Two thousand years ago Jesus asked the people who were following him, “What are you seeking?”
The crowds replied: “Where are you staying?”
Jesus bid them, “Come and see.”
Later the disciples would wonder, “Where do I go from here?”
Jesus answered, “Follow me.”
Come and see. Follow me. Imperatives said 2000 years ago. Imperatives said to us today.
We ask, perhaps to ourselves, perhaps out loud, “Come and see what? Follow you where?”
This was the question that that I believe that the disciples were silently asking. They have been on the sidelines, observing Jesus, seeing those crowds following him and increasing in number.
Jesus said that they were going to be fishers of people, but are these people?
The poor, the really sad, the sick and the list goes on and on – there wasn’t a winner in the bunch. Where were the wealthy, the patrons in that society – all the people that anyone would want to be associated with – where were they?
Weren’t they supposed to get some power out of this?
Were they asking themselves, “what have I gotten myself into?” Is that the same question we ask ourselves?
Jesus gathers the 12 in close and begins to teach the disciples what this fishing for people is all about. What following Jesus will mean. What they will see.
In this scripture, commonly called “The Beatitudes” and the start of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, scholars disagree on how to translate the Greek. Is it “blessed”? Or as other translations of the Bible that use the word, “happy”. None of which is entirely accurate much less helpful.
Perhaps a better word to use would be “fortunate” or “how honorable” it is or the giving of special favor, unique standing, permission, empowerment, endowment… or how honor-bringing it is to be poor, humble, meek, mourning, etc.
And this is a complete reversal of what the system of that time and really what our world expects – where is there honor in being poor, humble, meek or mourning?
It might help our understanding if we could come to terms that “blessings” are not something that can be pursued from God but can only be given by God as gifts.
Blessing was a powerful thing in the ancient world. It carried a lot of weight. From the Old Testament, we understand that it was so powerful and so meaningful that it was worth stealing, as in the story of Jacob and Esau.
What makes blessing so important? What does it feel like to be blessed?
For Jacob it meant that he had worth and his father’s unconditional high regard. Jacob would carry that blessing for the rest of his life and pass it on to his offspring.
So the feeling of blessing means not only does someone love you but that they really, really like you, too. So a blessing from God would mean that not only does God love us but that he really, really likes us, too.
Jesus lived in the patronage culture of the Roman empire. You lived by honor and died by shame. Jesus defied these cultural norms of the day by offering blessings to those whom culture pushed to the side.
God’s blessings are gifts and they come to the people that we might not necessarily think of as being particularly blessed.
This is not something that we are used to hearing – that God loves us and blesses us not because we have done something to earn it, not because we deserve it but because he chooses to give it to us. All. Of. Us.
God finds us worthy of his attention and blesses us to be what he has called us to be. God’s blessing will transform us to be his blessing to others in this world.
It is God who has created us, blesses us, redeems us and calls us to be his own. In doing such, he invites, implores and commands us to see the world as God sees the world.
To see culture differently. Measure people by their character rather than possessions. For those who have experienced extreme loss, enter into that pain by holding space for them.
Judge others not by their failings but rather forgive them and remind them that they are blessed by God, even if it doesn’t feel like it just then.
To see vulnerability not as weakness to be exploited but rather recognize it as a place where God can reach each and everyone of us.
This is a God who shows up with the poor, not the rich.
This is a God who hangs out with those who mourn rather than celebrate.
This is a God who loves those who are meek and who seek peace rather than those who are strong and victorious.
This is NOT where the people of the ancient world looked for God and to be very truthful this is not where we expect him to be either. But here is Jesus saying that God is here, blessing the poor, the meek, the mourning.
But that is what God does – he shows up, especially when and where we least expect him to be – right there in the middle of our messes, our brokenness.
And he calls us to do the same. Show up. Be a blessings to those whom the world refuses to bless, love what the world calls unlovable, redeem that which the world says forget about.
Jesus founded a discipleship community to be different from the world around it. This was a community that saw blessings as God’s gifts. This was a community where forgiveness was found, where God’s grace and love pervaded and where everyone had worth and was worth fighting for.
And what if, we could change those past tense verbs into present tense verbs. Holy Trinity is a community that is different. Holy Trinity is a community that sees God’s blessings as gifts. Holy Trinity is a community where God’s grace and love pervades and where everyone has worth and a life worth fighting for.
This is God’s way of life, God’s way of seeing the world. That is what is meant by Kingdom of God.
May we rejoice and be glad that we are called children of God.
And these beatitudes bear this out – God is meeting us where we are – meek, poor, mourning, hungry – and blesses us where we are, doesn’t leave us there and encourages us to be that which we were made to be – children of God.
Jesus bids us, “Come and see. Follow me.”
Note: At the end of the sermon this past Sunday, I continued and addressed how these scriptures speak to us right where we are and the place that our country is in this day and time. In light of the flurry and aftermath of the presidential executive orders of the past two weeks may these scriptures speak to us and direct us in our action. May we pray and ask God what God would have us to be about in this time and place. And may we have the courage to see what God would have us to see and to follow God. And may God be glorified in all that we do!