Daily Devotions

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth…” Matthew 5:1-5

My son and I just returned from a motorcycle trip out amongst the western mountains. When you live in flat country there is something magical, powerful, about mountains. It becomes clear why native peoples find them holy, often rooting stories of creation to particular peaks.

Anyone who knows the history of Israel immediately recognizes the significance of mountains. Abraham and Isaac. Moses and the burning bush. Moses receiving the tables of the law. Jesus didn’t go up the mountainside because he was on vacation – he began his teaching ministry there as a sign of his power and authority. He is the New Moses.

But then he turns the world upside down.

Reading these verses reminds me of that old television commercial where children say they aspire to a humdrum future of mediocre employment. It worked because that isn’t how our dreams tend to work. We imagine the best, not getting stuck with the rest. We imagine success, not barely struggling to get by. But Jesus turns everything around.

To be dis-spirited is depressing. To mourn is heart-breaking. To be meek is to let others walk all over us. And yet Jesus attaches blessing and promise to each of these.

Perhaps Jesus knows something about us. Perhaps he realizes that life isn’t something to be controlled but to be experienced. Perhaps he realizes that there is a worldly value system designed to disconnect us from a vital connection to our Creator. A worldly value system rooted, not in reality, but in rebellion. Created, not by God, but by those of us who will always prefer to be gods unto ourselves.

But then life happens and we find ourselves upside down. Among the depressed. The mourning. The meek. We are stripped of our illusions. The fog lifts and we can clearly see. The very circumstances which felt like worldly failure have driven us back to a place of radical dependence on God. And suddenly we find ourselves at home again.

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, be our teacher and our guide. Take us with you to that place where you help us see ourselves and our lives more clearly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This entry was posted on July 3, 2017 at 3:54 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.