Dear Caldwell,
Last Sunday, we took a look at Matthew’s account of Jesus calling his first four disciples (4:12-23). They were ordinary fishermen, regular “salt of the earth” folks. Jesus said, simply: “Follow me,” and they did. Soon droves were gathering around Jesus. According to Matthew, Jesus didn’t wait very long at all to pull out his “best stuff.” In Matthew 5:1-12, we find one of his most enduring messages, the Sermon on the Mount.
As the President prepares to offer his own “stemwinder” tonight in the annual State of the Union address, we are reminded again just how radical Christ’s teachings were. In what we know as the “Beatitudes,” Jesus called “blessed” those who are poor in spirit and those who mourn, the meek and the hungry, the merciful and the pure in heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted. Then and now, those statements leave us scratching our heads in befuddlement. In contrast, tonight’s state of the union, will be a well-calculated, polled-in-advance, painstakingly prepared and exhaustive speech designed to inspire, yes, but also to engage strictly political mechanisms and advance political agendas, as is the case every year, no matter who is president.
The President will sound popular notes he hopes will resonate with voters and constituents, in hopes of building consensus. In the Sermon on the Mount, however, Jesus said things that were un-popular and so extreme that he wouldn’t have ever been elected to lead anything. In fact, the kinds of things Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount got him killed in the end.
Two thousand years later, we are left to grapple with what Christ said that day and to examine our lives, our faith, our city and our world in light of these beautitudes. Just what does it mean to be blessed? By what standards and by whom – God or the world? Which place would you rather be – watching the President on the TV tonight or standing out on that mount that day listening to Jesus? Where would you be most comfortable or … most uncomfortable … once the applause had ended and the crowds had scattered?
May the Lord be with you there as you travel … Sunday to Sunday.
In Christ,
John