BEAT THE ATTITUDE

Time for a bit delayed Sermon Says #2. This is from 'What Jesus Had To Say About True Happiness' from the series 'Amazing' by PG on the weekend of 4/27. PG spoke on The Beatitudes, a section of scripture that truly depicts HOW Jesus commands us to love. When it was over, I kept thinking 'what does the Beatitudes in action actually look like?' I have been thinking about that since that Saturday night.

PG set the stage for Jesus' sermon, reading from Mathew 4: 23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. (NIV). Then you move to Mathew 5 and the eight Beatitudes. But I keep getting drawn back to Mathew 4. Read it again. Who is Jesus talking about in Mathew 5? People in chapter 4! Those suffering severe pain, demon-possessed, people suffering uncontrollable seizures, the paralyzed. Read it in the Message translation, (Mathew 4:23-24) He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives. Word got around the entire Roman province of Syria. People brought anybody with an ailment, whether mental, emotional, or physical. Let's not stop there, (hey, if God has allowed so many translations, we might as well use em!) 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in the synagogues of them, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every languor and each sickness among the people [and healing all sorrow, or ache, and all sickness in the people]. 24 And his fame went into all Syria; and they brought to him all that were at mal-ease, and that were taken with diverse languors and torments, and them that had fiends, and lunatic men, and men in palsy [and they brought to him all men having evil, taken with diverse sores and torments, and them that had devils, and lunatic men, and men in the palsy], and he healed them (Wycliffe).

Can you wrap your head around that scene? I've always pictured Jesus talking to a large crowd, with people suffering from sickness, maybe a leper or two, some lame, blind and arthritic people. Picnic baskets for food. Blankets on the ground. A few sheep and goats of course. But that is not what scripture says. Sure lepers where there. Blind, lame and arthritic as well. Keep going: severe pain, demon-possessed, diverse sores, palsy. Now add in the mentally ill. Those that had ANY ailment, whether mental, emotional or physical. Now imagine what it was truly like. It was anything but a serene mountain top experience. A huge crowd of people. HUGE. There would have been yelling, both out of rage, pain, agony and shouts clamoring for Jesus' help. Cries from agonizing anguish. Sobs of deep despair and sorrow. Think of the emotional carnage of those who carried there loved ones up the mountain to see if Jesus could truly heal as they had heard. For many it would have been a last, desperate hope. It would have been chaos on the mountain; really quite a riotious crowd.

I can image the disciples were greatly taken back by what they were seeing and unsure of what they were to do. You see that frequently in them....just like a lot of us (me), wanting to do the right thing, but unsure of what it is. I think that is exactly why Jesus delivered the Beatitudes then and there. For right in front of the disciples eyes were the very people Jesus spoke about, that Jesus came for, that Jesus said to love. People that would be tough to deal with. Have you ever watched someone have a seizure? It can be very unsettling. Ever looked away from someone with a large tumor as they approached? How about walking downtown and running into a mentally ill street person talking to themselves and waving their hands around, and you quickly cross the street? What about someone in the late stages of aids? How about the meth addict whose face is covered in sores? Too tough? Then simply the single mom, struggling in so many ways, who drops by to talk, when you have so many other things to do and you don't want to hear her struggles one more time. How about the elderly driver, negotiating down the street at 20 in a 40 zone and being such an inconvenience to you? More? Sure, here it comes. How about laughing at gay jokes, or even instigating them? Or stereotyping people for a laugh? You know why I write these things? Because many, okay all, are from personal experience. And the worst part, (truth is freedom) done since I accepted Christ 28 years ago. And I believe Jesus wept.

Jesus asked me to love them all. Judging anyone is not my job. I am sure that when I get to heaven Jesus in not going to whisper in my ear "hey, what do you think, is he in or out?" But He is going to lean over and whisper "hey, did you feed my sheep?" I need eyes that see better, that see the child of God in front of me, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or (add your own). Eyes that see the hurt, the rejection, the brokeness. Eyes that see the need for grace, not condemnation.

I learned a long time ago that when you hear something repeatedly from different sources in a very short period of time, that you had better pay close attention. It is 99.9% of the time God trying to get your attention. The onslaught of this message to me is continuous. The next few posts will be about this weird love Jesus commanded.

It may be nuts to you.....