“An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign.” (Matt. 12:39a)

In the Old Testament the hallmark of the supernatural was signs and wonders, but in the New Testament the hallmark of the supernatural is a Holy Spirit-filled life.

Since the creation of humanity it’s clear that God’s desire has always been for intimacy with His people.  Unfortunately, we have a history of turning aside and seeking separation.  

“Then they (the Israelites) said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die’… So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached God.” (Ex. 20:19, 21)

The challenge, though, is that we have an instinctive desire to reciprocate intimacy with God, but due to our selfish sin nature (and the all-too-present influence of the enemy) we want to build our “relationship” with God on our own terms, and usually that looks like us doing life alone, while occasionally receiving gifts from our “genie-god”.

While our true heart-cry is for relationship with our Creator, our selfish sin nature recognizes what this will require of us – humility – and that’s not something the selfish sin nature is willing to do.  

And so instead, we find ourselves asking for signs and wonders.  “If God is real, make this desk fly around the room.”  Or, “If God really wants us to come out of Egypt, show us a miracle… Oh, and by the way, the 10 plagues aren’t enough…. and neither is the splitting of the Red Sea…. and neither is manna, or water from a rock, or….(fill in the blank).”

The problem with signs and wonders is that they simply have no lasting impact on us.  They may be “neat” or “cool” in the moment, but we immediately start thinking of ways to explain them away, or start asking for new signs, because “yesterday’s miracle isn’t sufficient for today.”

The real crux of the matter comes down to this, signs and wonders are external, but what really changes a life – where we actually find intimacy with God – is internal.

We pick up an insightful interaction in Matthew 12:22-50.  After healing many people of diseases, Jesus has a demon-possessed man brought to Him, and He casts the demon out.

Just prior to these events, Jesus had been invited to a banquet at the home of Simon the Pharisee, and in the midst of several Pharisees Jesus had revealed His authority to forgive sins on behalf of God.  Such a bold claim would have been polarizing – the people could either believe Jesus and His claims, or else they would have to try and falsify His claims, and this is precisely how the gospel accounts record history – the people became polarized.

So when Jesus finishes casting out the demon, some of the Scribes and Pharisees try to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Jesus’ ministry.  After proving their logic to be flawed, Jesus encouraged the people to think before they speak (avoid careless words).

At this point, his audience demands signs and wonders.  Apparently casting out demons and healing diseases didn’t count (haha!).

Jesus took this opportunity to explain the New Covenant/Testament in a unique way.  The people were awaiting Immanuel (God with us), and in a very real sense Immanuel was now in their midst.  “Something greater than Jonah…and Solomon is here.”

But in verses 43-45, Jesus explains the fulness of the New Covenant – that is, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

It’s not enough for us to simply cast out demons (or to “do right things”, or even to perform signs and wonders), we must replace them (the demons) with the Holy Spirit.

John Wesley’s commentary on verse 44 is insightful: “He finds it empty – of God, of Christ, of His Spirit; swept – from love, lowliness, meekness and all the fruits of the Spirit; and garnished – with levity and security; so that there is nothing to keep him out, and much to invite him in.”

The description Jesus provides here for the man void of God’s Spirit (and consequently a host to hostile spirits) is the same description of the man seeking signs and wonders rather than seeking life in Christ.

God does still work through external signs and wonders today, but these are secondary to the primary, internal work of the Holy Spirit.  To coin the familiar expression, “Seek the Giver, not the gifts.”  Or as Jesus put it, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33)

Isn’t it interesting how even a good thing, when lacking its balance, can become a bad thing.  A piece of chocolate cake can make a happy statement after a satisfying meal, but eating the entire cake in place of the meal can make us feel like we’re dying.  I suppose that’s what they meant when coining the popular expression “Too much of a good thing.”

In an attempt to rebel against the pernicious human proclivity toward judgmentalism, well-meaning Christians have, for centuries, raced to the defense of the poor, the marginalized, the “tax-collectors and sinners,” rightly noting that these are the very people Jesus often ministered to.  And this is a good thing.

But for all the good that has been accomplished, I fear we may have erred in another way.  

Timothy Keller addresses what he calls “different forms of pharisee-ism” in his book The Reason for God.  The first form is what typically comes to mind – those who feel it is their duty to identify and judge the sin in others.  But the second group is those who strictly judge and condemn the first group.  On the surface, it appears that these are the champions of the oppressed – the ones bold enough to call out the prudes and righteously “stiff”.  But inevitably neither group is acting in love, or following in the example of Christ, and so both groups are in the wrong.

But Jesus hated the Pharisees and religious leaders, didn’t he?

Not at all.

In fact, quite the contrary!

Jesus loves the Pharisees and the Scribes and Religious leaders!  In fact He even loved them enough to die for their freedom and salvation – that they may have victory in their lives over the powers of death, sin and satan; that they may have life abundant – to the max!

There is a horribly sad quip surrounding modern seminaries to the effect that pastoral students would first need to “get a testimony” (presumably by engaging in wild living) before they would be qualified to pastor a local community – in order to “relate” to their congregation.

The underlying message, I dare say, echoes what many in the Church believe today, that God can only use the broken, the marginalized, the weak and poor and tax-collectors and sinners… or at least that’s who He prefers to use to further His kingdom.  

Really?

So what about Nicodemus?  What about Simon?  What about the Apostle Paul?  

These three Pharisees are mentioned by name in the gospels (including Luke-Acts) as having had significant personal, life-altering encounters with Jesus.  

In fact, in Luke 7:36-50 we see that while the forgiven woman remained unnamed in this narrative, Simon (the Pharisee) is called by name.  Outside of high appointments in political and religious offices, it seems that the only times specific names are recorded in the gospels are for members of the early Church – followers of ‘The Way’ – followers of Christ.  

From what little we have to go on, it seems perfectly reasonable that Simon (the Pharisee) went on to support and build the Church, playing the role that he could.

Several years back I was having a conversation with an agnostic friend of mine, and he reflected on an “extreme testimony” he had heard (something to the effect of the worst of the worst sinner… drugs… prison… etc… found Christ – life radically transformed).  I will never forget the honesty and candor as my friend said, “I just can’t relate to that kind of story/testimony.”

It hit me then, and has stayed with me ever since, that God doesn’t need for us to “get a testimony” before He can use us.  

God doesn’t only use the worst of the worst – although He certainly can, and often does.  

God can also use the faithful, the righteous, the holy ones.  

God can use the smart ones, the artistic ones and the steadfast ones – and He often does.

Perhaps we are too quick to assume God’s power and creativity is limited.

Perhaps we can stop assuming we’re unqualified because we’re “too bad” or “not bad enough.”

Perhaps we can stop thinking more of ourselves or less of ourselves than we should, and start thinking of ourselves less.

Perhaps we can simply embrace God’s love, and acknowledge that He can use any of us to manifest the kingdom of heaven here on earth – even you.

Much of our Biblical confusion comes from a lack of contextual understanding.  As a result, we can find ourselves confusing God’s descriptive voice as prescription.

Description provides an account of the way a thing is, while prescription provides an account of the way a thing should be.  

“Then He (Jesus) began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.  ‘Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre or Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgement than for you.  And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you?  You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.  Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgement, than for you.’” (Matthew 11:20-24)

It’s helpful to remember that this text directly follows Jesus’ observation of the people’s apathy (see verses 16-19).  In spite of John’s (the Baptist) explosive ministry (not to mention Jesus’ explosive ministry as well), the people were content to just sit on the sidelines and provide commentary – the sort of people who can find something to complain about even when there’s nothing to complain about.

“For John came neither either eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘he has a demon!’  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard…’”

So when we get to verses 20-24, Jesus is continuing this address by reflecting on some of the cities where His ministry had been concentrated up to that point.  Despite obvious (and numerous) miraculous signs and Jesus’ teaching, these cities were relatively unchanged by Jesus’ ministry.

Concerning the “woes” that Jesus mentions, John Wesley offers some clarity:

“These declarations of ‘woe’ are not curses or imprecations as has commonly been supposed, but rather a solemn, compassionate declaration of the misery they were bringing upon themselves.  ‘Woe to you’ effectively means ‘miserable art thou.’

It is an observed description, and not a prescription.

They are miserable because they have failed to realize (or have forgotten) that Jesus came so that we might have life abundant.

They are miserable because they have instead clung to a hollow shadow of a “survival” life – just barely getting by.

They will be sad on the day of judgement, when the true nature of reality is again revealed, when they realize how many years and generations were wasted on mere survival that could have been spent living life to the max.  

The same realization will be there for Tyre, Sidon and Sodom, but to a lesser degree, because they didn’t have Jesus’ direct ministry to reference.

“The righteous will thrive in uncertain times.” – unknown

We were in prayer last Sunday and this line kept coming back to me.  

In Jeremiah 33:3, God says, “Call unto Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.”  I’ll never forget the conviction with which Dawson Trotman quoted this verse and challenged the prayer habits of his audience.  “Are we asking God for great and mighty things?  Or are we asking God for peanuts?” 

Perhaps we find ourselves ‘falling asleep at the wheel’ of our prayer lives and setting our sights too low.  Or worse, perhaps we don’t even engage in regular intentional prayer with our Creator, and as a result we fail to recognize the potential power in prayer.  

A people walking and living only in their own strength are settling for peanuts.  Their focus is either tragically inward (me me me) or distractedly outward (I’m powerless to do anything).  When attempting to encourage one another, they’ll say “There there” and “Life is hard.”  They may pray “help us just get through this.”  They may even pray “Lord, give me strength,” but they end it there.  

Strength for what?

Strength to do what?

Survive?

Merely exist?

Shouldn’t there be more to it than that?  Would we find more specific answers to prayer if we prayed with more specific requests?  “Lord, give me strength to grieve and mourn properly, and the will to move forward and minister to others when the time is right.”

But I’m not even so sure that meaningless ambiguity in our prayers is the biggest problem (although it certainly is A problem).

I think our biggest problem is focus.

“In the fourth watch of the night, He (Jesus) came to them, walking on the sea.  When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‘it is a ghost!’  And they cried out in fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’

Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’  And He said, ‘Come!’  And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’

Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’  When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.  And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!’”

There are so many rich insights bound up in this passage, but I just want to emphasize two right now.  

The first is focus.  When the disciples first saw Jesus, they were viewing Him through the lens of culturally conditioned mysticism “it is a ghost!”.  When Peter saw Jesus properly, he was able to walk on water!  When Peter took his eyes off Jesus to focus on the wind (ie – storms), he began to sink.

The application to our own lives is clear.  When we focus too much on the storms of life and their uncertainty, or when we view/treat God as an amorphous blob of spooky mysticism, we will invariably fail to live and walk in power, and the most we can hope for is to merely survive – to merely “weather the storm”.  

But when our focus is on Jesus, and we walk faithfully with Him, we will see and experience what would otherwise be impossible.  We may just find ourselves walking on water in the midst of a storm.

The second insight I want to briefly emphasize is that Jesus was walking in the storm long before Peter ever did.  When we’re in a tough season, or even an impossible season, we can be tempted to believe we’re all alone in the storm when in fact Jesus is already there, offering to save you from sinking.  Salvation is about so much more than just having hope for the next life/afterlife – salvation is so much about us finding life, hope and power in this life.  “Today is the day of salvation.”

And it wasn’t until after Peter had joined Jesus in the storm, and experienced the impossible, that they got in the boat and storm subsided.

Jesus didn’t cause the storm, but He wanted Peter to experience a miracle in the storm before it ended.  And I wonder if perhaps He wants the same for us in our own storms – for us to focus less on the storm and how much we want it to end; for us to focus on Jesus, to call unto Him and see great and mighty things which we do not know; for us to thrive in uncertain times, and not just survive.

The year 2020 has been marked by unprecedented changes and uncharted waters that few could have anticipated.  Global pandemic, social injustice and economic uncertainty have had an impact across the planet, and we will likely be feeling the ripples for the foreseeable future.  

And beyond these global and local concerns, life goes on presenting its own unique opportunities and challenges from new jobs to layoffs, weddings to divorces, and funerals to new life in childbirth.  

To say that we all face challenging “storms” in life would be an understatement.

In fact, Jesus affirms this reality in John 16:33 when he famously states that “In this life you will have tribulation.”  Some translations tone it down to “trouble,” but I think “tribulation” captures it better.  The Greek word is “thlipsis,” which can also mean “pressure,” “affliction,” “anguish,” “burden,” or “persecution.”  

So if we can’t escape the storm(s), we are left with the options to either weather the storm(s) or to get swept away and overcome by the storm(s).

Fortunately, Jesus provided some life-saving insights on this very topic.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like the foolish man who built his house on the sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell – and great was its fall.” (Matt. 7:24-27)

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?  Everyone who comes to me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:

he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against the house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like the man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:46-49)

This applies to us as well:

1. Are we “hearing” God’s Word? (through Scripture, prayer, worship, etc.)
2. Are we acting on God’s Word?

This is the foundation on which we build our entire life.

It is worth the reminder that Jesus mentioned the rain, the floods and the winds in both cases.  The application seems obvious – we are guaranteed to face storms and struggles in this life, so that does not change by hearing and acting on God’s Word.  What does change is our ability to weather the storms – to bend and not break.

Anchor your life on the solid foundation, and not on the fleeting, shifting sands!

Nearly dead-center in the middle of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, we pick up an interesting motif.  

“When you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting.  Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matt. 6:16-18)

So what is the context here?  Jesus touches on a lot of details and examples in this famed sermon, but the general thesis seems to emerge: “Don’t merely practice the Letter of the Law devoid of the Spirit – some sort of vain righteousness that’s intended to be observed and praised by others – but rather understand and practice the true Spirit of the Law.”

Although this is one example among many, it is interesting to observe that Jesus assumed His audience would fast – “when you fast”, not “if you fast”.  

Fasting, of course, has been, and continues to be a common practice around the world.  For many, it represents a health benefit, and for others it can represent the discipline of the mind/spirit over the body/flesh. 

In Jesus’ first century Palestinian culture, fasting was often grouped with something else, such as mourning, repentance or prayer.  In this life, we know that we will have ample opportunities to mourn, repent and pray, so again it’s really not a question of “if” but “when”.

So when we fast, what are our motives? 

“Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist.  You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high.  Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself?  Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed?  Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?

Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?  Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.  Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you remove the yoke from your midst, the point of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday.  And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” (Isa. 58:4-11)

Although the whole chapter is certainly worth a read, even this small passage paints an accurate picture of the difference between bad fasting (surface-appearance, showy, self-glorifying) and good fasting (breaking the bonds of wickedness, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, etc.).

When fasting (as when praying, or performing charitable acts), the action itself is only a part of the equation (the “Letter of the Law”).  The other part of the equation is the “Spirit of the Law.” 

Understand the Spirit of the Logos in order to understand the Law.

A lot of our axioms and canned answers are really quite awful.  

Someone loses their job, and we say “God has a plan.”

Someone loses their house, and we say “God moves in mysterious ways.”

Someone loses their family, and we say “God is in control”.

Perhaps we aren’t all to blame.  Perhaps we’re just repeating the ineffective consolations we’ve heard our whole life.  Perhaps we regurgitate familiar axioms simply because they are familiar, and because we hope to find and share some comfort in their familiarity.  

But perhaps we don’t really believe every axiom and simple, canned answer we’ve grown familiar with.

Isn’t it strange to think that the best thing Job’s friends did after Job had lost everything was to sit and mourn with him in silence?  The rest of the book feels like one big “axiom-fest”.  Job’s friends assumed God was blessing Job’s righteousness and punishing Job’s unrighteousness.

But they were wrong.

In fact, the whole takeaway from the book of Job is that we dreadfully misunderstand and misrepresent God when we think of Him as orchestrating our calamity.  We misunderstand and misrepresent God when we create Him in our own image.

As it turns out, the adversary is the one who sought to accuse Job, and to cause immense pain.  That wasn’t God’s plan.  That wasn’t God moving in a mysterious way.

Perhaps many of us have a hard time really trusting God, because we think His true nature is more like our own, or more like the enemy when in fact His love is perfect.

“God is in control.”  In control of what?  Suffering?  Violence?  Justice?  

To believe that God is sovereign, or even all-powerful, is not the same thing as believing that He is all-controlling. 

When we think of God as an all-controlling entity, we are thinking of a god created in our own image – a cosmic version of ourself.  

Astonishingly, the book of Job doesn’t end with God explaining everything to Job and his friends.  It’s almost as if the point of Job’s suffering wasn’t to figure out why it happened.  It’s almost as if “the point” of Job’s suffering wasn’t really “the point” that mattered.  It’s almost as if the most important takeaway from this experience was that Job could really trust the God of Perfect Love, even if he didn’t understand what had happened or why.

And maybe that’s the point for us as well.

Are axioms and canned answers really quite awful?  Yes and no.  No, because many axioms and canned answers have at least a grain of truth, or can be wonderfully applicable in some situations where we just can’t find our own words.  But Yes, because we can rely too heavily on easy sayings and forget to really think about what they mean, what they imply, and what that suggests about our view of God.

5. “Blessed (fortunate, prosperous) are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”  This immediately reminds me of two other sayings of Jesus.  The first is when He’s diving the “sheep” from the “goats”, and both groups ask ‘when did we… see you hungry, sick, in prison, etc…?’ and Jesus responds that when they did it (or did not do it) for the “least of these” that they did it for Him.  And the second is in the model prayer – “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  When we exercise mercy, we are inviting/ushering in God’s kingdom here and now, and that truly is a blessing.

Recall that mercy (and the nature of God’s kingdom) is the opposite of violence and force, which is the nature instead of fallen humanity’s “kingdom”.

6. “Blessed (fortunate, prosperous) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  As with many of the statements in this section, there is a strong cord reaching into the future as well as into the present.  The pure in heart will indeed see God Some day, but also Each day.  Certainly with this picture in mind the statement/promise makes perfect sense, for surely those who see God are blessed.  “Pure in heart” is pretty straight forward, but does also include an element of purity in our deeds as well.  When our thoughts AND actions are pure reflections of life in Christ, we are indeed quite fortunate and prosperous.

7. “Blessed (fortunate, prosperous) are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”  This again reminds me of the Lord’s prayer – “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Peace, and especially the deep shalom peace seems to be one of the characteristics of God’s kingdom – the place where His presence and perfect will are accomplished without opposition.  

To the degree that we endeavor to pursue and “make” this peace on earth (in our own life, in the lives of others around us, and even to the entire created order), to this degree we are co-laborers of the Gospel with Christ.  To this degree we are living out the Lord’s prayer.  It’s not simply a request (“bring Your kingdom”) but also an action (“I’m seeking to bring Your kingdom).  The sons of the Father have a vested interest in the welfare of the Father’s kingdom.  When we pursue, make and bring peace in our world, we are acting as Christ’s ambassadors here.  What a blessing it is to be a child of God with open access to His presence!

8. “Blessed (fortunate, prosperous) are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Many commentators think Jesus is referring to Old Testament prophets here, but I think Jesus meant for this message to apply directly to His audience.  Echoing John Wesley’s reflections, this could instead be included as something of a summary statement.  The earlier statements/attributes (pure in heart, merciful, peacemakers) are this righteousness.  We are blessed when persecuted for this righteousness because it affirms our true and chief citizenship in the kingdom of heaven rather than in the kingdoms of men.

One other aspect worth mentioning from a practical view is the question of whether we live/display integrity when faced with opposition/persecution – or do we instead cave-in to “peer-pressure”?  Persecution can come in many shapes and forms, and “wear many different masks”, but in integrity, we cannot.

9. “Blessed (fortunate, prosperous) are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  (See 2 Chron. 36:16) (I’m also reminded of Ezek. 2:4-5 – “whether or not the people listen/respond, they will know that a prophet has been among them.”)

It seems that Jesus’ goal in this statement (which is similar to the previous statement) is to make it more personally applicable to His audience.  It’s not just about some “historical saints” but rather you and I – both of us.  We are fortunate to be counted among the number of the prophets, the faithful and true of Christ’s ambassadors.  

Rabbis weren’t known for/recorded as ever asking their disciples to suffer or die for them, which makes this a bizarre statement unless our particular Rabbi is in fact God.  Ours too is the kingdom of heave – our chief allegiance and privilege. 

So I’ve been doing a chronological study through the Gospels over the past year, and have finally gotten all the way up to the famed “Sermon on the Mount”.  This iconic speech is the longest of Jesus’ recorded sermons in the gospel accounts, and will no doubt provide me with plenty of study and reflection opportunities for many months to come.

We begin this famous sermon with the “blessings”, or what we often refer to as the “beatitudes”.  Each of these “blessings” begin with the Greek word ‘Makarios’, which directly translates to “fortunate/prosperous”.

1. Beginning in Matthew 5:3 we read, “Blessed (fortunate/prosperous) are the poor in spirit (that is – those who are not spiritually arrogant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  The poor in spirit are those who are unfeignedly penitent (thanks John Wesley), they who are truly convinced of sin; who see and feel the state they are in by nature, being deeply sensible of their sinfulness, guiltiness, helplessness.

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven – the present inward kingdom; righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, as well as the eternal kingdom.

2. “Blessed (fortunate/prosperous) are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  This may be meant as an encouragement to those mourning in bereavement, or possibly mourning Israel’s exile and captivity.  Alternatively this could be interpreted in the context of the other beatitudes, which all seem to center around kingdom teaching.  

In this light, “those who mourn” could mean “those who mourn their sins/sinful nature” as well as that of humanity in general, and their own families and friends in particular.  These then would be “tears of repentance.”

For they shall be comforted – with the peace that passes all understanding.  This seems like a simple response on the surface – true guilt should dead to confession and result in repentance (turning away from sinful habits and establishing new habits) – but the challenge is that much of the time we lack the former condition (mourning our sin and sin nature).  It’s easy to enjoy the immediate pleasures of sin rather than living with the “big picture” of life in mind.  Perspective and intention matter.  We can’t expect positive change if we’re unwilling to receive it.

3. “Blessed (fortunate/prosperous) are the gentle, meek, humble (power under control), for they shall inherit the earth.”  Happy are the meek, for they hold their passions and affections evenly balanced; they enjoy whatever portion God has given them here with a true spirit of gratitude.  They shall have everything necessary for life and godliness, as well as an inheritance in the “new earth”, wherein dwells righteousness.

4. “Blessed (fortunate/prosperous) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  Jesus elsewhere uses complementary imagery – “I am the bread of life”, the “living waters”. 

On the one hand this is an encouragement to seek God diligently, so that we may find Him.  An additional dimension, but implication, is that as we seek to be righteous in our own conduct, pursuing righteousness in our thought patterns and actions, we will succeed.  Part of this, I think, is the power of habits and our ability to choose which neuro-pathways we reinforce.  We aren’t simply a product of our surroundings, and our neuro-pathways aren’t determined without our consent.

The other element, of course, is the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  I do not think this verse has anything to do with cultivating either a desire for justice or a crippling opinion about the righteousness (or lack thereof) in others – culture/the world/etc.  Rather, we are to apply this verse personally, and examine ourselves truthfully.

When we read the book of John we are privileged to get a “look behind the curtain” (to borrow imagery from the Wizard of Oz).  While each of the synoptic gospels provide a useful synopsis of some of the significant events of Jesus’ missionary journeys, John presents in what I like to call a theological narrative.  This is evidenced in the way his book begins, with what scholars now refer to as “The Great Prologue”, as well as the conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 (to cite just a couple of examples).  In short, what I mean when I call John a theological narrative is that John provides theological explanation and insight to accompany the narrative elements he recounts.

Matthew was written with a specifically Jewish audience in mind; Mark was written with Roman audience in mind; Luke was written with a Greek audience in mind.  But John was written to “everyone” – that “all” might believe.  We do see God’s love heavily emphasized in John’s gospel, which is portrayed in part through a series of recorded events that we don’t find in the synoptic gospels, such as the wedding in Cana and the conversation with Nicodemus.

John 4 is another prime example, telling of Jesus’ visit to Samaria.  If we look closely, we see an astonishing statement made in verses 3 and 4, “He (Jesus) left Judea and went away again into Galilee.  And He had to pass through Samaria.”

Wait, what?

He HAD to pass through Samaria?

That can’t be right.

The original audience reading/hearing this text would have fully expected this passage to read “He had to pass AROUND Samaria,” not “THROUGH Samaria.”

In our own context, 21st century Western culture, we might not immediately recognize the social tensions and context of this 1st century Palestinian culture.  The Jews and the Samaritans quite literally hated one-another.  Why?  Who were the Samaritans anyway?

If you remember your Old Testament history, you’ll recall that Samaria was actually the capital of the northern 10 tribes of Israel (with Jerusalem being the capital of the southern tribes of Judah).  After Assyria’s conquest of Israel in 722 B.C., Samaria was never the same again.  The remnant permitted to stay in the land adopted pagan worship practices and assimilated with the Assyrians as well as with the foreign/pagan peoples the Assyrians had imported to Samaria.

Because of the Samaritans’ descent into paganism, the Southern Jews (Judaites) essentially shunned them and began treating them as enemies.  We see this in full effect roughly 200 years later when Persia allows a remnant of the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple.  In Ezra 4:1-5, the “enemies” of Judah and Benjamin wanted to help rebuild the Temple, but Zerubbabel and Joshua wouldn’t allow it.  These “enemies” were the Samaritans, and they never forgave the Southern Jews for this ill treatment.

As a result, or in defiance, the Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, which you may recall from Deuteronomy 11:29 and Joshua 8:33 was the mountain of blessing, which stood not far from Mount Ebal, which was the mountain of curse.  When the people entered the Promised Land, they were to stand before these two mountains, placing the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse of Mount Ebal to serve as a reminder of the choices the people could make.  They had/have, as do we, the daily, on-going opportunity to choose blessing(s) or curse(s).  This is of course summarized again by Joshua when he charges the people to “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Josh. 24:15).

So the Samaritans built their own temple on the mountain, and ceased recognizing the temple in Jerusalem as authoritative.  

Bad blood persisted over the years. 

John Hyrcanus, around 128 B.C., invaded Samaria, devastated the land and destroyed their temple.  

After the removal of Archelaus in A.D. 6, the Samaritans defiled the temple in Jerusalem by scattering corpses around.  

In short, things were so bad that the two groups were trying to avoid each other altogether.

But Jesus HAD to pass through Samaria.

This wasn’t a geographic necessity (there were other roads around), but rather a spiritual necessity – a “compelling” holy discontent.

Jesus HAD to pass through Samaria for divine appointments, to spread the Good News even to Israel’s “enemies”.

Because the Good News isn’t just for good people.

Because the Good News isn’t just for people we like.

Because the Good News is really Good News for all.  

“For God so loved THE WORLD, that He gave His one and only Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him would not perish, but have eternal LIFE.  For God did not send His Son into the the world to condemn the world, but TO SAVE the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17)

And what is this salvation?  In John 4:10, Jesus makes a profound insight by referring to Jeremiah 2:13, “For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”  

And there we see it, that the nature of sin is not really about transgressing a moral law, but rather the nature of sin is idolatry – the pursuit of living waters on our own terms.  It harkens back to the original temptation in the Garden of Eden, that we can be (like) God.  And the result is always broken cisterns that hold no water.  

This was the message Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, a woman who had known all to well the vanity, the meaninglessness (see Ecclesiates) of pursuing pleasure and satisfaction apart from the fountain of living waters, apart from life in God, and beautiful intimate relationship with Him.

And what was the result of Jesus’ mission to Samaria?

John 4:28-42 completes the narrative.  The woman races back into town and starts evangelizing.  The people come out to see Jesus for themselves, wind up inviting Him to stay longer (which He does), and many are saved. They had seen and heard Him for themselves, which is a reminder that each person must choose for themselves to respond to Jesus – it’s not enough to just hear about Him from someone else.

It is also worth mentioning that Jesus tells his disciples the “fields are white for the harvest” (v35), and is referring to the Samaritans (in this passage) – the “un-elect”, Israel’s enemies.  This is a reminder that grace, salvation, and even discipleship is for everyone – not just for the people that think and act like us.

What is your Samaria?