Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12
1When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Sermon: “Blessed Are the Those who Are Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake”
Jesus said: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” And then he goes on from there and expands on what it means to be persecuted—tells us that those who are persecuted for righteousness will be rewarded. In heaven.
On first read, it actually sounds like Jesus is saying: “Be a good Christian, follow the values of the Bible, seek justice, righteousness, peace-- and, in the short run, in THIS life, you will be hungry, thirsty, poor, and persecuted—but, hey, look on the bright side: heaven is gonna be great! So, keep your chin up, wait for it, and know that you’ll be blessed. Eventually.”
If THIS is the correct interpretation of Jesus’ words, it does NOT sound like very good news! In fact, what FIRST comes to mind when I read this beatitude are some lines from a song by Billy Joel,
“They say there’s a heaven for those who will wait.
Some say it’s better, but I say it ain’t.
I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
The sinners have much more fun!
Only the good die young.”
But, while Billy Joel is an excellent song-writer, he’s not such a good theologian.
In fact, in the Beatitudes—the verses we are focusing on today and all of them—Jesus is talking about how to live here and now, in the present moment, not in some distant future heaven. And Jesus tells it like it is. He does not sugar-coat his message. He tells his disciples that in this world, it’s not all fun and games. You’re going to run into difficulty if you try to do the right thing. If you speak out about justice and try to treat people fairly, things won’t always be rosy for you. In fact, speaking out for justice and trying to treat all people fairly will sometimes incite your fellow human beings to “revile and persecute” you.
This is something we learn when we’re kids, isn’t it? That if you try to be fair, sometimes you are not treated well. Let me give you a relatively mundane example. I remember back when I was in 4th grade--it was recess, and all the kids in my class were outside in the schoolyard playing a game called “Four Square.” If you’ve never played it, all you need to know for the purpose of this story is that it’s played on a court, and people use their hands to bounce a ball around into different quadrants.
Well, the most popular, coolest kid in the class—let’s call him Robert (not his real name) hit the ball out of bounds—and it went flying across the school yard. He then turned to my friend, let’s call her Mary, and said to her, “Mary, go get the ball.”
“What?” Mary said back to Robert, “That’s not fair. I didn’t hit it out of bounds, you did. You should get the ball.” Now, you’d think that everyone would stand up for Mary, because she was right. Robert wasn’t being fair. It was Robert’s responsibility to get the ball himself—not to order other people around.
But guess what, people didn’t get mad at Robert—maybe because everybody wanted to be Robert’s friend. They got mad at Mary!
My classmates started saying things like, “Just get the ball, Mary. Come on! Recess is almost over, and we want to play the game. Do what he says. You’re wrecking it for everyone!” But Mary didn’t budge—good for her! She stood up for what was fair, even though it meant other people got mad at her. (And in case you are wondering, we never did finish the game. Though I ended up getting the ball. Not my best moment.)
In our Scripture reading for today, Jesus tells us that speaking out for justice and fairness will sometimes incite your fellow human beings to “revile and persecute” you. (My friend Mary got a very small taste of what that was like back in 4th grade, and it wasn’t fun.)
Let me stop here for a minute and play an audio file by Aramaic scholar Neil Douglas-Klotz so we can hear him read verse 11 11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
I’ll ask Steve to put up the slide with the phonetic pronunciation of the Aramaic words, and I’ll play the file:
Tubwayhun immath damhasdeen l’khon waradpin l’khon wamrin eleykon kul milla bisha metolath b’dagalutha
In Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke, the word translated into English as “revile”--damhasdeen--is a very evocative word. In his book, Prayers of the Cosmos, that I’ve referred to throughout this sermon series, Neil Douglas-Klotz tells us that damhasdeen (reviled) refers to people who “have the strength sucked out of them,” who are completely sapped of energy. This word-- damhasdeen-- carries “the image of being covered with a sticky glaze of blame,” like a spider web. (Hence the picture in the bulletin this morning.) So, when Jesus talks of people who are persecuted and reviled “for righteousness’ sake,” the audience listening to his words would have gotten a very clear picture of someone whose energy was sapped and who felt completely powerless to extricate themselves from the false and scathing criticism that stuck to them like glue. (Prayers of the Cosmos, p. 71)
Like the mean things that my classmates said to my friend Mary, back in 4th grade, which she couldn’t easily shake off.
Like the hateful things that I referenced last week--death threats and racist remarks directed at Rev. Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and Mahatma Ghandi when they stood up for justice.
Like the vitriolic criticism leveled at politicians of both parties in our country when go against the party line to voice an unpopular opinion in the name of justice.
Like the angry words any of us receive when we call out a truth that another people don’t want to hear.
It is to such people, who are suffering--to a small or great extent-- because they try to do the right thing, that Jesus says, “You are blessed!...Your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
I think what Jesus is saying here is this: Don’t get stuck in people’s criticism. When people revile you and say horrible things about you because you are trying to do the right thing, don’t let their critical words stick to you. Remember who you are—you are part of God’s family, standing in a long line of people who fought for justice. Take your eyes off the sticky web of blame, and put your eyes on Jesus and remember how he trusted in in God’s love. Remember that justice will prevail in the end and the sticky web will eventually be washed away.
I heard a psychologist on the radio a while back—Susan David—who wrote a book called Emotional Agility: Get unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life. Her point? The way we think and feel about our world--what we choose to focus on and what we tell ourselves about what we choose to focus on-- directs our behavior. If we let ourselves get hooked into an angry, negative mindset, our behavior will follow suit.
As an analogy, she told the story of a sea captain who saw what he thought was an approaching ship on the sea at night. The sea captain radioed the other ship and said, “Change course,” but the other ship did not answer. The sea captain stubbornly continued on his course, and, as the lights of other vessel loomed larger and larger ahead, he kept radioing as he approached, becoming more and more angry and fearful and belligerent when the other ship wouldn’t answer, “I said, ‘Change course, CHANGE COURSE!!’”
Ultimately, the story ends with the angry and fearful sea captain discovering--in the nick of time-- that what he thought was an approaching ship intent on running him down was actually NOT a ship at all, but a light house that he almost crashed into because he let his own anger and fear and stubbornness take control and direct his behavior.
I think this is what Jesus is getting at in the beatitudes. How we think about the world-- what we choose to focus on and what we tell ourselves about what we choose to focus on-- determines how we behave. If we let ourselves get hung up in the sticky web of blame or our own anger at other people’s reactions, we will not be effective in working for justice and fairness in the world, which is what God calls us to do.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus reminds us what our focus should be. He reminds us that we are blessed-- that our job is to align our thoughts, feelings, and behavior with God’s values, NOT to let ourselves get distracted by other people’s criticism of us. Because their criticism will not have the final word. God’s love will prevail in the end. So align yourself with God’s love, says Jesus, and your reward will be great. You will be eternally connected to God and God’s expanding kingdom of Love. In fact, as you align yourself with God’s love, you will help establish God’s Kingdom starting here and now. Thanks be to God.
Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt
Franklin Federated Church
Franklin, MA