Matthew 5: 1-12 The world is a tough place, receive Christ’s blessing for the way.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Jesus is tired. He’s curing everyone these days, so the “Jesus spectacle” has taken full effect. And when he sees another crowd waiting for him, he retreats up the mountain. His disciples do too, and as Jesus settles in to find rest (to re-center himself), the disciples’ curiosity builds: Why are you doing all this- for people you don’t even know, Jesus! And with his disciples listening in, Jesus explains why (maybe even reminding himself): because the world is a tough place, and I want people to have a blessing for the way.

Friends, the world is a tough place, receive Christ’s blessing for the way. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, you who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers. Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing what is right.”

And then Jesus makes this slight shift, subtle enough I hadn’t noticed it until this week. He turns the focus from blessing everyone the world has been unfair to, and speaks directly to those engaged in this work with him: Blessed are YOU when you live in love and get punished for it. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven!”

We are fortunate to live in a nation where we don’t get persecuted for our faith, I mean- not really. This really sank in for me during my time in NJ, where I witnessed my Indonesian church friends grieving their uncle’s state-sanctioned death in Indonesia, simply because he publicly professed faith in Christ. And I saw in their tears the fear of being deported back to a country where they too would be persecuted for their Christian faith. It was a real fear- it happened to many of our friends. And I marvel at the way Christ’s blessing in their life means EVERYTHING! I saw them rejoice and be glad, even in the face of real adversity.

That’s the power of Jesus’ blessing. He knows professing faith in Christ may be risky in the short-term, we might get ridiculed for it. Some around the world- even put to death. But the eternal truth that Christ’s blessing accompanies our every step is worth the short-term risk. This is why we call Jesus “good news” even when it doesn’t always feel like it. Yes, the world is often an unkind and unfair place to many of us, even if we don’t live in Indonesia. Too much fear, insecurity, competition, fatigue, depression, ignorance, fighting, cancer, greed. Too much of it all, and it can FEEL like those things win sometimes.

But Jesus says, choose love anyway. Choose blessing. Can you imagine what this world might be if everyone believed and received a blessing instead of what the world tells us is our reality? See our true blessings aren’t a huge house or an awesome paycheck, or a perfectly harmonious family. No, the true blessing is discovering how loved we really are.

Jesus reveals this for us, in his life and ministry on earth, filled with blessing and healing, and his resurrection story confirms for us that no matter our short-term suffering, Christ’s got us, end of story. Christ remembers us, when we feel forgotten. Christ is our spiritual safety net, no matter what the world throws at us. We have already been saved, because of the blessing Christ has chosen to give us.

And when we believe that blessing- an identity as one who is loved - this world will change. It only takes one person believing in the power of love to change the world. Jesus shows us the way. In John 16:33 Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

When I soak this truth in, I feel resentment begin to subside, fear fade away, hatred become a thing of the past, greedy no more, willing and ready to embrace my blessing SO THAT we might begin to bless others, in Jesus’ name. Jesus is inviting you to soak this truth in too.

And that’s when the world begins to change: when we know what we have in Christ is enough, an identity as one who is loved eternally.