What was meant to be a simple article on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, aka Jesus’ Manifesto became far more involved than I had originally intended. As I mentioned, Matthew 5-7; the Sermon on the Mount, sets up Jesus’ entire ‘ministry’ (according to Matthew): His philosophy, his vision, his view of God and God’s relationship to humanity. He spends a significant amount time talking about a kingdom—the Kingdom of Heaven—which he believed existed right here on earth. His manifesto starts with a series of blessings which can also found in Luke 6.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this sermon is Jesus’ approach. He begins by stating clearly who he thought God would embrace (by blessing them) and, by omission, who God would not. Rather than come out directly against God’s enemies (which Jesus will do later), he elevated God’s beloved. He pronounced blessings on those he saw as God’s ‘chosen’ and simply omitted those who weren’t, leaving them to ponder why he didn’t include them. This strikes me as a brilliant approach in that most of us don’t do well when confronted head-on.
Jesus also tells us we’re actively participating, or actively opposing these blessings, and there is a way we can make sure we’re engaging in this kingdom. We may not be poor, but that doesn’t mean we can’t support them. We are the Kingdom of Heaven, and that means it’s up to us to make Jesus blessings come true. He’s not talking about some mystical place beyond the grave that has nothing to do with us, he’s talking about this very moment, this very place. The poor will be taken care of HERE! Those who mourn will be comforted HERE! And WE (the Kingdom of Heaven) will be the comforters.
Also note that Jesus blessings, like so many lists in the Bible, has a weighted scale, a direction. Jesus starts with complete physical and societal helplessness, paralysis, and then through increasing circumstances those who are able to engage beyond their struggles. He begins with the “poor in spirit.” It is an ambiguous phrase, but one that evokes a sense of those incapable of taking care of themselves at all: the dejected, demoralized, those who cannot feed themselves or their families. Those who have nothing, not even a voice.
Next come the mourners, whom we may think of as the temporarily incapacitated. For now, they are overwhelmed by a sense of grief and loss. They once felt a connection to others but now the spark of life has gone out. They have given up, resigning themselves to their lonely place that the bottom, beyond reach of all others.
Then there are the gentle, or meek or humble. They walk softly on the Earth, seeking to impose themselves on others as little as possible.
From the onset, Jesus’ teaching is directed not just to those who related, but also to the audience standing in front of him as a whole. It was both social and political, though that’s beyond the scope of this article. And it tells those who are suffering that they’re not alone. It encourages them to think beyond their paralysis to a place where blessing are provided and there is hope for their situation.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Luke is more straight-forward:
Blessed are you who are poor…
This is a group of people we all know. We see them on the streets. They’re vilified on Fox "news." They struggle every day just to survive. Many of them work two to three jobs and still can’t pay the bills. These are people who have absolutely no power, no voice, and without ‘outside’ help will not attain any advantages in life.
Jesus then goes on to promise them the Kingdom of Heaven… in other words, US! In their misery, in their paralysis, they get us… those who share Jesus’ values and are determined that we can ease their suffering. Which is also a ‘command’ to us.
- What would the anti-beatitude be? Who has Jesus omitted from the Kingdom of Heaven?
How about someone who has money but condemns those who don’t as ‘users’ and ‘takers.’ Or maybe our leaders who are desperate to yank the safety net out from under those who need it.
We could say that anybody who opposes the poor, either by simply ignoring them (Rich Man and Lazarus) or sitting on Fox "news" telling their audiences that these safety nets only make people lazy and dependent on the government. This would even include the pastors of mega-churches who use the name of Jesus to steal from the gullible and vulnerable while ducking their requirement to pay their taxes (render unto Caesar) or care for the poor.
Of course, if Evangelicals want to stick with “poor in spirit,” instead of just poor, then there’s an opposite of that too. Arrogant, self-righteous, hypocritical, nationalistic… just about everything Evangelicals stand for in our society (and did in Jesus’ day).
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Those who mourn may also be close to complete paralysis, as those who suffer loss lose far more than just a person. Their loved one was ‘part’ of them, meaning that part of the mourner was literally ripped out of their psyche—their heart, and they are literally trying to redefine themselves without that important piece of themselves.
- The anti-beatitude for those who mourn:
Can include a rather large spectrum, starting for those who simply can’t be bothered to care, all the way to those who cause the suffering and create the loss in the first place. Even worse, those who rejoice in that loss.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
This one is intriguing. Here Jesus promises the meek will ‘inherit’ the earth. Not take it over or conquer—but inherit. The meek do not get their piece of the pie by becoming something they’re not: greedy, selfish, covetous, money-grubbers, or oppressors of those who have less than they do…
In a world where oppression often cannot be removed except through violent uprisings, Jesus says that the meek do not have to consider those options. Somehow, they will inherit the earth.
While this is, I think, far more complex than talked about here, it seems to suggest that—again—it’s up to the Kingdom of Heaven to take care of these people. We find a way to pass on the earth to them. This takes on real-world implications today as we look at what we’re literally doing to our planet and the danger we’re creating for the generations that come after us.
- So what would be the anti-beatitude?
I think, without being hyperbolic, we can safely say anyone who defends the fossil fuel industry. Climate change deniers. Conspiracy theorists. Those who deny science. Anyone who cares more about themselves than someone else.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Luke: Blessed are you who hunger now...
His language in this context is significant: Hunger was an ever-present concern in Jesus day. There were no social safety nets and most—if not all the people in that audience, including Jesus, knew hunger intimately. We know it as “feast or famine.” The average calorie count at that time for the ordinary person was only around 14-hundred calories, and a lot of that was bread and broth, which were cheap, but as empty calories, they didn’t last long.
Hunger also creates many problems. Humans, like the other animals we share earth with, need energy to survive. As a result, when hungry, we tend to be far less ‘human’ and more like our animal counterparts. Most animals can be relatively harmless when they’re full. But when hungry, they become profoundly dangerous.
- The anti-beatitude here could be a list that would take pages and pages to catalog, but there are some obvious omissions:
Those who are complacent. Those who defend their privilege. Those who are filled at the expense of those who hunger. Those who are filled in general, but don’t worry about those who aren’t.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
At this point, Jesus has moved past the defenseless and helpless and now we’re seeing the ability to actively participate in the Kingdom of Heaven. In this blessing, we get what we give. If we show mercy, we get mercy.
- The anti-beatitude
We also suffer lack of mercy if we ourselves are not willing to give that mercy. This would also include people who are unforgiving (or only forgive their friends or those they think deserve it). Definitely the cruel, vindictive, petty, and vengeful. But even the ‘clueless,’ who aren’t aware enough to realize they’re creating pain and can’t be bothered to become aware for one reason or another.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
By the time we get here, the promise becomes bigger and the stakes are higher. If we’re pure in heart, we get to see God.
Pure in heart can have many ‘definitions,’ but the best definition could be simply following our values and keeping Jesus’ manifesto in mind at all times so that our actions bless those whom Jesus called blessed.
- The anti-beatitude...
Would be the very people Jesus consciously opposed on an almost daily basis: The ideological, hypocritical, bigots, and those who align themselves with the oppressors rather than the blessings of Jesus.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Unlike the last blessing, here Jesus promises they will be CALLED ‘children of God.’
We see this happening now. Evangelicals are doing everything they can to defend their anti-beatitude actions and ideologies. Yet when they do, they are challenged rather than esteemed. They struggle to find excuses for a president who is the very antithesis of everything Jesus has said in this sermon while at the same time resisting the ‘accusations’ that they’re opponents of Jesus, not supporters.
They call themselves the children of God, but the Kingdom of Heaven does not. They are challenged every day by the Kingdom of Heaven and find themselves in defensive mode. Yet they refuse to take Jesus’ blessings seriously.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
By now we’ve reached the people who have the wherewithal to participate fully, and to actively pursue the Kingdom of Heaven… both supporting it and staying part of it. Again, he promises the Kingdom of Heaven… us. He has given us to each other.
- The anti-beatitude here…
Would be anyone who opposes those people. Jesus notes that there will be resistance to our efforts to continue to bless his blessed, and that, in turn makes us blessed.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
- The anti-beatitude here would be anyone who persecutes anyone for any reason.
If at any moment, we bring pain to another, that makes us an oppressor. Our comment sections are full of everything Jesus said here: insults, persecution in the form of ad hominem, sometimes even death threats, and those who try to use force rather than persuasion to get what they want.
Jesus starts his manifesto by elevating the disaffected and suffering, and in this blessing, we can see very clearly that if we want anything to do with Jesus, we must support those blessed. Anything else throws us off the list, and we become an opponent, or worse, an enemy.
Based on this little section of the Sermon, it doesn’t appear to matter what we say to those who aren’t on the list, but it is imperative what we say and do to those on the list. For example, if we call the current president a lying liar from the pit of lies, we are not harming Jesus blessed, since liars are not on his list.
This doesn’t mean there won’t be disagreement, or conflict. It simply means that at all times this list is running through our heads, and that we have aligned our thoughts and actions to it so that those Jesus called blessed, are truly blessed. Participation in the kingdom of Heaven is voluntary, but we can only participate without being obnoxious bigots, who seek to overturn laws and become the very people who are currently standing in opposition to this kingdom.
As with so much of Jesus teaching, to be blessed, we must also bless. We are Jesus’ promise to those in need, and it’s up to us to step up.