NOT FOR THE CHURCH (25 OF 52)
Scripture: Matthew 5:3-11
This content is part of a series.
Not for the Church (25 of 52)
Series: Discipleship Part Three
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 5:3-11
Too often, we have this idea that the Bible was written for us good church folks, who are the establishment sector of society. After all, we read the Bible in church on Sundays. We offer sermons from Biblical texts. Pastors and good church folks are the ones who lead and attend Bible studies, take seminary classes, read the Bible regularly, and read commentaries on the Bible. The politicians we elect are pretty much expected to belong to one church or another. Jesus, however, directed most of his teaching to those who lived outside the religious establishment and halls of power. His message resonated with the marginalized and ostracized much more than with the social and political leadership. Why then would we think the Bible belongs to and exists to prop up the church as defender of the social order?
In the Sermon on the Mount, we find a message that distills the essence of what Jesus had to say. In fact, this ''sermon'' as we find it in Matthew, was a summary of Jesus' message over three years of ministry. The beginning section lays out a framework for the rest of Jesus' teaching in a kind of bullet-point format. It is not supposed to be read as though this were the full sermon Jesus delivered over the course of multiple hours. It is a summary of Jesus' teaching. Matthew sets down a short form of what Jesus preached on the reported occasion and likely repeated on various other occasions, as well.
Blessed are the poor. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the hungry. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are the persecuted. Blessed are those who are vilified for doing what is right.
Those words do not seem to describe the church very well, do they? We seem to find ourselves much more aligned with propping up the basic structures of society. In point of fact, we enjoy va ...
Series: Discipleship Part Three
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 5:3-11
Too often, we have this idea that the Bible was written for us good church folks, who are the establishment sector of society. After all, we read the Bible in church on Sundays. We offer sermons from Biblical texts. Pastors and good church folks are the ones who lead and attend Bible studies, take seminary classes, read the Bible regularly, and read commentaries on the Bible. The politicians we elect are pretty much expected to belong to one church or another. Jesus, however, directed most of his teaching to those who lived outside the religious establishment and halls of power. His message resonated with the marginalized and ostracized much more than with the social and political leadership. Why then would we think the Bible belongs to and exists to prop up the church as defender of the social order?
In the Sermon on the Mount, we find a message that distills the essence of what Jesus had to say. In fact, this ''sermon'' as we find it in Matthew, was a summary of Jesus' message over three years of ministry. The beginning section lays out a framework for the rest of Jesus' teaching in a kind of bullet-point format. It is not supposed to be read as though this were the full sermon Jesus delivered over the course of multiple hours. It is a summary of Jesus' teaching. Matthew sets down a short form of what Jesus preached on the reported occasion and likely repeated on various other occasions, as well.
Blessed are the poor. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the hungry. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are the persecuted. Blessed are those who are vilified for doing what is right.
Those words do not seem to describe the church very well, do they? We seem to find ourselves much more aligned with propping up the basic structures of society. In point of fact, we enjoy va ...
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