The most basic teachings of Jesus Christ are found in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in chapters five through seven of the Gospel according to Matthew. What is generally called the Beatitudes are found in that fifth chapter, and I invite you to consider, newly, those verses.
Following the Call: A Good Old View
On Jan. 2, the first Sunday of this new year,
I started reading the book Following the Call (2021), edited by Charles
E. Moore and issued by Plough Publishing House.**
There are 52
chapters in Moore’s new book (and I plan to read a chapter every Sunday morning
this year). On the page before the first chapter, the “overview” begins with
these words:
The beatitudes are a summary of the entire Sermon [on the Mount], shorthand for what is to come. They describe Jesus himself . . . . And they depict the character of those who strive to follow Jesus.
Each chapter of
Moore’s book has one to four brief excerpts from the writings of a wide variety
of notable Christians. Chapter 1 begins with words by E. Stanley Jones
(1884~1973), the venerable Methodist missionary to India. Jones wrote:
Here is the key to the Sermon on the Mount. We mistake it entirely if we look on it as the chart of the Christian’s duty; rather, it is the charter of the Christian’s liberty—his [or her] liberty to go beyond, to do the thing that love impels and not merely the thing that duty compels.
American Saint: A Good New View
One of the intriguing novels I read last year
was American Saint (2019) by Sean Gandert, about whom I was unable to learn
much, even from his website.
The “saint” in Gandert’s book is Gabriel
Romero, who was “raised in a poor neighborhood in Albuquerque by his mother and
curandera [= medicine woman] grandmother” and who “grows up fervently
religious, privately conflicted, and consumed by what he’s certain is the true
will of God.”
Toward the climax of
the novel, Gabriel preaches at the Sunday morning Mass in the unconventional (Catholic)
church he started. In his sermon he paraphrases the Beatitudes, not as describing
Jesus himself but rather suggesting what “love impels” (Jones). Here is what he
says:
So who now, I ask, are those who Christ supports? Who are the meek, the hungry, the poor? Who are the pure in heart and the ones who mourn? I tell you they are the same now as they were two thousand years ago, and that God has not lost sight of them, no matter how much the rest of us have. God tells us this: blessed are the immigrants, for they shall find comfort in the land of God.
Blessed are the homeless, for they shall find shelter.
Blessed are the addicts, for they shall find relief.
Blessed are those who suffer from racist oppression, for they shall find justice.
Blessed are those who find themselves with child and choose not to carry to term, for they shall find compassion.
Blessed are those whose lands have been stolen and colonized, for they shall own their own destinies.
Blessed are the prisoners and the unjustly convicted, for they will find freedom.
And blessed are those shunned because of their gender or sexuality, for they shall find love” (pp. 288-9).
Can We Agree with Gabriel?
As you might guess,
some who heard Gabriel’s new view of the Beatitudes were offended and criticized
his ideas as outlandish. In reflecting on that development, Anna, who was one
of Gabriel’s most faithful supporters, declared,
You get a lot of hate for spreading a message of love. You get a lot of hate for acting out the words of Christ, who wasn’t particularly popular in His day either (p. 306).
So, what about it?
Can we agree with Gabriel, or do we want to be judgmental of those who are
hurting the most? Can we recognize and affirm God’s amazing grace?
_____
**
(Moore,
b. 1956, is a long-time Bruderhof member and currently is a member of the
Durham House, a Bruderhof community in North Carolina. I first learned of him
when I read Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Søren Kierkegaard, 1999,
which he edited and which I highly recommend.)
Thanks, Leroy, for drawing our attention to the great reversal Jesus inaugurated: the oppressed are the blessed! In the beatitudes he inverts all those complaints of the psalmists about the arrogant who prosper, about keeping our hearts pure in vain, etc. (Psalm 73, 89, 109).
ReplyDeleteI understand that this word for “Blessed,” makarios, was reserved for the ones who have it all—honor, health, prosperity, good fortune: the elite, the top 1 percent. Earlier, in classical Greek times, makarios was used mostly to describe the power and privileges of the gods. In Aramaic Jesus probably used a word that emphasized prosperity.
So now Jesus says, "Blessed are the 99 percent! You who are on the bottom, the great majority who are being exploited rather than exploiting the system — you’re the prosperous in God’s eyes!' And I think Gabriel updates it just right to name the recipients as the homeless, the addicts, etc.
But Leroy (or anyone else), when he says the blessed are the same now as they were 2000 years ago, that raises a big question for me: In the future, say, the next 2000 years, shouldn’t the poor and needy expect to make much greater gains in this great reversal, changing those percentages? In fact, haven’t we already seen, even in recent decades, poverty decline worldwide, from 80% in abject poverty to 20% in just the last 200 years? Does this have anything to do with the influence of the kingdom of heaven? Of course the kingdom is more than this. But what will it mean for that tiny mustard seed to grow into a tree in which all can come and rest in its branches?
Thanks so much, Fred, for taking the time to write such thought-provoking comments.
DeleteWhat you wrote in your last paragraph spurred me to go back and review what I wrote in #5 and #6 of my book "Thirty True Things Everyone Needs to Know Now." The former is titled "God's Main Desire for the World Is the Realization of the Kingdom of God," and #6 is "The Main Characteristic of the Kingdom of God is Shalom." In the last part of that chapter, I wrote briefly about the progress toward shalom that has been made in this nation in the last 150 years. I also pointed out that many non-Christians also are working for shalom, and then concluded: "This means that work for the kingdom of God is not limited to Christians and that Christians should appreciate and work with all those who are marching to the beat of a different drummer in their efforts to work for shalom and to wage peace."
Here are pertinent comments from Thinking Friend Eric Dollard in Chicago:
ReplyDelete"Thanks, Leroy, for sharing this. I fully agree with Gabriel and his reworking of the Beatitudes is spot-on. The irony, of course, is the hatred he endured for preaching a radical message of love. But is it that radical? It strikes me as consistent with the overall message of Jesus, but it is clearly inconsistent with our modern values of materialism, hedonism, greed, and toxic individualism.
One other important point is that we should be motivated by love, not duty. It’s an important distinction."
Thank you, Eric, for your comments. But, yes, I think from the standpoint of those who embrace the "values" you mentioned at the end of your first paragraph, Jesus' original words and the modern interpretation by "saint" Gabriel are quite radical.
DeleteI fully agree with your final statement--and that is what I like about what E. Stanley Jones wrote: we must "do the thing that love impels and not merely the thing that duty compels."
Then, I received these good words from local Thinking Friend David Nelson:
ReplyDelete"Thanks for sharing. I too am reading 'Following the Call' and find it helpful on my baptismal journey. It should come as no surprise to anyone that living the Christ like life will get push back. Jesus’ words were a challenge then and remain challenging now."
Thanks for your comments, David. I fully agree that the Beatitudes should be challenging to us all today, but the challenge is often watered down by preachers who talk about the Beatitudes mainly as ways to find personal happiness."
DeleteThanks for noting and defining "makarios", Fred. Let me take another tack: In the "Our Father . . ." it's "Your Kingdom come (your realm be present) on earth as it is in Heaven . . . Your will be done (be working now) on earth as it is in Heaven. If the Kingdom isn't NOW (I refer to the realized eschatology not only of John but of Jesus), then why not? Sovereign God has all in God's hands, but does God have all hearts and wills actively at God's disposal? 'Fraid not, of course.
ReplyDelete"Gabriel Romero" made me think right away of Oscar Romero, the Latin American martyr priest, who shared similar concerns and message. Aside from particular statements, and what Jesus said, "The poor you have always with you . . ." (so DO something about it). Fred, you have a point, isn't the Judeo-Christian influence on modern classical liberalism an important contributing factor to general human improvement? (Will autocratic threats against democratic institutions and societies help or hurt?)
The Romeros remind of William T. Cavanaugh's "Torture and Eucharist" about the eucharist of suffering in which the poor contribute far beyond their supposed worldly insignificance. (Read it if you haven't and find your life changed.)
Back to Jesus and the Beatitudes--and Gabe Romero, whose beatitudes must be challenging to be presently significant (so, too, Jesus' outrageous preamble to the "Preachments on the Hill".
One last mention, here, maybe to support the point: Let's not forget Jesus' "Little Apocalypse" (Matt. 24 & 25 and consider Luke 21) (Little? It's as big as the Revelation!) that the "by-and-by" and "just over the hilltop" eschatologies either misinterpret or ignore. It's consistent with the Lord's Prayer and the Beatitudes, too.
Fred, re your last statement about the mustard seed is right on! We are examining more clearly just what that mustard seed was and is, and what it shall be, within us, and on earth. Thanks for putting up with this.
. . . I DO apologize for the rambling comments I left here this morning.
DeleteThanks for your thoughtful comments to my comments, jsummers. Yes, I also ponder Jesus’ words “The poor you always have with you” and like your addition: “So DO something about it!”
DeleteMost important I think is Leroy’s (and Jesus’) emphasis on shalom. The goal isn’t just to make everyone wealthy, but truly well, and at peace with everyone else. We can totally reverse the 99 and the 1 percent, but as long as we aren’t peacemakers, we’ll use our wealth to blow anyone who annoys us off our blessed earth (or back into poverty)!
That requires working alongside people who don't belong to our club, as Leroy pointed out.
And as Eric said, that requires motivation from love, not duty. Hard to get excited about duty. But love .... The next 2000 years should be interesting.
Thanks, Dr. Summers, for your comments -- and there was no need for you to apologize. People can choose to read as much as they want to, and I appreciate all that you wrote. I was glad to learn about the important book you mentioned, for I don't remember of knowing about it before and was pleased to see that it is in the William Jewell College library here in Liberty, Mo., where I live.
DeleteYour reference to Jesus' saying "The poor you have always with you . . . " reminded me of Tony Campolo chastising most contemporary, middle-class Christians for not regularly being with the poor.
Thinking Friend Glenn Hinson in Kentucy sent, as usual, brief but meaningful comments:
ReplyDelete"I agree with Gabriel. Were Jesus reared in our world, I think he too would make such application. Note, please, Luke’s adaptations of the Sermon."
Thanks, Dr. Hinson, for pointing us to Luke's adaptation in the "Sermon on the Plain" in 6:20~49. There "blessed are the poor in spirit" significantly becomes "blessed are the poor."
DeleteAnd here are brief comments from local Thinking Friend Lonnie Buerge:
ReplyDelete"Thank you, Leroy. I think I’ll look for both of these books. You are right, the religious have the most problems with these tenets of Christianity."
Bill Ryan, another local Thinking Friend, shares these comments:
ReplyDelete"Thanks, Leroy, for sharing this. Gabriel's sermon looks like something I would have composed during my days in the ministry, which corresponded with the civil rights & anti-Vietnam war movements of the 60s & 70s. I did get backlash but also support.
"The beatitudes are among a number of selections that I have memorized because of their profound meaning in my life."
Here are important words received this afternoon from Thinking Friend Frank Shope in New Mexico:
ReplyDelete"During my time with the mission board, I preached and attempted to lead churches to embrace Jones' suggestion. In the early 2000s I was requested to assist a group of churches in Southern Mississippi. The 'Harvest Immigration Railroad' travels through all the Southern states, the Midwest and the Pacific Coast. Mostly made up of Mexican migrants, they work the food harvest from late August through October.
"After preaching at one of the 'white' churches on Sunday morning about the poverty of America and the blessedness and the prayers of today's poor (immigrants and impoverished Americans, note your quote from Jones). I was met at the back door by an angry landowner. His first statement was, 'that ain't happening here.' He was referring to my call to embrace the migrants, work against the racial injustice and share the gospel. His second statement was even colder, 'I'm tired of supporting you missionaries! Go somewhere else.'
"Perhaps the reason the mission agencies moved away from a biblical mindset to only church planting, is because when called to live out the missionary enterprise and love as your post calls to love, anger is the result.
"It's easier to fight inerrancy than be the givers of freedom, life, and blessings."
Thanks so much for sharing these comments, Frank. Perhaps more than any of my other Thinking Friends, you share not only your thoughts but also your personal experiences related to the blog articles, and that makes then particularly meaningful for all who read them.
DeleteMy daughter Kathy, who lives here in Liberty, tried twice unsuccessfully to post comments. I don't understand why she, and others in the past, have trouble posting--and she even has a gmail account, which is supposed to make it easy. But that is a problem with the program that I have no control over at all. Here are the comments that Kathy tried to post:
ReplyDelete"This line, 'it is the charter of the Christian’s liberty--his [or her] liberty to go beyond, to do the thing that love impels and not merely the thing that duty compels,' resonates with me as this has been my experience over the last month as I have come along side new Afghan friends who just arrived to town. It is such joy to be involved with what Love impels!"
Economist Michael Hudson studied the ancient world and found that for a thousand years before the time of the Jews the ancient kings of Mesopotamia, such as Hammurabi, were regularly declaring debt jubilees. He called the recent book he published on the subject "...and forgive them their debts" --which is an obvious twist on the Lord's Prayer. He also argues that most languages do not have the English distinctions between "debt," "sin," and "trespass." Modern America has over thought the gospel in our attempt to make it compatible with capitalism. Indeed, once we start reading Jesus' parables, the obvious, explicit references to debt are inescapable. "The Year of the Lord" was the declaration of a debt Jubilee, and the first time Jesus opened Isaiah and claimed those words, his audience immediately turned on Him, and sought to kill Him. What better way to show understanding of the Beatitudes than to forcefully update them into modern vernacular? Christianity is about the spirit, not about the law!
ReplyDeleteSomewhat in harmony with Craig's next to last sentence, are these words a Thinking Friend sent in an email before Craig posted his comments:
ReplyDelete"In a lot of ways, Gabriel’s Beatitudes sound more like Jesus than the Biblical ones, which feel a little sanitized."
And then a little later last night local Thinking Friend Will Adams sent these comments:
ReplyDelete"How refreshing!!! A lot of reading of scripture sounds ritualistic, mouthing words without even considering the content. It is good to try to apply words from two millennia ago to today's issues. Of course, those who do will be criticized, and may even get it wrong sometimes. But it is good to try."
A couple of years ago before leaving retirement to help with the fight against Covid, I ran across some notes from my time is seminary. This is what I had written when we were studying the Beatitudes in NT. I can't remember if my professor's name was Dr Thompson or Thomas. But here is the note I wrote, "Makarios refers to the believer in Christ who is satisfied and secure in the midst of life's hardships because of the indwelling fullness of the Spirit." It is a different take on the meaning but a much needed attribute that many don't seem to have: satisfied and secure.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting these comments, Jamea. I think the words you quoted were applicable to Gabriel in the novel; because of the Spirit's indwelling, in addition to being satisfied and secure he was also impelled to speak and to act for the benefit of those who were hurting.
DeleteHere are comments from Thinking Friend Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson in Canada:
ReplyDelete"Thank you for this blog post, Leroy. The 'Good News' of God's love and grace is always ready and eager to reach out to everyone, regardless of who they are and what they have or haven't done."
And here is a brief, and appreciated, comments from Thinking Friend Bob Hanson in Wisconsin:
ReplyDelete"Very thoughtful and a strong witness Leroy, thanks!
Yesterday afternoon, I received these comments from Thinking Friend Truett Baker in Arizona:
ReplyDelete"Sorry I'm late in responding, again. I've really struggled with how to respond. I applaud the contents of the new 'Beatitudes,' but I have trouble with the matter of re-writing any portion of the Scripture, although I recognize this was probably not the intent behind the changes. . . .
Thanks for your ideas and for the time you put in exposing your friends to your thoughts about many issues.
Thanks, Truett, for your candid comments. But as I understood it, "saint" Gabriel was not re-writing the words of Jesus but simply trying to express the underlying meaning of Jesus' words in light of the contemporary situation. That is always the challenge preachers face: how to express the relevance of the words of Jesus (and the Bible in general) to our current time and place.
Delete