Year A Epiphany 4 30 January 2011
Micah 6: 1-8 Psalm 15 1 Corinthians 1: 18-31 Matthew 5: 1-12
Everything is upside down and nothing is as it seems. In this world we talk of Karma and getting what we and others deserve – but this isn’t the Good News – the Good News turns Karma on it head.
In this world we work at talking ourselves up and promoting ourselves. We’ve come a long, long way from the message of the Beatitudes.
Matthew 5:3-8 “ 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.8 blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
Each of our readings tells us how we can come close to God. The 1st reading comes to us from the prophet Micah. In this God calls the mountains to witness to the fact that Israel has turned against God even though he has done mighty works for the nation and rescued them in dramatic and miraculous ways. At this time in history it was understood that God was good and that sin needed to be atoned for with sacrifice, yet God asks for something else.
Micah 6:7-8 “7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
In our mortal minds we try to justify ourselves with our actions. We do good things and feel that we are good people. Similarly the Israelites knew the letter of the law and which sacrifices were required for what sins, so they were able to feel guilt free by their sacrifices, especially if they were wealthy and could afford generous sacrifices. While this system of sacrifice for sin made it clear that sin needed to be atoned for, the people often failed to see that what really pleased God was an attitude of the heart.
An attitude of love towards God and others was not just a New Testament idea. We find the concept of love for God and others explained as acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with God.
The Merchant of Venice, when Portia speaks to Shylock in Act IV, Scene I.
“The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
...............
It is an attribute of God himself;
And earthly power doth then show like God's
When mercy seasons justice.”
If you were to ask people randomly down the street if they thought they were going to heaven they’d probably say they hoped that they were good enough. If you were to probe further you’d probably find that they figured themselves to be pretty good people. If you were to ask why they thought they were pretty good they’d probably tell you that they don’t go to church but they do keep the commandments. Unfortunately people forget that the first and greatest command is to love God, and so without a personal relationship with God, people are well and truly breaking the first commandment and are not “walking humbly with God”.
The Psalm says it straight that only those who keep God’s law will live with him. Once again this reading is like a clarification of God’s requirements and a clarification of the commandments:
Psalm 15:1-5 “ 1 LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? 2 The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; 3 whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; 4 who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the LORD; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; 5 who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent”.
When Jesus walked the earth he also clarified the commandments but put it in another way, because to keep the law would result in blessings and so He says, “blessed are those who....” For example: Matthew 5:8 “8 blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
What we commonly refer to as the Beatitudes, is an explanation of the attitude which we will have if we are not just keeping the letter of the law, but also the heart of God’s law.
The readings can come across as somewhat challenging and even frightening. When we read the Psalm and realize that we need to be blameless to live with God. We become immediately aware that “blameless” is what we are not. So, how are we meant to think about this reading which so bluntly states in black and white the demands of God?
It is absolutely and eternally true that God is perfect and to be with him we need to be perfect also. It is also made abundantly clear in the readings that to be perfect is not something we can achieve with exterior actions and things we do, but we must also be “pure in heart” and have an attitude that is perfectly in line with God also. So, who can live with God????
Just as we read in Micah about God’s requirements to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him, so too these attributes of justice and mercy are the attributes of God.
God is just and requires justice. Justice means getting what we deserve. Unfortunately, according to God’s perfection, none of us deserves to live with him because we all fall short of His perfection.
Thankfully God is also merciful. And here is where we understand St. Pauls letter to the Corinthian’s when he says: 1 Corinthians 1: 18 “ 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
It seems crazy, but because God is both just and merciful, he came to make restitution for us so that we could be united with him. Justice demanded that we be cut off from God due to sin, but God’s love and mercy meant that he paid the price himself. It did not come cheap and we should fully understand the magnitude of the gift.... without it we are truly doomed, but with this gift we have hope and eternal life.
Many can not accept the message of the Good News. This message of mercy shown to us means that we can not earn our way into heaven and for some it is simply too easy – it seems like foolishness. There is no other religion that requires nothing more than the mercy of God in order to have eternal life bestowed upon us. Remember this gift came to a community of God’s people who had been given the law of God and it was very much a system of cause and effect, of sin and sacrifice to atone for sin. Who’d have imagined that God would be the ultimate sacrifice so that anyone who simply believed could be saved?
Those who rejected the message may have rejected it on the basis of pride. They may have felt that their sacrifices were enough. They may have been ignorant of God’s requirements for a perfect attitude and thought that they were keeping the commands and so, had no need of a saviour. When we walk humbly with our God we recognise that He is great and we are oh so fallible. In other words, we recognise that we are poor in spirit and need God. When we do this we are able to accept the gift of God and we are truly blessed.
We who’ve accepted the Gospel are blessed with eternal life, a gift that none can take and a hope that will not disappoint. My step son is looking at getting a tattoo and has decided on a design. The image is of an eternity symbol and words underneath that say “forever does happen” – so true. Already he has received some philosophical discussion about how he can’t know that forever happens and it was pointed out that to know such a thing would require one to be infinite.
We have in Jesus, one who eternally existed, was crucified and rose again, as testified by many who saw him at the time –and those who’ve experienced him throughout time. But the message is foolishness to those around us. Thank God though, that the Gospel message is true, and we have the gift of the Holy Spirit to affirm the Good News, because without the gift of God’s mercy, the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have no hope
1 Corinthians 1:30 “30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
In Jesus we are made right with God, we are made holy and we are redeemed. Nothing that we have done has achieved this – we boast only in God and His love.
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