4/28/2025
"...for the Son of Man has come to seek
and save that which was lost."
Luke 19:10
Yesterday I began my writing with this verse explaining how Jesus welcomes everyone to come to Him. Instinctively people were drawn to Him by personal contact, words from others who encountered him, and those who were desperate for peace in their lives. Back then the Romans were in control, and they were hard taskmasters making people uneasy or afraid. But Jesus never made anyone feel afraid or intimidated, just loved and accepted. Many came by divine appointment, as I believe many do so today. Many are seeking love and acceptance in wrong ways, even to the point of defiance to authority, to parents, even to each other. People need the Lord.
I've always loved the message Jesus gave, known as, The Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5:1-11:
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
I love the explanation Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in The Chosen, gives in explanation to Matthew, a known and hated tax collector who was transformed by the love of Jesus, as he questions Jesus about the message. Jesus told him these were the people He would be around. This made me think about this passage in a different way, although relatable. You will have to watch the series to discover for yourself how the writer interpreted this sermon. But, the Lord has brought me back to these scriptures so many times, and I have read commentaries, but this is what the verses mean to me:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." A person who is poor in spirit is one who has nothing to lose. Perhaps he is at the point of desperation in his soul, where he feels he has nowhere else to go, no one who understands the depth of his loneliness, the deep ache within his soul. He encounters the Savior, and intuitively he knows. The very moment he hears the Master's voice and sees the kindness in His eyes, His gentleness, His strength, he surrenders his heart, yielded to the Savior's love. Fragile like a child, he trusts and finds the peace that transcends understanding.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." While this scripture is used at funerals, or as a comfort to others who are hurting, it goes much further. I believe this person is one who has looked at the face of Jesus, hanging on the cross, suffering, bleeding, and dying for his sins. Jesus who knew no sin has became sin for us, for all. He immediately feels His empathy, His compassion, and he is comforted and consoled. He knows he is no longer adrift in a sea of loss or betrayal. He has found the One who knows, who understands. The only One who brings peace.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." It is hard for some to differentiate between one who is meek and one who is humble, as the two are thought to be the same. Humility is an attitude of heart whereas, I feel, meekness is a character trait. A humble person is one who understands their dependence in a situation, recognizes their limitations, and yields to those in authority. I believe meekness has to do more with character than action - goodness, kindness, calm even in chaos. Humility is often acquired, whereas meekness is a quality. So similar and Jesus is both humble and meek. Neither reflect weakness or superiority.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." The sons of thunder, the apostles and brothers, James and John, sons of Zebedee, fishermen, could easily identify with an urge or leaning toward anger, because they had seen enough, experienced enough. They wanted to call down thunder and lightning from heaven on the people who treated Jesus with disrespect, but Jesus scolded them saying He came to seek and save those who were lost (Luke 9:54-55). Jesus displayed anger in several situations, especially towards the religious leaders who wanted to trap Him in His words, but His anger was righteous. Men react in anger when pushed, but Jesus in exhortation and correction. His purpose was to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.This was the message He shared, God's Kingdom, one of love and peace. In the context of the verse above, however, it is not an anger or disgust, rather it has much to do with longing, perhaps understanding from the heart of one who has witnessed or experienced injustice. I believe, because I walk in this feeling today, that to hunger and thirst is a starvation mode and ache from the emptiness seen in the eyes of those who suffer injustice, unrighteousness, and betrayal at the hands of others. When I pray, many times I weep, and words cannot express the depth of the pain I feel for those who are so lost in sin or confusion or anger at others. My son, with whom I share this home, had a dream where he saw me sitting at the table with him, his brother, his sister, and their dad, and I was weeping. Certainly my heart does weep for them, but it extends to this hurting world, so lost, being led to the slaughter by the enemy who delights in seeing their lawlessness, rebellion played out in anger, confusion, even delusion, and he loves to trample the soul of those who care, especially intercessors. It literally breaks my heart, because it breaks my Father's heart, recalling to my mind what Jesus said when He walked into Jerusalem a final time before His death, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" (Matthew 23:37).
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." There are those who are laughed at or belittled, because they seem to wear their feelings on their sleeves. They become distraught when they listen to the news and believe what they are being told by the dishonest journalists who somehow have lost the integrity of the true calling of journalism. They have twisted the truth, embellished the lies, and these are causing more harm to well-meaning hearts who lean to kindness towards others, and who may eventually be those who commit atrocities in the name of justice. Everyone has a choice in life, given to them by a loving Father, the God who created each one of us fearfully and wonderfully made in His image. Sadly, they reject His character and His love. But there are those who genuinely care for others, who would give their the shirt off their backs if it would help, or the last can of beans off their shelf. Then that person watches someone reject the kindness, belittle the giver, or watch someone steal the gift. Regardless of how it plays out in the act of kindness, the person will do it again, and again, however many times, in many different ways, even at the expense of their need, even in their pain and hurting. This person sees with their hearts, and they cannot look away. The Parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:29-37 is an illustration of a man who has mercy on others, regardless of the way that one may have treated him had the situation been reversed.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." One who is pure in heart, I believe, is one who looks past what is on the surface, or one who doesn't listen to what one may say or do in harshness. The pure in heart can see past the anger, the hurt, the lascivious life style, or mischievous child, or obnoxious behavior and look within the soul of a person and feel love. It doesn't matter how many times they may knock you down, insult you, spit on you, or belittle you to others, even in front of a classroom, the pure in heart can feel love, because they see the true need. One source defines it as such: "To be pure in heart means to have a sincere, honest, and selfless desire to love God and others. It implies a heart free from deceit, malice, and ulterior motives, with a genuine commitment to integrity and righteousness." This defines the character of Jesus, and why so many are drawn to Him. It's the heart of the one, like Mary, who poured out the expensive perfume to anoint the feet of Jesus before His death. She sat at His feet and listened intently to every word He said. She wanted to be with Him. And so it is with those who love Him, there's no other place we'd rather be. We have nothing to give, except ourselves and the love He instills in us, so we can share with others.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." When we think of peacemakers, maybe the first inclination will be to think of a policeman or a judge, someone who is in a position to bring order to a situation. Or perhaps, one may think of a person who mediates between people or groups to bring resolution, as a counselor, a pastor, an advocate, or union leader. Again, I feel that this is a person's nature to see people get along, to play nicely together, even if they disagree. Perhaps it is seen as a gift of reconciliation and peace, again love is very much a part of it. Amos 3:3: "How can two walk together, except they be in agreement." I recently attended a funeral of a man who had many brothers and sisters, he the second to the youngest. The pastor who was giving the eulogy said that the family may have quarrels and disagreements while under their roof, but in public they stood together, especially when one of them was in peril or need. I often wonder what it would be like if our government would adopt that same resolve of not airing the ugliness before others, especially our enemies, as it is a sure sign of weakness and moral decay. Whenever someone comes to me for marital advice, one who has been divorced three times, I point them to scripture - 1 Peter 3 and Ephesians 5. In fact, all of scriptures points us to peace, harmony, and love for our fellow man.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." How well I can understand this message, because forgiveness is the key to victory in this situation. I have been and now am on the end of this stick. I even have someone who enters my home and whispers evil to my son. I am watching persecution around the world, within the streets of our beloved country, and against God's chosen people in heightened degree. Jesus said His followers would be persecuted, because they hated Him, they would hate us more. I could launch into a history lesson about persecution in our nation and world, in our homes, and even in the church, but if one opens their eyes, they can witness for themselves. After teaching the disciples how pray, Jesus taught them about forgiveness and the part it plays in His Kingdom. We must forgive others, or God will not forgive us. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, past, present, future, and He died once and for all. So we should walk in His likeness and as He taught. The two commandments - love God and love one another and so fulfill the law of Christ.
"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
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