Who's Valued
So let me correct my last blog and say we are told what the good news of the Kingdom is. They just put the chapter break in the wrong place. I stopped reading to soon. Beginning in chapter 5 you see an example of the good news of the kingdom that Jesus when around spreading.
It begins with a conversation of who's valued in the kingdom. I will list it: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted. These type of people are the ones who have the greatest vaule in the kingdom of God, they are the ones who will be blessed.
So when we see these type of spirit, if we live in light of the kingdom of God, we will value them, and embrace them. Today I officiate a memorial service . . . I will be with those who mourn . . . I desire to offer hope and comfort.
There is so much in this chapter . . . a good read. I think the phrase "whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven" set up the next section well. About not being angry, or lustfilled, or not keeping marriage sacred, about keeping your word, forgiving, and loving your enemies. In living out these we live out God's Kingdom.
It begins with a conversation of who's valued in the kingdom. I will list it: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted. These type of people are the ones who have the greatest vaule in the kingdom of God, they are the ones who will be blessed.
So when we see these type of spirit, if we live in light of the kingdom of God, we will value them, and embrace them. Today I officiate a memorial service . . . I will be with those who mourn . . . I desire to offer hope and comfort.
There is so much in this chapter . . . a good read. I think the phrase "whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven" set up the next section well. About not being angry, or lustfilled, or not keeping marriage sacred, about keeping your word, forgiving, and loving your enemies. In living out these we live out God's Kingdom.
posted by Jon Knapp at
8:08 AM
4 Comments:
hello! i hope you don't mind a bit of a comment from a completely random person (i'm a friend of chris's and found your blog through hers)
i was recently reading a bit of the divine conspiracy by dallas willard and he was discussing this passage. i wonder what you think of his thoughts...i'll try to write them accurately, but i'm pretty sure i'll butcher it a bit as he is so heavy.
he was saying that we often describe these types of people as the way to be if we want to please god. sort of a cause and effect deal. so if i'm poor in spirit, i'll be blessed. he suggested that instead, jesus is saying that in spite of their condition, they are blessed. sorta like "blessed are these people here who are completely lacking in spiritual depth, because i have come to them today" - that of course assumes that poor in spirit means lacking spiritual depth bit and that the kingdom of heaven in this sense is describing the kingdom that jesus was there representing, bringing to them.
it seems like this would break down as you get to the more 'desirable' characteristics like peacemakers for instance, but he explains it all really well.
i know that i'm not really doing this justice, but he takes an entire chapter to explain this. and he's a philosopher. anyway, have you ever read that book or heard anything along those lines?
sarah budd
Right on Sarah, (friend of Chris's...knew of you from Harlow) That's the only chapter that I've read from that book. (It's sitting on Jon's desk in his 'to read' pile) So I stole it to read that chapter.
That is a really interesting thought. I agree with Dallas when he says that most of the time, we don't hear this passage preached, because we just don't know what to make of it. But when it is preached, it is supposed to show us how to live, in the "be like them" sense.
But instead, Dallas is saying, no you don't have to be like them, but value them. Like you, Dallas speaks quite eloquintly, so I fell like I need to re-read the chapter.
Any way you look at it, I know that I need to have my values re-arranged to look more like Christ's.
Hi Sarah,
Always feel free to read and comment here, any friend of chris's is a friend of mine. =)
Like Aaron said, I recently purchased it, and greatly look forward to reading it, just haven't got there yet. So I can't specifically interact with what Dallas says yet.
But I think as you describe it, it makes sense.
As I just read the flow of the passage, it seems to me that this is Jesus teaching the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven (which began with the Messiah . . . and continues till the end of time). I do agree that the "Beatitudes" (as we like to call them), isn't asking us to mourn, or be poor in spirit, but that those people are the ones that are blessed and valued the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven/God (they are also the ones people tend to devalue in life).
As the sermon on the mount continues, however, he goes into how to live, as he says, "whoever practices and teaches these things will be called great."
I have no idea what "poor in spirit" refers to here, my best guess it that it might refer to the oppressed. The jews being under great occupation/oppresion from the Romans. The way their spirit's are crushed to the point where there is very little left.
But that is just a guess. In either case, I think we need to value the poor in spirit regardless of what form they come in.
Blessings . . .
Interestingly enough, Dallas argues that the 'poor in spirit' should be translated to our day as 'spiritually bankrupt' -- those who don't have a clue spiritually.
Hmmm....
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