It's hard to focus on what is important with this big stick coming out of my eye

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Matthew 5:7

Weston sent me some thoughts on this last night. 

The Pharisees were furious.  Jesus had just healed a man who had been crippled for thirty-eight years. Hopeless and helpless, he had lain by the Pool of Bethesda, waiting.  And Jesus healed him at once, and he picked up his bed and walked.  On the Sabbath.  

So rather than celebrating this grand manifestation of God among man, these folks wanted to kill Jesus, not only because he was a lawbreaker but because He was making Himself equal with God. 

And yet Jesus extended mercy, sort of.  But not really.  He promised to not accuse them before the Father on the Day of Judgement.  Rather He would allow them the same mercy they extend to others; they would be judged by Moses and the Law.  This was a perfect sermon illustration of His teaching: Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. It sounds like the full weight of the Law will be on their head, and really the whole point of Jesus’ coming is that no one can possibly bear up under that hopeless and helpless weight.

And sometimes I get distracted in my heart by what seems to me to be other folks still clinging to the Law when Jesus not only fulfilled the Law but He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. Colossians and Romans are pretty clear: God nailed the law to the cross and it is dead.  Those do not handle, do not touch, do not handle people have an appearance of wisdom in promoting a self-made religion and asceticism but they are of no value. And it grieves me when they impose this wisdom of law on others when they can’t even keep it themselves.  And march around with signs that talk about Who God Hates and Who Is To Blame. But really, really, that is their Day of Judgement.  And if Jesus won’t accuse them for rejecting His sacrifice, calling it insufficient, then who am I? 

The one with a stave sticking out of her own eye. 

Be merciful.  And you shall receive mercy.  

Come to the waters

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matthew 5:6

I am putting together ninth grade lesson plans for Steinbeck’s The Pearl, and what was done in the past is a little sketchy.  I am one of those spell-it-all-out sort of planning teachers, and pretty much have inherited one or two word bullet points for curriculum, one of which is “compare to The pearl of great price parable.”  Which gives me lots of opportunity to mull things through and make it my own.

So I am working through breaking down, scaffolding for us teacher-types, what does it mean to “hunger and thirst” for something. Really hunger and thirst.  Above all else.  Willing to sell all that he had to obtain it hungry and thirsty.  Because in Steinbeck’s book this unexpected pearl that is found not only takes possession of Kino’s plans and dreams, it becomes his very soul.

This pearl has become my soul... If I give it up, I shall lose my soul. -Kino

Hungry and thirsty.  All that matters. 

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Well, it certainly doesn’t work, seeking blessed happiness elsewhere.  Life is just one long stream of moments that do not satisfy.  That evaporate in the morning sun, leaving not a trace.  And lots of uneasy moments that tie my stomach up in knots and take away my appetite for what is good.

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

John 7:37-38

Believe.  That is the question.  Do I really believe?  Is He my only option, or do I drag my foot along looking for another shelf to stand on?  Is He my only hunger and thirst?  He who became sin so that I might become the righteousness of God?  Can I join Simon Peter in his confession: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.

If I give You up, I shall lose my soul.

Oh, to be satisfied.  A belly full of fat goodness and an overflowing stream of living water.  

When it is all said and done

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

Here Jesus is simply quoting from Psalm 37, “the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” And because “meek” is the sort of word that we really don’t use much these days as a character trait, especially using it to describe winners and not losers, it is helpful to review the descriptors David lays out.  Actually, in this Psalm meekness is equated with righteousness, which makes sense.  The focus of a meek person is The LORD and what is good, and not what is Me.  

The meek trust in the LORD and do good.

The meek befriend faithfulness.

The meek delight in the LORD.

The meek commit their way to the LORD.

The meek wait patiently for are still before the LORD who will act.

The meek fret not.

The meek refrain from anger and refrain from wrath.

The meek give and are ever lending generously.

The meek are people of peace.

And when the dust settles, that is who remains. The meek are left standing. It is not coincidental that the meek action verbs sound a lot like love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Because when the dust settles, that is what remains: love, joy, peace.  And the greatest of these is love.

If I was a bird, I'd go out on a limb, shake off my wings and get off the grid. Carlos Arzate

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Matthew 5:4

So yesterday afternoon I was ripping through some books from next year’s curriculum in the waiting room, waiting for Wali to get out of surgery. And one of the books I had been planning to dump was Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, a book that the eleven-year-old me had remembered as being pretty dopey.  

Probably because I didn’t get it.  

“We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?”

Somehow Fahrenheit 451 rang more frightenly accurate than all of the other dystopia novels on our to-read lists such as the 1984s and Brave New Worlds sorts.  Because the evil is quiet and unarticulated and from within.  Because the people were too comfortable and distracted to ever be bothered.  About something important and real.  

And of course Fahrenheit 451 feeds my deep set resentment of television inherited from my parents and confirmed once again as mom and I flipped through more than a hundred cable stations in our last-night-in-Montana hotel last week and found nothing deemed worthy of even being background noise.  So we read.  Which keeps both Ray Bradbury and myself employed, so there could be a bit of self-preservation in our copped ‘tude.

People want to be happy, isn't that right? Haven't you heard it all your life? I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren't they? Don't we keep them moving, don't we give them fun? That's all we live for, isn't it? For pleasure, for titillation? And you must admit our culture provides plenty of these. All to the heart-grinding keyboard soundtrack rolling in the background. And our preoccupations are very full of real people cooking and buying and traveling and styling.  Except they aren’t so real, really. We can’t love them.  Not in the Jesus way.  The Jesus way is not distant and not sliced and diced and not by-the-way-can-you-click-on-my-link love. The Jesus love costs; the Jesus love hurts.  

And Jesus declares that the Spirit of the LORD is upon Him, and that He is anointed to comfort those who mourn, to pour the oil of gladness over their head and into their hurts and bring true healing. 

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

The repentance in Fahrenheit 451, turning and seeing life in a new light, led to a salvation of sorts, in that if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for shore, while worldly grief was a dark, unarticulated pain that did indeed produce death, death by overdose of sleeping pills, death by driving just a little too fast, death by disappearance. 

And what a blessed happiness it is indeed, to mourn, to feel the pain of a broken world including me, if Jesus is the One who gathers me up under His wings and comforts me.  

It’s the real thing.

Nothing in my pockets (day one and two)

Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, his disciples came to him. And He opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:1-3

Day One: Last night’s living room conversation stretched out late and long, touching on many stories and many themes, but resting for quite a while on the harm and abuse that is done under the guise of “You have to listen to me because God is on my side.”  In contrast, the Bible stories of men and women about to be used powerfully in the kingdom begin with totally understanding this idea of “poor in spirit.”

Miriam said, “Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted.”

Isaiah said, “Woe to me… I am a man of unclean lips.”

Gideon said, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house. 

Hannah said, “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.”

Jeremiah said, “Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.”

Moses said, “Who am I?” 

Mary said, “And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid.”

David said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house?”

Peter said, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man.” 

Paul said, “I am the foremost of all sinners.”

This particular Hebrew word “poor” means destitute and without hope, not just merely “not rich.” Unless we confess and utterly believe in our personal brokenness, our hearts are not open to receive the kingdom so freely offered by our Father.  When the son kneels in the dust and says, “I am not worthy,” the Father lifts him up and says, “'My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” 

The kingdom is now.  Present tense. Jesus among us.   And all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. No place for pride at all. 

Day Two: The Pharisee praying in the temple had a closed fist heart: The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” And sometimes I can smirk a bit, as I notice lots of Pharisee-types around me, especially sitting in the folding chairs next to me Sunday morning.

Or sitting in my folding chair. With the tiniest bit of encouragement and quiet reflection, that Holy Spirit can point out a few branches fogging my vision. Because I too have a Pharisee heart, pointing out those specks in other eyeballs.    That don’t seem so tiny, like extortion and unjustness. And I get sort of glum or discouraged or crabby. Quite. And none of these are fruit of the Spirit. That is one sweet thing about the beatitudes, this nice clear simple list of factoids that Jesus explains to those who are following Him: a + b = c.  Poor in spirit + Kingdom of God = Happy.  Whoever is poor in spirit will be happy because they will be open and eager to live the kingdom now. They are so destitute, so hungry, so not bringing anything to the table.

May I be poor in spirit. Me. Sitting at His feet, looking up into His face at the love He has for me. Yet this is not a passive sitting.  A sitting on my hands sort of sitting. This love of His is an active love, an outstretched arms sort of action. This love so freely offered and received. Unlike the Pharisee heavy weight of rules, Jesus yet again keeps it simple: Love the LORD your God with all of your heart, soul and mind...And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  

Love as He as loved me.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Who is He that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-- more than that, who was raised to life-- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Romans 8:34

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.1 Timothy 2:1-4

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35

And for today, Keep It Simple Stupid.  Happy.  Poor in me and rich in Him and happy. The world is a dark place full of broken injustice and dirty tricks and stomping on those already underfoot and there is plenty of work to be done in His love.  

In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Through Him.  

That time of darkness and despair will not go on forever

And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So His fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them. Matthew 4: 23-24

As much as I dwell on the love and grace of God for His beloved children, there is still the cry for rightness in my heart, particularly when I read the newspaper headlines, I long for those who oppress the poor and helpless to be held accountable for their actions as in May They Experience Woe: Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow. Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"

Perhaps it is because it is a shared longing.  He is the one Who reached past the natural law of Survival of the Fittest and instilled His value of justice. This is part of the good news of the kingdom that Jesus came to proclaim: good news to the poor and liberty to the captives; sight to the blind, liberty to the oppressed.

And what a comfort to hear testimonies from Lebanon and Jordan and Turkey that His good news is still being preached in Syria, and among the more than two million refugees who have fled their homes and are clinging to life along the borders of because of murder and mayhem and “oppressive decrees.”

But what draws them to Jesus and His life and death and life again is not a message of justice, but of forgiveness.  Not a message of vengeance is Mine sayeth the LORD, but of mercy.  Not a message of hatred, but of love.  

Where do you get this message? His followers are being asked.

This is the good news from the One who heals every affliction among men. And who, when faced with the greatest injustice of all, was able to cry out, “Father, forgive them.” And it seems that we more the injustice we suffer here on this earth, the more we can be like Jesus. drawing close to His heart.

Perhaps that is how He was able to lift His eyes up to His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, and say: Blessed are you who are poor now. Blessed are you who are hungry now. Blessed are you who weep now. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil. You will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.

So easily entangled.

And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Matthew 4:19-20

Although I am sure that people wiser than I have waxed eloquently and with great profundity about the significance of "nets" in this passage, and how Peter and James and John were able to walk away free and clear to follow Him, right now those nets represent something else to me: all that so easily entangles me and trips me up with a great big splat on my face when I am longing to be Mz. Joyful Spirit all day long.

Even when I am wearing the bright red KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON t-shirt from Frederic.

Yesterday as I gaped dumbfounded at a sweet but hurried ticket agent as she explained that it would be much cheaper and faster for me to rent a car and drive back to Tucson even though the plane was practically empty and not leaving for two hours and this is how Delta makes its money charging an extra $800 per ticket and after the car rental guy said he would inspect the car sometime in the next hour or two and then send me his results and the bill in the next couple of days, and after the nice reservation man fixed our tickets after the plane took off hooked me up with someone who would give me a "great deal" because I was a stranded passenger but actually ended up charging me more than the walk up to the door and ask for a room price, and the way too extensive patdown including running a finger all the way around under Mom's waistband because she has had a knee replacement while all of the rich guys who can pay to avoid this humiliation pushed past in their special roped off section left me polite and grateful to the minimum wage person standing in front of me who probably doesn't even get health benefits but inwardly I was raging against the machine, the systems devised by some guy with his feet up in a windowed office overlooking the Hudson River to squeeze the little guy until he is absolutely dry.

And I was stubborn and firm and kept moving up the ladder and sort of straightened things up but I betcha that a lot of people, especially the weary and downtrodden, don't know how to play the May I please speak to your supervisor? game.

But the point is, it was starting to get to me, inside, where it matters. So easily entangled.

And I got called out by someone who was maybe a manager of the airport, who asked me if I was having a rough day after we stood in a long wrong line that was not properly marked because of a construction project and he cracked a really dumb joke to get me to smile. Which is not how it should be. But it is a reminder that I cannot produce love, joy, peace through my own determination and strength.

One more eye-opening repentance. One more decision to practice the presence of God. One more dropping of the nets, And following Him.