Episode 1291: Blessed are Those

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Thanks for joining me on episode 1,291 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

[00:00:08] Patrick Annuci: I'm Patrick Annuci from Dad Hackers and I challenge you to become the man that you are called and created to be. One way to be inspired to do this is to listen to this show, the Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend Scott.

[00:00:32] Scott Maderer: And repent here is not a shame on you. You who have fallen, you who are guilty. Instead, it's a get on board turn around to, to turn around and face away and follow me instead. So what if the B attitudes are meant to be a snapshot of what the community of. Could be and should be, and can be Welcome and thank you for joining us on the [00:01:00] Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

[00:01:02] If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling. In the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, who will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others, and develop your. So that you can impact the world.

[00:01:27] In today's spiritual foundation episode, I talk with you about Matthew chapter five, verses one through 12. I share how this isn't a measuring rod or a challenge to better living. I also talk about how instead it's a snapshot of what a faith community can be. Matthew Chapter five verses one through 12 is a portion of the Sermon on the Mount, what's often called the Be attitudes or the Blessings.

[00:01:56] And it starts when Jesus saw the crowds. He went up the [00:02:00] mountain and after he sat down, his disciples came to him, and then he began to speak and taught them saying, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.

[00:02:15] Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be fulfilled. Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure and heart for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of.

[00:02:35] Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and under all kinds of evil, against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. This is one of those things that uh, is out. As the attitudes or the blessings, and there's arguments to be made that maybe these should be [00:03:00] posted in public squares more than just the 10 Commandments.

[00:03:05] Because this idea of maybe we would read these a little differently than the law or the rules, and that is a problem with these is it's impractical to do that. They don't fit in place in a place like a courtroom because a courtroom is a base of law and not a place of grace.

[00:03:28] And that's often what people see as the problem with the B attitudes as they read through these. They don't really seem practical or achievable. They seem impossible. They seem to be contrary to the world that we live in. How would we live up to these sorts of standards? It's not within us to capture all of these elements, no matter how much we might want.

[00:03:53] So are the attitudes kind like the law are these meant to be there to show us how far we [00:04:00] fall short from what we're supposed to be? I, is this another place where we can layer guilt upon guilt as we grovel and say that we are completely worthless? And that often can be a way that this verse or these verses are presented to people and yet each of them starts with the word blessed.

[00:04:21] The word in Hebrew can be translated a number of different ways. Sometimes it's translated as happy. Happy. Are those who or blissful is another translation, blissful, blessed and happy don't seem like words that are meant to layer guilt upon us are set up conditions that are impossible for us to reach.

[00:04:46] So maybe these. Law then or rules like that maybe then the be attitudes are a challenge to better living or a method or psychology or technique to achieve true [00:05:00] happiness. And sometimes they're presented in those ways as well, but maybe they also mean something a little bit more maybe.

[00:05:12] Jesus sat down and began his teaching like many of us do with a word of encouragement instead of an impossible standard to attain. In the previous chapter of Matthew's Gospel, before the sermon on the amount, there's an amazing set of events. There's the temptation in the wilderness where Jesus declares the kind of Messiah he intends to.

[00:05:39] And then there's the return where he calls together a community of followers and says, these are my disciples. This is who I shall work with in earthly ministry. And then there's the moments of healing and teaching that continue to draw larger and larger crowds. And then in chapter five, it's [00:06:00] beginning to let us know some of these teachings that he's actually saying.

[00:06:05] But in between the wilderness and the calling of the disciples, he says in chapter four, verse 17, repent. The kingdom of heaven has come near and repent here is not a shame on you who have fallen, you who are guilty. Instead, it's a get on board, turn around to turn around and face away and follow me instead.

[00:06:28] So what if the B attitudes are meant to be a snapshot of what the community of faith could be and should be, and can be? . What if it's a picture of what is the way that Jesus wants the community to behave? What if Jesus is saying Blessed is the community who makes room for the peacemakers? Blessed is the community who makes room for the meek, for those who are hunger and thirst after righteousness for those who are [00:07:00] poor in spirit, blessedness of the community who opens its arms.

[00:07:04] Wide and allows those who mourn at the brokenness of the world to come within those who is unstained by what is going on in the world, but is open and honest and welcoming to all of those. Blessed is the community then who knows that persecution is inevitable, but still decides to make room for those that the world is mistreating.

[00:07:32] Maybe Jesus was getting out the family album, so to say and saying, look again at who you are and who you can be and who you were once and who you can be again. , look at your true self. Look at not what you end up doing because we hate and we have anger and hurt and pain, and we lash out. But look at what you can be because you can learn from each other.

[00:07:59] You [00:08:00] can be of one mind and one spirit, even though you are not all the same, even though you don't agree on every issue, you still can come together in grace and in. Because that is the snapshot and that is how blessed are those. Thanks for listening.

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