The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Year A

By the Rev. Ann M. Smith

Based on the Gospel reading: Matthew 5:1-12

One of the most visited sites in Galilee is the Mountain of the Beatitudes. One certainly gets a sense that it could be the very place in which Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. I certainly find myself transported back to that spot as I reflect on the Beatitudes. I become part of the crowd as we follow Jesus through the Galilean hills, listening to his words of wisdom, seeking the touch of his gentle hand, hoping for wholeness in our lives, and looking for the coming of God's kingdom.

We are gathered on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilea. It is a beautiful warm day. The sun is shining. There is a gentle breeze. I take in the quiet beauty of the place. I can hear cattle lowing in the valley below. Jesus makes his way to the bottom of the hill. A hush comes over the crowd as he begins to speak. I can hear every word. They are words of comfort. Or are they? For I find what this person is saying to me is so disturbing. It offers such a radical way of living. I know even as I listen that I can never attain it. Yet I would like to. I would like to emulate Jesus. I see the light of God shining from him like a beacon through the darkness. But what he says is too radical. It borders on the fanatical. Quite frankly, it frightens me.

He is offering us blessings. "You are to be congratulated if you are poor. You are to be congratulated if you mourn. You are to be congratulated if you are persecuted," he tells us. And the words raise in me a feeling of great hope. I wonder how Timaeus feels about what is being said. Everyone knows how wealthy he is. He is hanging on Jesus' every word. Does he think that Jesus is saying that somehow we will be happy in spite of our poverty? Because I think he is saying that we will no longer be poor. People like Timaeus will have to share their wealth with all of us.

"You who are meek are to be congratulated," he goes on. Those in power must hear him and laugh. They walk over people who are meek. They see us as born losers. And Jesus is saying that we – born losers or not – are the ones who are to inherit the earth. I want to believe it, but I have my doubts. That just is not the way of society. It is the powerful, the ruthless, who get ahead and who gain more power.

"You are to be congratulated if you mourn," Jesus tells us. I have to admit, that brings a tear to my eye. I don't feel very happy about the losses I have felt over my life. And especially I don't feel happy about loved ones who have died. It feels so final. I feel so deprived. I sometimes don't feel as if I will ever be happy again. And yet he is calling me to be happy even though I mourn. It puzzles me, but in a strange way I feel comforted. I feel strengthened and ready to face another day.

"You are to be congratulated if you hunger and thirst for righteousness," I hear him say. I am certainly hungry. I see it in the people around me as well. They are yearning for security. They want to make a good living. They want to provide a comfortable home for their families. They don't want to worry about how to put food on the table for their children. But who hungers like that for God? I am not a fanatic after all!

"You are to be congratulated if you are a peacemaker," he tells us. Living under a violent regime as we do, I don't like to even think about war. It is depressing. To actually get involved in bringing about peace, that is another thing. That could surely get us into trouble with the Roman authorities. I don't want to be considered a radical. It is too dangerous. But I see it in Jesus' life – that peaceful resistance. He does not cave into the dictates of the leaders in the synagogue. They can get pretty nasty. I've heard them arguing with him. He isn't even afraid to speak out against the Roman authorities. One time I heard him say "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and give to God the things that are God's." I really feared for him that day!

And what is he saying about persecution. It is one thing to have people say that you are a crackpot for what you believe. It is quite another to allow ourselves to be victimized. Yet at some level I know what he is saying. If we followed it to its logical conclusion we would reverse the rules of society. We'd give instead of getting. We'd be naturally forgiving. We'd believe that God became human.

It's the prophet Micah who reminds us that we come before God, not with material wealth. That is not ours to give. It already belongs to God. We are called to give something beyond the material. We are called to action. God requires us to do justice, to take social responsibility for the world in which we live, and to do what is right. God requires us to love kindness, to fulfill the obligations of our relationship, to have mercy. God requires us to walk humbly with a sense of intimacy. That makes what Jesus is saying somehow clearer. If we lived that way, we would communicate the love of God to the sick, the lonely, the oppressed, and the unhappy in our world and in our community.