO MOVE FASTER

THAN THE SPEED OF SOUND IN REAL LIFE,

WAS OFTEN ASKED WHETHER HE’D DONE IT THE WAY

IT WAS SHOWN IN THE MOVIE,

AND​​ HE SAID IT WASN’T “EXACTLY” LIKE THAT.

NEVERTHELESS, THE MOVIE STORY GIVES

A GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION OF WHAT JESUS IS DOING

IN HIS APPARENTLY SIMPLE WORDS

IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

HE IS TAKING THE CONTROLS AND MAKING THEM WORK​​ BACKWARDS.

THE ONLY EXPLANATION SEEMS TO BE THAT JESUS THINKS

HE IS TAKING GOD’S PEOPLE THROUGH THE SOUND BARRIER –

TAKING THEM SOMEWHERE THEY’D NEVER BEEN​​ BEFORE.

THE ONE THING MOST PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT PLANES

GOING THROUGH THE SOUND BARRIER

IS THAT YOU HEAR A LOUD EXPLOSION.

MANY OF JESUS’ CONTEMPORARIES WOULD HAVE SAID

THAT THIS WAS A GOOD PICTURE OF THE EFFECT​​ 

HEARING THIS SERMON HAD ON PEOPLE.

YOU’LL NOTICE IN TODAY’S BULLETIN THAT

WE HAVE TWO SCRIPTURE READINGS,​​ 

BOTH SAYING ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING.

THIS IS BECAUSE WE HAVE TWO SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT VERSIONS

OF THE SAME SERMON THAT JESUS GAVE,​​ 

ONE IN MATTHEW, AND ONE IN LUKE.

THE ONE IN MATTHEW IS KNOWN AS THE “SERMON ON THE MOUNT”

BECAUSE​​ MATTHEW BEGINS BY TELLING US THAT JESUS​​ 

“WENT UP THE​​ MOUNTAIN.”

THE ONE IN LUKE IS KNOWN AS THE “SERMON ON THE PLAIN”​​ 

BECAUSE LUKE BEGINS BY TELLING US​​ 

THAT JESUS STOOD ON A​​ LEVEL​​ PLACE.

WE LEARN SEVERAL IMPORTANT THINGS FROM THE FACT

THAT ESSENTIALLY THE SAME SERMON IS GIVEN TO US​​ TWICE.

FIRST, LIKE ANY PERSON WITH A REAL, SUBSTANTIVE MESSAGE

TO DELIVER, JESUS​​ REPEATS​​ HIMSELF.

HE KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS TO SAY AND HE SAYS IT.

HE IS NOT CONCERNED WITH BEING “CREATIVE,”​​ 

OR IN TRYING TO COME UP WITH AS MANY DIFFERENT WAYS​​ 

OF SAYING THE SAME THINGS AS POSSIBLE.

HE HAS AN ESSENTIAL MESSAGE TO DELIVER AND HE DELIVERS IT.

AND GIVEN THE FACT THAT WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF JESUS

REPEATING HIS MOST IMPORTANT SERMON TWICE

SUGGESTS THAT HE PROBABLY REPEATED IT A LOT MORE THAN THAT

IN HIS TWO-AND-A-HALF-YEAR PUBLIC MINISTRY.

SECOND, WE LEARN THROUGH COMPARING THE CONTENT

OF THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT​​ 

WITH THE CONTENT OF THE SERMON ON THE PLAIN,

THAT THE TWO SERMONS ARE ESSENTIALLY THE​​ SAME.

GIVEN THE FACT THAT MATTHEW AND LUKE​​ 

RECEIVED THEIR RESPECTIVE VERSIONS OF THIS SERMON

FROM TWO DIFFERENT SOURCES,

AND THAT THE TWO DIFFERENT SOURCES SUBSTANTIALLY AGREE,

THIS TELLS US THAT WE CAN​​ TRUST​​ THAT THE MESSAGE​​ 

IS THAT OF JESUS HIMSELF, AND THAT THE MESSAGE​​ 

IS SUBSTANTIALLY ACCURATE THE WAY IT IS PRESENTED TO US.

IN THIS NEW SERMON SERIES WE WILL FOCUS ON​​ 

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT

AS PRESENTED IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW,​​ 

OCCASIONALLY LOOKING AT LUKE’S SERMON ON THE PLAIN

WHEN IT GIVES US A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TAKE

ON A PARTICULAR PASSAGE.

MATTHEW’S INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON TELL US

HOW CRUCIAL JESUS HIMSELF CONSIDERED THE SERMON

THAT HE WAS ABOUT TO PREACH.

IT​​ TELLS​​ US THAT JESUS BEGAN TO TEACH

WHEN HE HAD​​ SAT​​ DOWN.

WHEN A JEWISH RABBI WAS TEACHING​​ OFFICIALLY,

HE​​ SAT​​ TO TEACH.

WE STILL SPEAK OF A PROFESSOR’S​​ CHAIR;

THE POPE STILL DELIVERS HIS MOST IMPORTANT TEACHINGS

EX​​ CATHEDRA, FROM THE SEAT.

A MORE LITERAL TRANSLATION OF VERSE 2 IS:

“AND HE OPENED HIS MOUTH AND TAUGHT THEM:”

THE PHRASE “HE OPENED HIS MOUTH” IS NOT SIMPLY

A DECORATIVE, ROUNDABOUT WAY OF SAYING “HE SAID.”

IN GREEK, THE PHRASE HAS A DOUBLE SIGNIFICANCE:

IT IS USED OF A SOLEMN AND HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT UTTERANCE,

AND​​ IT IS USED WHEN SOMEONE REALLY OPENS THEIR HEART

AND FULLY POURS OUT THEIR MIND.

THE USE OF THIS PHRASE INDICATES THAT WHAT FOLLOWS

IS AN “OFFICIAL” STATEMENT OF CENTRAL, SIGNIFICANT TEACHING,

AND THAT THIS TEACHING REVEALS THE HEART AND MIND

OF ITS TEACHER AS NOTHING ELSE CAN.

JESUS BEGINS HIS SERMON WITH A SERIES OF NINE BEATITUDES,

EACH OF WHICH, IN STANDARD TRANSLATIONS,

BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “BLESSED ARE. . .”

THE RENDERING “BLESSED ARE. . .” FAILS TO CAPTURE

THE​​ EXCLAMATORY​​ NATURE OF THESE STATEMENTS.

A BETTER VERSION WOULD BE “O THE BLESSEDNESS OF,”

OR “O THE JOYFULNESS OF. . .”

THIS IS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT THE BEATITUDES

ARE NOT JUST PIOUS HOPES OF WHAT​​ SHALL​​ BE;

THEY ARE NOT JUST GLOWING BUT VAGUE PROPHECIES

OF SOME​​ FUTURE​​ BLISS;

THEY ARE STATEMENTS OF WHAT​​ IS.

THIS IS WHY A POPULAR MEMORY-AID TO WHAT THE BEATITUDES

ARE REALLY ALL ABOUT IS SIMPLY TO CALL THEM​​ BE-ATTITUDES.

IN OTHER WORDS, THE BLESSEDNESS WHICH BELONGS TO THOSE

WHOM THE BEATITUDES DESCRIBE IS NOT A BLESSEDNESS

WHICH IS POSTPONED TO SOME​​ FUTURE​​ WORLD OF GLORY;

IT IS A BLESSEDNESS WHICH EXISTS​​ HERE​​ AND​​ NOW.

TRUE, THIS BLESSEDNESS WILL FIND ITS​​ FULLNESS​​ 

AND​​ CONSUMMATION​​ ONLY IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD;

BUT, FOR ALL THAT, IT IS NONETHELESS A​​ PRESENT​​ REALITY

TO BE ENJOYED IN THE HERE AND NOW.

THIS CONNECTS WITH JESUS’ UNDERSTANDING THAT ETERNAL LIFE

IS NOT SOMETHING WHICH BEGINS IN THE​​ FUTURE,

BUT A REALITY WHICH BEGINS IN​​ THIS​​ WORLD

AND FLOWS ON INTO THE NEXT.

ACCORDING TO JESUS, WE COME​​ FROM​​ ETERNITY,

PASS​​ THROUGH​​ THIS WORLD, AND RETURN​​ TO​​ ETERNITY.

JESUS USES THE WORD “BLESSED” TO DESCRIBE THAT JOY

WHICH HAS ITS SECRET WITHIN ITSELF,

THAT JOY WHICH IS SERENE AND UNTOUCHABLE​​ 

AND SELF-CONTAINED, THAT JOY WHICH IS INDEPENDENT

OF ALL THE CHANCES AND CHANGES OF LIFE. ​​ 

THE ENGLISH WORD “HAPPINESS” GIVES ITS OWN CASE AWAY.

IT CONTAINS THE ROOT “HAP,”

WHICH MEANS​​ CHANCE, AS IN HAPPENSTANCE.

HUMAN​​ HAPPINESS​​ IS​​ SOMETHING WHICH​​ IS​​ DEPENDENT

ON THE CHANCES AND CHANGES OF LIFE,​​ 

SOMETHING WHICH LIFE MAY GIVE,

BUT WHICH LIFE MAY ALSO TAKE AWAY.

THE​​ BLESSEDNESS​​ THAT​​ GOD​​ GIVES​​ 

IS UNTOUCHABLE AND UNASSAILABLE.

“NO ONE,” SAID JESUS, “WILL TAKE YOUR JOY FROM YOU.”​​ 

(John 16:22)

THE BEATITUDES SPEAK OF THAT JOY WHICH SEEKS US​​ 

IN​​ SPITE​​ OF​​ OUR PAIN, THAT JOY WHICH​​ SORROW ​​​​ AND​​ LOSS

AND​​ PAIN​​ AND​​ GRIEF​​ ARE​​ POWERLESS​​ TO TOUCH,

THAT JOY WHICH SHINES THOUGH TEARS,

AND WHICH NOTHING IN LIFE OR DEATH CAN TAKE AWAY.

THE BEATITUDES DESCRIBE REALITIES WHICH EACH OF US

IS CHALLENGED TO​​ GROW​​ INTO, EACH OF US IN OUR OWN WAY.

SOREN KIERKEGAARD TELLS THE STORY OF A BOY

TRYING TO LEARN ARITHMETIC.

THE TEACHER GIVES HIM A BOOK FULL OF PROBLEMS TO SOLVE.

IN THE​​ BACK​​ OF THE BOOK THERE’S A LISTING OF THE​​ ANSWERS

TO THE PROBLEMS.

BUT THE TEACHER INSTRUCTS THE BOY NEVER TO LOOK​​ 

AT THE ANSWERS AT THE BACK OF THE BOOK.

INSTEAD, HE IS TO WORK OUT THE ANSWERS​​ FOR​​ HIMSELF.

BUT AS THE BOY DOES HIS HOMEWORK, HE​​ CHEATS.

HE LOOKS IN THE BACK OF THE BOOK,

AND GETS THE ANSWERS​​ BEFOREHAND,

FINDING IT MUCH EASIER TO WORK OUT THE PROBLEMS

IF HE KNOWS THE ANSWERS IN ADVANCE.

KIERKEGAARD POINTS OUT THAT WHILE IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE

FOR THE BOY TO GET​​ GOOD​​ GRADES​​ THIS WAY,

HE WILL NEVER REALLY LEARN MATHEMATICS.

AS DIFFICULT AS IT MAY PROVE TO BE,

THE ONLY WAY TO BECOME A MATHEMATICIAN

IS TO STRUGGLE WITH THE PROBLEMS​​ HIMSELF,

NOT BY USING​​ SOMEONE​​ ELSE’S​​ ANSWERS,

EVEN IF THOSE ANSWERS ARE THE RIGHT ONES.

IN A SIMILAR WAY, JESUS CHALLENGES​​ US

TO TAKE A PERSONAL JOURNEY OF GROWTH

INTO EACH OF THE BEATITUDES, LEARNING –

LARGELY THROUGH A PROCESS OF TRIAL-AND-ERROR –

TO LIVE OUT THEIR TRUTH IN OUR OWN UNIQUE WAY.

LET US NOW LOOK AT THE FIRST BEATITUDE,​​ 

“BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT,​​ 

FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.”

IN HIS VERSION OF THIS SERMON, LUKE PRESENTS JESUS

AS SAYING, “BLESSED ARE YOU WHO ARE POOR.”

WHICH DID JESUS TEACH?

THE “POOR,” OR THE “POOR IN SPIRIT?”

BOTH.

IN THIS BEATITUDE, JESUS WAS REFERRING TO ISAIAH 61:1

IN THE HEBREW BIBLE.

THE HEBREW WORD​​ ANAWIM​​ COMBINES​​ BOTH​​ MEANINGS.

IT LITERALLY MEANS POOR, AS IN OPPRESSED BY THE RICH,

AND AT THE SAME TIME IT MEATPHORICALLY MEANS

POWERLESS, NEEDY, AND HUMBLE.

AS BIBLICAL SCHOLAR ROBERT GUELICH SAYS: ​​ 

“THE​​ POOR​​ IN JUDAISM REFERS TO THOSE IN DESPERATE NEED

(SOCIOECONOMIC ELEMENT) WHOSE HELPLESSNESS DROVE THEM

TO A DEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (RELIGIOUS ELEMENT)

FOR SUPPLYING THEIR NEEDS AND VINDICATION.”

FOR MATTHEW, THE​​ “POOR IN SPIRIT” ARE THOSE​​ 

WHO FIND THEMSELVES WAITING, EMPTY-HANDED,​​ 

UPON GOD ALONE FOR THEIR HOPE AND DELIVERANCE.

BEING HUMBLE IS NOT CALLING ATTENTION TO HOW LOWLY​​ I​​ AM,

BUT CALLING ATTENTION TO GOD’S​​ GRACE.

IT IS GIVING MYSELF OVER TO GOD, SURRENDERING MYSELF TO GOD.

IT IS THE ORIGINAL MEANING OF THE PHRASE​​ 

FROM THE RECOVERY MOVEMENT: ​​ “LET​​ GO​​ AND LET​​ GOD.”

JESUS FULFILLS ISAIAH 61 IN BRINGING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.

HE OFFERS HIS PRESENCE –​​ GOD’S​​ PRESENCE –

TO THE SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS OUTCASTS,​​ 

INVITING THEM INTO COMMUNITY, FEEDING THEM,

MAKING THEM INTO DISCIPLES.

THIS IS​​ GRACE-BASED​​ DELIVERANCE.

THIS BEATITUDE POINTS TO THE GOOD NEWS

THAT IS HAPPENING THROUGH JESUS THE MESSIAH

AS HE BRINGS GOD’S JUSTICE TO THE POOR, OPPRESSED,

HUMBLE, NEEDY, WEAK, AND LOWLY,

AND IN THE COMMUNITY PRACTICES OF JESUS’ FOLLOWERS.

WHAT GREATER MEANING IN LIFE CAN THERE BE

THAN TO​​ PARTICIPATE, EVEN IN A​​ LITTLE​​ WAY, LIKE A MUSTARD SEED,

IN THE DELIVERANCE THAT GOD BRINGS IN JESUS?

A GOOD ILLUSTRATION OF THIS BEATITUDE,

BOTH FROM THE STANDPOINT OF ONE WHO​​ IS​​ POOR,

AND ALSO FROM THE STANDPOINT OF ONE​​ REACHING​​ OUT

TO ONE WHO IS POOR, OCCURS IN THIS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL STORY

FROM FRED CRADDOCK:

“I REMEMBER WHEN WE LOST OUR FARM WHEN I WAS A KID.

WE MOVED INTO TOWN TO A LITTLE FOUR-ROOM HOUSE,

A SMALL HOUSE ON A DIRT STREET ON THE SOUTH SIDE

OF THE LITTLE TOWN.

WE HAD ONE SPIGOT OUT IN THE YARD,

BUT NO WATER IN THE HOUSE, NO ELECTRICITY,

AND THE TOILET WAS OUT BACK.

WE WERE POOR AS JOB’S TURKEY AND HAVING A ROUGH TIME.

MY SISTER WAS ENTERING HIGH SCHOOL.

SHE HAD TROUBLE WITH HER COMPLEXION

WHEN SHE WAS MOVING INTO HER TEENS, YOU KNOW,​​ 

A POCKMARKED FACE AND ALWAYS WORRYING ABOUT IT

AND KEEPING HER HEAD DOWN

AND COMBING HER HAIR OVER PART OF HER FACE.

SHE WAS BOTHERED BY IT, AND IT WAS JUST TERRIBLE.

ONE DAY IN THE MAIL MY SISTER GOT AN INVITATION

FROM CULLEN LYLE TO A SLUMBER PARTY.

NOW YOU DON’T KNOW CULLEN,

BUT SHE WAS THE PRETTIEST GIRL IN HIGH SCHOOL.

HER FATHER WAS A WEALTHY BUSINESSMAN,

AND THEY LIVED UP ON MAIN STREET,

AND MY SISTER GOT AN INVITATION TO HER SLUMBER PARTY.

AND I HEARD MY SISTER AFTER SHE WAS SEVENTY YEARS OLD

SPEAK OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT.”

(PAUSE)

IN THIS STORY WE CAN SEE THE​​ DOUBLE​​ ASPECT

OF THIS BEATITUDE BEING PLAYED OUT.

CRADDOCK’S SISTER WAS “POOR IN SPIRIT”

IN THE SENSE OF FEELING LIKE AN OUTCAST,

BOTH​​ ​​ BECAUSE OF HER FAMILY’S POVERTY​​ AND BECAUSE

OF HER SELF-REJECTION DUE TO HER POOR COMPLEXION.

CULLEN LYLE, THE PRETTIEST GIRL IN THE SCHOOL​​ 

FROM ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST FAMILIES IN TOWN,

WAS​​ ALSO​​ POOR IN SPIRIT,

IN THE SENSE THAT SHE LET GO AND LET​​ GOD​​ DIRECT HER,​​ 

IN THIS CASE INVITING SOMEONE INTO HER CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

WHO DID NOT​​ OUTWARDLY​​ SEEM TO BELONG THERE.

WHAT STRIKES ME IS THAT CRADDOCK’S SISTER​​ 

WAS STILL TALKING ABOUT THE CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE

OF THIS EVENT IN HER LIFE SOME FIFTY-FIVE YEARS LATER.

“BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT,​​ 

FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN,”

OR AS ANOTHER TRANSLATION WOULD PUT IT,

“JOYFUL ARE THOSE WHO ARE POOR AND HUMBLE BEFORE GOD.”

AS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS, OUR CHALLENGE IS A​​ DOUBLE​​ CHALLENGE:

FIRST, TO ALLOW​​ OURSELVES​​ TO BECOME POOR AND HUMBLE​​ 

BEFORE GOD IN THOSE WAYS THAT ONLY WE KNOW

WE NEED TO BECOME POOR AND HUMBLE.

AND SECOND, TO REACH OUT TO OTHERS IN​​ THEIR​​ POVERTY –

NO MATTER WHAT PARTICULAR FORM THEIR POVERTY TAKES,

BE IT ECONOMIC, PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, OR ALL THREE.

IN THIS WAY WE ALLOW GOD’S REIGN TO EMBRACE US

AT THE SAME TIME AS WE EMBRACE OTHERS

BY EXTENDING GOD’S GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY​​ TO THEM.

TO DO THIS OFTEN AND CONSISTENTLY​​ 

IS TO BRING A PART OF GOD’S HEAVEN TO EARTH.

AMEN.