Aparently, Jesus and the world have different definitions of what's ugly. The crowd Jesus is speaking to is made up of two groups of people; a large crowd of disciples, and people who have not yet committed themselves following Jesus. The sermon Jesus preaches essentially states that those the world considers ugly, he blesses; and those the world blesses, he considers ugly.
On the surface, Jesus seems to be awfully un-American. But this passage does not say what many people assume. This is not a list of suggestions about how to be happy, not sad. Jesus does not say that poverty is a good thing. And he doesn't say wealth is bad. Instead, he is making it clear that the arrival of the Kingdom in its fullness will be marked by a complete reversal of the world's priorities.
The issue isn't how much or how little you have. The question being asked is, "around what is your life focused?" The world and the Church ought to have two very different answers to that question. On Jesus' lips the blessings and woes can be taken as the official proclamation of the way life will be among the people of God.
The Church has the great privilege of giving the world a glimpse of the future. How can it do that? Try these three on for size:
- Seeing every person as Jesus sees them
- Walking as Jesus walked
- Using the resources Jesus gives us to point people toward Him.
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