blessed people (1)

Jersey has lots of Christian church buildings as well as many active Christian congregations. But how very rare it is to hear the words Jesus Christ other than when they're used as swear words.

I wonder why that should be the case? Is there something so radical about Jesus Christ that we don’t dare to speak his name? Is he what one might call “OTHER”? Is he seriously exceptional? 

Napoleon Bonaparte, the French Emperor who lost the battle of Waterloo, is on the record as saying, ‘If Socrates would enter the room, we would rise and do him honour. But if Jesus Christ came into the room, we would fall down on our knees and worship him.’

 

Come with me then to a hill in Galilee about 100 miles north of Jerusalem. It’s around AD 30. Jesus Christ is seated and teaching his newly-appointed disciples. Crowds are gathering and listening in. Matthew recorded it all – as above – in his eye-witness biography. Why don’t we listen in? 

He’s describing people who are “blessed”. The Greek word in the original is “makarios”. The English word macro is derived from the Greek makarios. It means the exact opposite of micro. As we shall see, macro has nothing whatsoever to do with macho. 

“Blessed” Jesus is saying, “are the poor in spirit because theirs is the realm of the skies. Blessed,” he goes on, “are those who sorrow because they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek,” he adds, “because they will inherit the earth.”

What on earth? Can it really be a good thing to be poor in spirit, sorrowing and meek? 

To be poor in spirit, he says, is to be blessed because the realm of such people is the skies. They’re in heaven’s kingdom, even here on earth. That’s where they belong, the poor in spirit. These, whilst in this world, don’t harm others. They appear to be the losers – because of who they are - but they aren't. 

But what about those who sorrow? We could call it depression or a sad disposition. Jesus has just said that they are blessed. Why? Because the depressed – those who sorrow – will indeed be comforted. Not by tablets or therapies. Have you realised that the depressed are the really perceptive ones? They see the awfulness that human beings are doing to one another, to them and to others. Those who do harm to others are not the sorrowful. Those who are sorrowful, Jesus says, are blessed because they will be comforted.

 

And then there’s the meek. Why are the meek blessed? According to Jesus Christ, it’s because they will inherit the earth. 

Are we not all immersed into a twisted culture which is worshipping wealth and exalting the wealthy? Endorsing wit our envy those who get and keep everything for themselves? How often we believe that they, as it were, own the earth - the oligarchs, the hedge-fund managers, the corrupt politicians and so on. Not so, really. Very soon they will take absolutely nothing away with them. 

Those who will inherit the earth – really own it – are the meek. Jesus identifies them as blessed. Along with the poor in spirit and the sorrowful...

As we leave the Galilee crowds, one begins to wonder whether this teacher, this real man, Jesus Christ, is himself poor in spirit, sorrowful and meek? The very strange (but wonderful) thing about him is that he is all of those – and yet as Napoleon said, if he came to Jersey some of us would fall down and worship him.

In the meantime only the poor in spirit, sorrowful and meek give him house room.