When Jesus saw his ministry drawing crowds, he climbed a hillside. His disciples climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught them. This is what he said:
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“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of yourself. It’s then and there that you’ll find you have room to receive the Kingdom that God has for you.
“You’re blessed when your heart is broken. For it’s in that place that you will come to know the deep, healing nearness of your God.
“You’re blessed when you become small in your own eyes; gentle and generous with others. When by the Spirit you’re set free from the tyranny of self-actualization, you’ll find the whole world is at your fingertips, and for your joy.
“You’re blessed when you find yourself uncomfortably hungry, longing for the presence of God. Because God IS near to you, and He will never leave you unsatisfied.
“You’re blessed when you’ve been wounded or wronged, and required to forgive. Because in submitting to allow the forgiveness of God to be conveyed through you, you, too, will find yourself restored.
“You’re blessed when your heart’s been dismantled and laid bare before a Holy God. It’s not comfortable, but when you’ve got nothing at all left to hide, the deepest longing of your soul can be satisfied; to see God face to face, and live.
“You’re blessed when you take a beating, rather than continue to propagate violence. Lasting peace isn’t quick or easy to come by, but suffering for it is what our Father God does; so that’s what we, too, should do.
“You’re blessed when your right standing and obedience before God puts you in a bad position with the power structures of this world. Remember, your hope, allegiance, and reward lies with another Kingdom, entirely.
“Not only that—count yourselves blessed when people revile you, misinterpret and lie about you because you bear my name. It’s not about you. It’s me and my Kingdom they are rejecting. Ask any prophet or witness: it’s always been this way. It’s not going to feel great, but you’re in good company.
“Let me tell you what it means to be my people in the world: You’re here to be the seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, what hope is there? You will have given up your very reason to be, and will find yourself tossed away.
“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. His Kingdom-come is meant to be seen: on display like a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket. I’m putting you on a light stand. So now, SHINE! Put the character and calling of God on display, that by your very lives the world might know that God is here, and give him glory.
“Don’t imagine that I have come to do away with the requirements of God—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to dissolve the Covenant, but to fulfill it. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.
“Trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will have missed the mark entirely. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t find the kingdom of heaven open to you.
This is what I mean:
“The law says, ‘Do not murder.’ But I say that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. A careless word can kill a relationship. Carelessly, spitefully throwing insults around is to sing along with Hell’s own tune. The simple fact is that words, and the meditations of our heart, matter.
“So, If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, stop singing, leave the offering, go to this friend and make things right. Don’t imagine that your relationship with God is somehow unaffected by your relationships with one another.
“Or say you’ve allowed yourself to get into something of a legal “grey area”, and someone calls you out on it. Don’t waste time. Sort it out and make it right. After all, if you let it fester un-dealt with, you’re likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. There are consequences that come with how we live our lives, and no amount of “religion” will protect you from your own choices. “City on a Hill”, remember? What’s the light that you’re shining for the world to see?
“You know the next commandment pretty well, too: ‘Don’t commit adultery.’ But don’t imagine yourself virtuous just because you’ve been technically, physically faithful. It’s lust that corrupts the heart and mind, long before the body follows suit.
“You think you take this stuff seriously? Let’s not play games. If your right eye is an instigator of sin in your life, tear it out and throw it away. Better to lose a piece of yourself than lose your whole life to hell. And likewise, if it’s your hand that’s the problem, cut it off and throw it away. Better by far to be physically maimed than lost forever to the fruits of sin. This is how seriously you should consider your sins; it’s holiness the Lord is after, and nothing short of it.
“I know it’s been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights’. But ‘legal’ doesn’t mean ‘right’. So, I say: If you divorce your spouse for any reason other than infidelity, you are by that very act an instigator of infidelity. And if you marry someone downstream of such a divorce-of-convenience, you’re really presuming to take for yourself a person who - as far as the Lord is concerned, if no the Law - is bound to someone else. And that’s adultery. You can’t use legal cover to mask a moral failure.
“People make all kinds of promises, and say all kinds of things they don’t really mean. Tradition says we should honor our oaths. But I say, just cut out all the pious talk; all the promises and oaths in the world only dishonor God, and yourself, if you don’t have the life to back them up. Live with genuine, simple integrity such that your “Yes” means yes and your “No” means no; this honors God. All your empty promising and polite, political posturing is simply evil, in the end.
“The Law says: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ And, that’s good for limiting evil, but is it really virtue? Here’s what I say to you: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, gift wrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. Trust God with the consequences.
“And you’ve heard the saying, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ But I say, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Because you are children of God, and this is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and the evil. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a trophy? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a reward? Any run-of-the-mill sinner can do that.
“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your citizenship. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you. It’s perfect holiness we’re after; because God is perfectly holy.
So let’s quit the religious games. “Be especially careful as you pursue this godliness, that you don’t make a performance out of it. It’s always tempting to live like it’s the people around us who are the primary audience, but they’re not. Our holiness is FROM God, and FOR God, alone. Make a spectacle of good works for the sake of your own ego, and every ounce of lasting benefit will be drained from them.
“When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—the religiously self-aware—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They may get applause, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. Practice a life of such regular and Kingdom-oriented generosity that eventually even YOU don’t notice you doing it. That is the way your God is always generous with you, and your reward is to be like Him.
“And when you pray, don’t make a show of that, either. Religious folks are always tempted to seem impressive to each other in public prayer. God’s not impressed, though.
“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place where you won’t be tempted to put on airs before God or anyone else. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. Then, the focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. Pray, then, like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
“Forgiveness is like water in a main, you see. When you allow the forgiveness of God to pass through you unto others, you, too, will know his forgiveness. But if you withhold forgiveness from those you wrong you - holding back and presuming to judge - you withhold the forgiveness of God from yourself, too.
“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. You’re wasting your time if your fasting is meant to gain the esteem of other people. Your disciplined commitment to seek your God is between He and you, and so, too, the rewards of that commitment.
And, speaking of rewards: “Don’t place your hope in hoarding treasure here on earth, where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or stolen by burglars. Lay up instead treasure in heaven; riches that truly endure. This matters: The place where your treasure is will possess and form your heart.
“Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and trust and worship, your body fills up with light. If you live squinting in greed and distrust, the result is a joyless darkness. And when it happens that in your life darkness is found where there is intended to be light, how tragic that is!
“You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money.
I know it seems a challenge to live this open-handedly before the Lord. But this is faith: don’t be anxious or afraid. If you place yourself in the hands of the living God, it follows that you don’t fret about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
“Has anyone by fretting appearances ever truly benefitted themselves? All this time and money wasted on personal presentation—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of obsessing over the catalogues and outlets, take a walk in the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen beauty quite like it? Our magazine models look silly in comparison.
“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? If you believe that, let your faith set you free from fear. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these sorts of things, but you know both God and how he works. Seek the Kingdom, and the joy of the King, and don’t worry about missing out. The Lord knows what you need.
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
“Don’t presume to judge people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. A ungracious, critical spirit has a way of coming back around. It’s always easier to point out the flaws in other people than it is to face your own. But self-righteousness isn’t a good look on you. It’s this whole religious-show mentality all over again, putting on airs and pointing at others instead of just faithfully and humbly living your part. Tend to your own sins; meditate on your own need for forgiveness. Then you might have something to offer anybody else.
“This Gospel of my Kingdom is terribly precious, but not everyone will receive it as such. Don’t force it, and don’t try to make it more palatable to the masses by watering it down or playing cute with my commands. That doesn’t honor God, and won’t work out for you, either.
“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a religious game or riddle; God is near, and he is for you. If your child asked you for bread, would you toss him a rock instead? If she asked you for food, would you make her regret it? Let’s be clear: your heavenly Father is a better parent than you are, so if you’re at least decent to your own children, don’t you think that God will hear, and care for you, all the better?
Released from self-righteousness and fear by this faithful, generous love of God, here’s a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for Kingdom living: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do that for everyone else. Live this way, and you’ve honored the essence of the Covenant.
“Don’t imagine that there are religious shortcuts to this kind of faithfulness. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and will cost you everything. Many people will find that cost too high.
“So beware false teachers, who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity, eager to tell you what you want to hear. They’ll take what they can get from you and leave you lifeless, in the end. Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers ARE is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.
“Religious slogans, formulas and passwords won’t get you anywhere with me, and won’t gain you the Kingdom. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I’ll tell you the stark truth—at the Final Judgment thousands will strut up to me and say, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we cast out demons, our churches had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves seem important. You don’t know me, and don’t impress me with your false faithfulness. So now, leave my presence.’
“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, helpful suggestions for improving your standard of living. These are the foundation, words to build a life on. If you actually live your life in the manner I am calling you to, you are like a discerning builder who builds his house on solid rock. Rain may pour down, the river may flood, a tornado may hit—but nothing will move that house. It is fixed to the rock.
“But if you just use my words in Bible studies and at church functions and walk away unchanged in life, week in and week out, you are like a foolish builder who builds his house on beach sand. When a storm rolls in and the waves come up, it will collapse like a house of cards.”
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And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their religious leaders.