Feb 3, 2002

In his famous Sermon on the Mount Jesus introduces a set of new values for his followers. Men and women are free to walk the new path. All are invited to live the new life announced by Jesus in this sermon.

Jesus lists 8 values such as " the poor in the spirit", " those who mourn"," the meek", "those who hunger and thirst for righteousness", " the merciful", " the pure in heart", " the peacemakers", "those who are persecuted".

These words picture how we are vulnerable and how we are hurtful in our lives.

Our world is vulnerable in so many ways.

And so are our societies regardless of how well organized they are. Even this country, the strongest superpower in the world was attacked and hurt. The ongoing war against terrorism is a conflict between different values and different understanding of life. It is an illustration of how vulnerable this world is.

Even more we are vulnerable in our individual lives. We suffer so many losses, broken relations, hopes that did not come true, conflicts, loneliness, fear, longing and so forth. Even death is casting shadows into our lives.

The list of values Jesus set up are different to culture values in general and the picture of life portrayed on the screen.

Different to being "poor in the spirit" is "self-confident", "self-reliant", "competent".

Opposite to "those who mourn" is the value of "those who are pleasure-seeking", "those who are seeking easy-life", "those who work for no-pain-life".

The value of being "meek" is contrasted by the common culture value of being "proud", "powerful", "important", and "those who hunger for righteousness" differ from " those who are satisfied", " the well-adjusted", and the "merciful" is different to "the self-righteous", "the self-satisfied", and so forth.

Most and foremost Jesus contrasts the values of his kingdom to the kingdoms of this world. He is lifting up what Christianity is all about.

His first exclamation is "Blessed are the poor in the spirit". This can also be translated "Blessed are those who are personally poor".

I feel very happy for this saying in our Bible. This makes sense to have faith in God.

The word "poor" might cover a variety; originally just simply poor, having no materials and no money. This case usually leads to having no influence and no power and no prestige and because of this being oppressed and having no rights. And having no earthly resources at all, the only way was to trust in God and ask for heavenly help.

Sometimes religion could serve as "Opium for the people" as said by Karl Marx. But as for Martin Luther King the Christianity was the inspiring power to fight for justice.

So in Biblical language the word "poor" was used to describe the humble and the helpless person who put his whole trust in God. This is mainly a spiritual experience.

It is wonderful to read in the Psalms about the poor man who gets all comfort and help from God.

Psalms 34:6: "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles".

Psalms 9:18:" For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever."

Psalms 35:10:"O Lord, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the poor and the needy from those who despoil them."

Keep in mind that the Psalms are like reports from individuals and their vulnerable lives and they are Hymns of praise to God.

It is this God and this kingdom Jesus is speaking about when saying:" Blessed are the poor in spirit".

If a man has this same experience, there will enter into his life two things that are opposite sides of the same thing. He will become completely detached from things and what is powerful, for he will know that things do not have in them to bring happiness or security, - and he will become completely attached to God, for he will know that God alone can bring help, hope and strength. The man who is poor in spirit is the man who has realized that things mean nothing, and that God means everything.

Jesus proclaims they are blessed, theirs is the kingdom of heaven, they will inherit the earth!

I should say that Jesus does not teach actual material poverty as a good thing. Poverty is not good at all. Jesus would never have called a community "blessed" where people live in poverty in slums and have no food to eat. Quite opposite, it is Christian responsibility to remove that kind of poverty and establish justice.

Who is Jesus talking about in the Gospel for today?

Whom does he bless?

It is his congregation, his church.

It is the Mindekirken congregation.

We are crying and the Lord gives to us what we really need. And we rejoice and are glad.

As the Apostle Paul writes: "God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written; He scatters abroad, he gives to poor, his righteousness endures for ever." 2 Corinthians 9:8-9.

Amen.

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716