Jesus’ Ministry
February 16, 2019
Scripture Reading: Luke 6:17-26
Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. –Luke 6:20-23
The kingdom of God is a reality in which everyone has enough—enough food, clothing, shelter and health; enough love and support; enough civility and graciousness. Jesus the Christ left us with the charge to work toward that reality with every fiber of our being. In giving us that charge, he promised us that he would be with us every step of the way. The psychologist Abraham Maslow describes roughly this same understanding of human authenticity, in his hierarchy of needs.
Our society seems to be suffering great consternation right now as we experience a battle between what is right and what is privilege. Our norms have grown to venerate what is privilege. As a result, we invest all our energy in attaining privilege rather than working toward Christ’s vision of the kingdom of God. We bully and shame others who are not in the privilege set and we make fun of people who strive to rectify the basic rights of every human being.
Never in the history of the world has working toward privilege at the expense of what is right turned out well for all who get caught up in such behavior or for the people they must oppress to obtain their privilege. To my knowledge we have never fully implemented the enough principals of pursuing what is right to find out if it works. I think it is time we give is a try.
Prayer: Lord, help us to see our worth in your love not in some special societal status. Show us how to love our way into being the kingdom of God. Amen.