January 25, 2023

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1-11

Nobody likes being needy. We extend requests for prayer prefaced with apologies for inconvenience, we struggle at work trying to accomplish too much on our own because we fear our need for help will result in the loss of a job, we suffer hurt in silence thinking that the best way forward is to “just get over it,” the list goes on and on. But - Jesus, in seeing the need of the crowds, far from chastising their need for shepherding, provided this abundantly rich teaching. The Christian life is summed up in these eleven verses - we enter into the Kingdom of God by faith in the work of Christ - but the doorways we walk through along the way are often characterized by our needs. It is in our needs that God so faithfully works the spiritual transformation of our lives, how could it be any other way? We often try to hide our needs for fear that they will result in insult or rejection - but the Triune God is not like us - the needy receive the gift of his Fatherly provision. The beatitudes of need then, transform into beatitudes of joy: poverty of spirit becomes mercy through the gift of the kingdom; mourners become the pure in heart through the comfort of God; the meek become peacemakers through their inheritance; and those hungry and thirsty for righteousness with stand persecution through the satisfaction received in Christ. All of this points to a single, powerful truth: God’s work through us is directly connected to God’s work in us. Our needs are not obstacles for the Lord, but it is in celebrating God’s provision where we once lacked the Kingdom stands more radiant and visible in our sin-darkened world.