Mercy is not a quality we expect to see much these days. Instead, our eyes, ears and emotions are assaulted daily, even hourly in the case of radio and TV news items, by violence, injustice, willful stubbornness, intransigence, bigotry, scams, prejudice and intolerance. Acts of mercy are so rare that, when they do occur, they make headline news, replete with pictures, in newspapers and magazines and on television.
This is not to say that mercy is not admired. It indeed is, which accounts for it making headlines when the media hear of it happening. Though people admire the merciful and wish they were more like them, they rarely take the opportunity to express mercy when such a chance arises.
Perhaps because the Bible is so readily available in the Western world, our culture admires mercy. Ancient Rome did not share our admiration. Romans spoke of four cardinal virtues: wisdom, justice, temperance and courage—but not mercy. The Interpreter's Bible states that the Romans despised pity! The Greeks held similar views, thinking that mercy indicated weakness rather than strength. Aristotle wrote that pity was a troublesome emotion.
The Pharisees, harsh in their self-righteous judgments of others, showed little mercy. Jesus saying of them in Matthew 23:23, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the other undone." This difference makes apparent how far apart God and men are on the value we should place upon specific qualities of character.
We need to remind ourselves from time to time that the Beatitudes represent signs of those who are truly Christ's disciples. They help identify those upon whom God's blessings rest to aid them in living joyfully. From another angle, they describe the nature of true happiness.
How much different they are from what the carnal mind, driven by sight, strives to use to achieve happiness! The carnal mind desires to possess things, power and social standing because it thinks happiness resides in them. God reveals that the ultimate sense of human well-being comes from possessing and cultivating spiritual qualities that derive from a relationship with Him. These are the elusive characteristics that carnal mankind is looking for and cannot find.
We also must not be misled into believing that, because Jesus says that the merciful will obtain mercy, this somehow proves salvation by works. Nothing anywhere in the Bible supports this conclusion. Jesus does not describe the foundation of a sinner's hope of receiving God's mercy, but traces the spiritual features of His people.
Mercy Over Judgment
Mercy is a very prominent spiritual feature; it is an indispensable trait in the holy, divine character that becomes ours as a result of a warm and close relationship with God. It is a quality given to us through His indwelling Spirit as we yield in obedience and cultivate it.
In the context of the outcome of our lives, we must not underestimate the quality of mercy. Jesus plainly asserts that the merciful are blessed, but there is much more to mercy. Perhaps no verse states its importance more clearly than James 2:13: "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." Does anyone not want a merciful judgment from God, before whom all must stand?
Proverbs 21:13 cites a practical example of this principle in action: "Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard." Jesus vividly captures the essence of this valuable principle in concluding the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant: "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses" (Matthew 18:35). Could this be a major reason why we are not as blessed as we desire to be?
Although this beatitude begins the second group, it is not disconnected from the first four; it is inextricably linked with the others. However, it begins the four beatitudes that are more outward toward fellow man rather than inward toward God. It is more obviously a fruit, a clearly visible action produced by the first four beatitudes.
What Does It Mean?
English language dictionaries are of limited help in understanding this mercy's biblical usage. In English "mercy" is normally used to mean showing compassion, forbearance, pity, sympathy, forgiveness, kindness, tenderheartedness, liberality or refraining from harming or punishing offenders or enemies. These synonyms give us some insight on this word; they all express how a merciful person might act. However, none of them specifically pictures what biblical mercy is, because the scriptural concept is virtually untranslatable into a single English word.
The Greek word used in Matthew 5:7, eleemon, means essentially the same as its English counterpart, "merciful." However, in all likelihood Jesus spoke in Aramaic, and the idea behind His statement about mercy come from Old Testament—that is, Hebrew—usage and teaching. The word He would have used is the Hebrew and Aramaic chesed.
William Barclay's Daily Study Bible commentary on Matthew states regarding this word:
It does not mean only to sympathize with a person in the popular sense of the term; it does not mean simply to feel sorry for some in trouble. Chesedh [sic], mercy, means the ability to get right inside the other person's skin until we can see things with his eyes, think things with his mind, and feel things with his feelings.
Clearly this is much more than an emotional wave of pity; clearly this demands a quite deliberate effort of the mind and of the will. It denotes a sympathy which is not given, as it were, from outside, but which comes from a deliberate identification with the other person, until we see things as he sees them, and feel things as he feels them. This is sympathy in the literal sense of the word. Sympathy is derived from two Greek words, syn which means together with, and paschein which means to experience or to suffer. Sympathy means experiencing things together with the other person, literally going through what he is going through. (p. 103)
Much easier said than done! Having a sense of another's feelings to this degree is very difficult to do because we are normally so self-concerned, so aware of our own feelings, that sensitivity for others to this depth often requires a great effort of the will. Normally, when we feel sorry for someone, it is an exclusively external act because we do not make the effort to get inside another's mind and heart until we can see and feel things as he does. It is not easy to walk in another person's shoes.
True Mercy's Beginning
The world, from which we have all come, is true to its nature; it is unmerciful. The world prefers to insulate itself against the pains and calamities of others. It finds revenge delicious and forgiveness tame and unsatisfying.
This is where we all begin. Indeed, all too often in the church, worldliness is hardly dormant, revealing itself in acts that show some degree of cruelty. Usually, these cruelties are delivered verbally, but all too frequently, brethren simply ignore the real needs of others.
The mercy Jesus teaches is not humanly derived. He says in Matthew 6:14, "If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you." This occurs, not because we can merit mercy by being merciful or forgiving of others, but because we cannot receive the mercy and forgiveness of God unless we repent. We cannot claim to have repented of our sins if we are unmerciful towards the sins of others.
The truly merciful are too aware of their own sins to deal with others in sharp condemnation, so they constrain themselves to deal humbly and kindly with those in need. Nothing moves us to forgive others like the amazing realization that God has forgiven our sins. Mercy in God's children begins by experiencing His forgiveness of them, and perhaps nothing proves more convincingly that we have been forgiven than our readiness to forgive.
Recognizing God's mercy is a key element in motivating our expressions of mercy. Too many people today, even in the church, possess a "welfare mentality." They go through life with little or no gratitude, thinking they deserve the handouts of governments or private citizens. Ingratitude is vital to understanding this because, as long as one is unthankful, his thoughts will center on himself. The merciful person is sensitive to others' needs and takes action to supply them. An ungrateful person, though, insulates himself from others' pains because he is too focused on his own perceived miseries.
God Is Our Model
God does not insulate Himself from the world's misery, as John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." In Jesus Christ, God literally got inside men's skin. On this principle, Paul writes:
For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:16-18)
Hebrews 4:15 echoes the same thought: "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."
Barclay comments: "He came as a man; he came seeing things with men's eyes, feeling things with men's feelings, thinking things with men's minds. God knows what life is like, because God came right inside life" (p. 104). Jesus Christ is not remote, detached and disinterested, nor insulated and isolated from our lives. He knows our frame; He knows that we are but dust. He can see in us a reflection of what He experienced as a man. He can thus extend mercy to us, completely understanding what we are going through.
Psalm 103:1-14 gives strong evidence that God's mercy has no end:
Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
God is our model of mercy, and we are to reflect His mercy in our actions toward fellow man. Because our powers are so limited compared to His, we cannot reflect it in many ways, but from beginning to end, the Bible's writers show God extending mercy in an almost endless variety of ways.
The Mercy Seat
The second commandment expresses His broad and generous giving of mercy, an indication of His selectivity in giving it and its enduring quality:
You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)
A well-known use of "mercy" is that God calls the lid of the ark of the covenant the "mercy seat." The Israelites transported the ark, a gilt chest containing the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, wherever they journeyed. Normally, it remained in the holy of holies, where God symbolically resided, first in the Tabernacle and later in Solomon's Temple.
The mercy seat symbolizes God's throne, where He judges men's conduct, and its name reflects the basic nature of His judgments, which always rest on mercy. This does not mean that God is soft-headed in judgment, carelessly overlooking men's sins. Even so, it is God's nature to be merciful rather than severe, acrimonious, implacable and vengeful. Unlike men, God finds ways to change men so He can be merciful.
God's judgments always contain a perfect balance of justice and mercy. Though He mercifully forgives a repentant sinner, the sinner does not escape without some measure of painful judgment. In any given circumstance requiring a judgment between justice and mercy, men's judgment may be "all over the map," but God's judgment, tending toward mercy, will be perfect.
David understood this, as a judgment of God against him and Israel in II Samuel 24 shows. David had sinned in numbering Israel, an undertaking God had forbidden. When God exposed his sin and confronted him, He gave him three choices regarding penalties that would befall Israel.
And David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man." So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." (II Samuel 24:14-16)
God records David's wise choice because it is worthy of our emulation. In modern language, he "threw himself on the mercy of the court" of the great God of heaven. The greater "David," Jesus Christ followed the same reasoning during His life, even though a judgment of the court of heaven was not one of sin against Him:
. . . when you do good and suffer for it, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: . . . who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. . . . (I Peter 2:20-21, 23)
Mercy and Judgment
Clearly, exercising mercy requires precise and correct judgment, something we often, sadly, greatly lack. Not every circumstance that may require mercy is exceedingly difficult to judge, but some are because we are not really "inside" the other person's mind enough to pursue a balanced approach to his needs. Human nature tends to go to the extremes of, on the one hand, being too confident of ourselves, rigid and harsh, or on the other, being too insecure, lenient and tender. It is quite common for people's feelings to get in the way of proper judgment. This is understandable, but it does not prevent the judgments from being wrong, either harshly intolerant or weakly tolerant.
One woman did not "get inside" Jesus to know either His need or her own:
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)
Though Martha's service was undoubtedly good, in this case her judgment told her to serve in an inappropriate way, and Jesus corrected her. She thought she was being kind to Him, but resentment was building in her, and her kindness was misplaced. In reality, all her activity was insensitive to the situation and resulted in her being mildly chastised. Martha loved Jesus and intended to be kind, but she gave her "kindness" in her own way, more or less forcing it upon the situation whether anybody else liked it or not. She produced an unintentional unkindness to the situation and to Jesus.
The New Testament instructs us in a number of places not to judge our brother. This does not mean we should not judge at all; a broader view of this subject shows we should be cautious and not condemn. We must judge, because making choices and acting upon them requires judgment. When we must judge a brother, we must remember that we really know very little about their situation. This plays a large role in skewing our judgment.
This is where mercy enters. We must judge people from the inside out, as it were. There are reasons why they—and we—act as we do. If we knew their reason(s), we could much more easily understand, sympathize, forgive, be patient and tolerant toward them—or for that matter, be harder on them if need be. When we take this approach, both justice and mercy are tempered by clearer understanding of another's words, attitudes and conduct.
A French proverb states, "To know all is to forgive all." This saying is somewhat similar to the more commonly known, "There but for the grace of God go I." They touch upon the general truth that, if we really look inside another person deeply and clearly enough, we begin to see ourselves reflected in them. The circumstances, chronology and specific situations may be somewhat different, but the human nature expressed in them will be the same. Once we recognize this, it greatly tempers our judgment of the other and almost automatically activates the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Forgiveness or mercy follows.
Mercy Toward the Miserable
One man mused that mercy is love expressed toward the miserable, as well as that mercy encompasses both the kindly feeling and the kindly act. He left "miserable" undefined, thus the person is either miserable because of the way life had treated him, because of his suffering, or miserable because of the way he is treating the merciful person. Either way, the statement applies. I Corinthians 13 illustrates many ways that love mercifully expresses itself toward others.
Many are miserable because of their circumstances. Jesus' best known teaching on this is the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Notice how He brings out both the feeling and the acts that are encompassed within mercy:
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where [the injured man] was. And when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' So which of these three [the priest, the Levite or the Samaritan] do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" And [the lawyer] said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:33-37)
A parable is not a news report. However, in a real-life situation, a priest or a Levite might have widely varying feelings when confronted with such a situation. They might range from aversion and/or fear that a similar tragedy might happen to him if he remained in the area, to sympathy and commiseration. Jesus does not explore this angle, but we can understand the possibility because we also are not unmoved by another's plight. We are not cold marble statues without feelings.
Jesus does not mention what the priest and Levite specifically felt, but He clearly shows that mercy began with the Samaritan feeling compassion for the wounded man. Then, the Samaritan made a number of sacrifices to meet the miserable man's needs. How frequently are we moved to make some small sacrifice toward relieving another's misery, but never mercifully follow through?
To illustrate the second definition of "miserable," many treated Jesus miserably, finally murdering Him, though He was innocent of every single charge. However, He returned their miserable treatment of Him with mercy. He looked inside them, considered why they acted as they did, and died for them that they might live to God. Among His final words were, "Father, forgive them [be merciful], for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34).
Mercy Toward Each Other
A number of passages in the New Testament exhort us to use mercy in our relations with each other. Paul counsels us:
. . . with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. . . . Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:2-3, 31-32)
He adds in Colossians 3:12-14:
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
With admonitions like these, we step into the intimate personal relationships within a congregation or family. They show that unity depends more upon the exercise of the members' moral qualities than the structure of the institution. Paul shows in Ephesians that the life we are called to live is characterized by five qualities: humility, meekness, patience, forbearance and love, the last of which embraces the preceding four and is the crown of all virtues. Each of these qualities enables us to act in mercy and live at peace. God's Spirit empowers us to use these qualities to overcome the ill will and the bitter, passionate rages that lead to clamorous slander, destroying reputations.
Such ill will and rage hardly promote kindness, compassion and acting in grace toward each other. "Acting in grace" is an acceptable translation of the Greek word, charizomai, rendered "forgiving" in Ephesians 4:32. Acting in grace catches the essence of how God has acted toward us and our sin against Him. And because He has forgiven us, we are commanded to forgive each other (Colossians 3:13).
Mercy begins with the way we feel about or toward each other and moves toward merciful acts. God loves us and has an outgoing concern for us. If God so loves us, then we ought to love each other (I John 4:11). Thus, we are bound to forebear with one another and act kindly, in mercy. Anybody focused on himself as the center of the universe will have a difficult time thinking kindly of others, and unity will be difficult, if not impossible. It is no wonder, then, why so much divorce occurs, as well as division in other areas of life. A focus on the self does not allow much room for humble, kind and compassionate thoughts of service for others.
Mercy Toward Us
We find perhaps the clearest example of mercy's importance to us in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats:
And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me." Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?" And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."
Then He will also say to those on the left hand, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me." Then they also will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?" Then He will answer them, saying, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me." And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:33-46)
Jesus promises in this beatitude that those who give mercy will obtain it. This parable expresses two similar and very important principles regarding life: Galatians 6:7 states the first as, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." This is a principle that anyone who plants seeds knows. We would consider it absolutely foolish to think that we could plant corn and reap strawberries! But how many apply this same principle in their actions toward fellow man? God takes the mystery out of this: If we act in mercy, in kindness and compassion, we will receive the same.
The second principle is similar. It is not given within the imagery of sowing and reaping, but of reciprocity, which shows reward more strongly as well as a more direct involvement by God. Our Savior explains this within the context of showing mercy:
He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward. (Matthew 10:40-42)
David adds in II Samuel 22:26, "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful." In this regard, Jesus makes our responsibility very plain in Luke 6:37-38:
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
Mercy grows in us as a result of our personal experience with the merciful God. It is an important element toward making an effective witness that we share a relationship with Him. Notice these truths from the Psalms:
» "The righteous shows mercy and gives" (Psalm 37:21).
» "All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies" (Psalm 25:10).
» "For You, LORD, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. . . . But You, O LORD, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth" (Psalm 86:5, 15).
When we study His Word with understanding, we are confronted by the fact that every act of God, from the very first germ of His plan in eternity past until right now, is also touched by His mercy. This is why Psalm 103:17 says, "The mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting." He is the pattern we are to emulate, and He has given each of us an abundant demonstration of His mercy. We need never fear what He does, what He has planned for us or what He leads us into because, as Psalm 136:1 so clearly states, "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."
He will not, He cannot change from what He is, but we can and must change to be like Him. Let us learn, let us commit ourselves and strive to be merciful as He is merciful!
In the physical realm those who care pursue pure things because it signifies they seek nothing but the best. Advertisers hustle their products as pure, claiming pure pleasure, pure satisfaction, pure sugar and pure soap. Animal breeders produce pure-blooded animals from dogs and cats to pigs. We consider pure gold and silver to have lasting value. Pure water is becoming a difficult commodity to find. People want to wear clothing of pure fabrics such as silk, cotton and wool because they are exquisite in appearance, comfort and endurance. Men in their hypocrisy want freedom when sowing their wild oats to consort with loose women, but when they marry, they desire a chaste, pure virgin, unsoiled by another man.
A good dictionary will define pure as "conforming absolutely to a standard of quality; faultless." When a thing is pure, it is unmixed, unalloyed, unadulterated, uncontaminated or undefiled by anything foreign to itself. Depending upon the context, it can take on such senses as clear, entire, true, perfect, sterling, chaste, virginal, immaculate, spotless, untainted, good, moral, impeccable, honorable, principled, ethical, guiltless, flawless, sincere and many more.
"Blessed are the pure in heart" (Matthew 5:8) is a beatitude expressing a standard that is extremely difficult to achieve. Relating strongly to much of what is written in the Old Testament, this standard is something the Pharisees vainly pursued through an obsessive observance of thousands of cultic rules they and others added to God's inspired Word. Their desire to achieve purity before God is commendable, but Jesus clearly demonstrates that they chose to do it the wrong way, leaving their hearts unchanged. In this vein Paul remarks:
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. (Romans 10:1-3)
Purity Through Ritual
In much of the Old Testament, purity by means of various rituals is generally presented as an adjunct of the sacrificial system. By this means holiness was established and protected within the Israelite communities. In His inspired Word, God Himself makes the distinctions between what is pure and impure. However, in the Psalms and the Prophets, as time advances toward the arrival of Jesus Christ, the standards for purity before God shift from merely ceremonial actions to moral conduct. Ceremonial purity gradually became seen as symbolic rather than genuine purity. By about 1000 BC, David understood this. He writes in Psalm 51:16-17: "For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise."
This does not mean the various washings to attain a ritual purity were useless either to the ancient Israelites or to us under the New Covenant. Purity is closely associated with God's election of His people, for by His grace He confers purity to them. However, the various washings teach that life, unless religiously maintained, is ever gravitating, ever slipping, toward impurity. Vigilance is the watchword regarding defilement.
The rituals teach that purity is achieved and maintained by effort and attention. Like dust and dirty dishes, uncleanness requires regular action and maintenance. Familiarity with the laws of uncleanness shows that defilement is readily communicable in a way that holiness is not. Uncleanness is so easily communicated that one can become unclean by unintentionally coming in contact with a corpse or a person with an infectious disease.
Haggai 2:11-14 illustrates the impossibility of holiness being transferred from one to another, and by contrast, how easily defilement is transmitted:
"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying, "If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?"'" Then the priests answered and said, "No." And Haggai said, "If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?" So the priests answered and said, "It shall be unclean." Then Haggai answered and said, "'So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,' says the LORD, 'and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.'"
The sanctity of something or someone dedicated to God cannot be transferred merely by contact with another. However, the defilement of an unclean thing transfers easily to the clean, defiling it!
Washing is the primary means of ceremonial purity. From these biblical examples, John Wesley's well-known comment, "Cleanliness is next to godliness," arose. He realized that cleanliness is somehow related to what God is like and that personal hygiene has a spiritual dimension. Indeed, the very first mention of washing in Scripture is when Abraham's hospitality to his three visitors includes providing water to wash their feet (Genesis 18:4). This symbol of hospitality and servanthood reaches its zenith when Jesus includes it as part of the New Covenant Passover ritual.
More Than Removing Dirt
Washing's sacramental meaning and use extend far beyond merely removing physical uncleanness. Israel's preparations for meeting God at Mount Sinai and making the covenant included washing their clothing (Exodus 19:14). Biblically, a person’s clothing frequently stands as an external symbol of what he is inwardly. Thus, in Revelation 19:8, the bride of Christ is “granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”
The Israelites had to present themselves to the terrifying and holy God, an act that could have resulted in their deaths despite being His treasured possession (Exodus 19:5). Washing accentuated to them the vast difference between the Creator and them, between the holy and unholy. Though they were only clean externally at best, the washing also taught them what God required of them to serve Him. Isaiah later specifically refers to this requirement: “Depart! Depart! Go out from there, touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the LORD” (Isaiah 52:11).
As God’s revelation became more complete, washing expanded to include parts of sacrificial animals (Exodus 29:17), blood-spattered priestly garments (Leviticus 6:27), the hands and feet of the priests (Exodus 30:1-21), those who touched a corpse (Leviticus 11:25, 39-40), situations regarding leprosy (Leviticus 13:53-59), and male and female bodily discharges (Leviticus 15). Though some of these may on the surface seem to involve only physical hygiene, the deeper significance involves ritual cleanliness, and thus symbolically, spiritual purity.
Gradually, physical washings became associated with the need for inward spiritual cleansing. David writes, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. . . . Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . . Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:2, 7, 10).
Isaiah 4:3-4 describes a similar washing that God performs:
And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and he who remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.
Conversely, other verses reveal that we also have a responsibility to fulfill in this spiritual washing: "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes" (Isaiah 1:16). "O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?" (Jeremiah 4:14).
One of Israel's great tragedies was that so few perceived the spiritual intent beyond the external washings. To them, the external symbol was the reality, permitting them to conceive all kinds of evil in their hearts and do them, then perform a physical cleansing and think themselves free and clear of sin. Jesus confronts this on a number of occasions, specifically in Matthew 15 and Mark 7, but nowhere does He more directly condemn their failure in this matter than in Matthew 23:25-28:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisees, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Even Pontius Pilate tried to assuage his conscience by practicing the common, empty ritual of washing his hands to be "free" of condemning Jesus, an innocent man, to His death (Matthew 27:24). This act may have meant something to him and others near enough to know what he was doing, but in reality he was still guilty of failing to do his duty as judge, that is, free a man he knew to be innocent.
Another series of verses containing a vivid word picture of the spiritual ineffectiveness of the external washings is II Peter 2:20-22:
For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
No matter how clean we are on the outside, if the inside, the nature, the heart, remains unchanged, or if we resort again to habitual sin, we will return to what we came from and once more be filthy both inside and out.
Jesus and the Initial Cleansing
Hebrews 10:1, 3 confirms that the Old Covenant ceremonies taught routines of symbolical importance but could not perform the purifying functions they pointed to:
For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. . . . But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.
The end of the Old Covenant sacramental washings to achieve purity arrived with the work of Jesus Christ. Notice John 1:29: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'" Throughout the Bible, some form of sin, mentioned or not, is the cause of defilement either directly or indirectly. It can affect either or both the interior and exterior of a person. Without the removal of sin, defilement will always be present. So its removal from the human heart and environment is the solution to the problem of being and remaining free from its pollutions.
I John 1:7 specifically declares, "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." Here, Jesus' blood shed during His crucifixion is symbolically presented as the active agent of cleansing.
Hebrews 9:11-14 and 10:4 draw the picture more clearly:
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? . . . For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
Jesus, Sanctification and Cleansing
It is tempting for the careless to consider the purification process complete with the initial cleansing that comes through God's grace and faith in Christ's sacrifice. But the New Testament provides considerable evidence that God's purification process is at that point far from finished—in fact, it has only begun!
At this stage in the fulfillment of God's purpose in a convert's life, purity becomes associated with sanctification, also called holiness and going on to perfection. These terms basically refer to the same thing. After baptism and receipt of God's Spirit, human nature remains, and with it the seeds of continued defilement. Remember, the Bible shows that defilement comes easily. The convert's human nature stands ready to do its evil work. And it does! Its daily stains must be removed; we must overcome it and root it out as we go on to perfection.
How Often Should We Wash?
The Bible furnishes a multitude of scriptures about how the work of Jesus Christ as High Priest, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God play a part in bringing us to purity of heart. Some of these verses reveal daily cleansing, others once a year, and others only once a lifetime. But all are important to the process. We probably wash some part of our body every day. As spiritual cleansing is certainly no less important, we should be doing it every day as well.
A well-known section on this subject is John 13:6-11:
Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean."
Passover, in part, is an annual renewal of our initial washing through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ from the defilement of sin. It serves not only as a reminder of this, but also that our daily walk, symbolically represented by our dirty feet, needs to be cleaned as it becomes defiled. It is noteworthy that Peter later writes that we, as a holy priesthood, are to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (I Peter 2:5).
In the Old Testament ritual, the priests who served at the Tabernacle and Temple had to wash both hands and feet in the laver prior to serving before God lest they die (Exodus 30:18-21)! Hebrews 7:26-28 reinforces this thought:
For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.
Though the author speaks specifically of the high priest, all priests who ministered before God were included within the scope of this law. Clearly, God is vitally concerned about the purity of heart, character, attitude, motive and service of those who serve Him. Because we are to serve Him every day, this requires specific and continuing daily attention.
The Holy Spirit, Truth and God's Word
Besides Christ's work as High Priest, the Bible also refers to the Holy Spirit, truth and the Word of God as sources or means of cleansing. Notice in the following scriptures how these resources support this ongoing process:
» Titus 3:5-6: ". . . not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Lord."
» John 14:16-17: "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—even the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
» John 16:13: "However, when it, the Spirit of truth, has come, it will guide you into all truth; for it will not speak on its own authority, but what ever it hears it will speak; and it will tell you things to come."
» John 17:17: "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."
» John 15:3: "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you."
» Ephesians 5:25-26: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word."
All these elements are parts of God's creative efforts working together to bring about transformation of the sons of God into His image. Many verses speak of "renewing" along with transformation. Renewing suggests a fresh, clean start on the path of life after a period of filth and defilement. Paul speaks of both in Romans 12:2: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." He mentions it again in a similar context in Ephesians 4:22-24: ". . . that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." Again, in II Corinthians 4:16, he shows renewing, getting a fresh start, to be a daily responsibility of this way of life: "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day."
Finally, in I John 3:1-3, God makes sure we understand that each person plays a major role in keeping himself pure:
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
Purity of Heart
With that background, we are ready to look more directly at this beatitude, understanding how greatly God desires purity in all we think, say and do. The heart is central to this because in the Bible the heart stands for the seat, source, reservoir and instigator of our thoughts, attitudes, desires, character and motivation. It is synonymous with our modern use of "mind," since the mind is where we hold knowledge, attitudes, motivations, affections, desires, likes and dislikes.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Obviously, the quality of the heart is the issue in this beatitude. Proverbs 4:23 reads, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Our Father directly addresses the book of Proverbs to His sons (Proverbs 1:7). It assumes our hearts have been purified by His initial cleansing, that we have received His Spirit and are in the process of sanctification and going on to perfection. Ezekiel explains this process:
Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (Ezekiel 36:25-27)
This does not all take place in an instant. It is a process, and as we have all discovered from Scripture and own experience since baptism, human nature is still very much alive within us (Romans 7:13-25). Paul confirms this in Galatians 5:17, "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you cannot do the things that you wish."
Human nature, the law of sin within us, is always seeking to pull us again into the defilement of sin, seeking to destroy our hope of sharing life with the holy God. That is why God counsels us in Proverbs 4:23 to keep—that is, guard, preserve, and maintain—our heart. It is very easy to become defiled by lapsing back to old habits. In stark reality, Romans 8:7 and Jeremiah 17:9 show why: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" The normal human mind deceitfully convinces each person that they are good and love God, men and law. But the reality is just the opposite: It is at war with God and men, and hates God's holy, righteous and spiritual law. It loves itself and its desires far more than anything else. It is this deceitful, self-centered enmity that exerts constant influence, pulling us into the defilement of sin.
Jesus preaches on this in Matthew 15:16-20:
So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."
It is sin that defiles holiness. In terms of character, of being in the image of God, sin defiles, pollutes, contaminates or blurs the reflection of God in us. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (I John 1:8).
A Work in Progress
Purity of heart is a work in progress in which both God and man share responsibility. Many scriptures show that God will cleanse by pardoning sin. But our responsibility in cleansing is very important and frequently mentioned along with what we must do to be cleansed. Notice how clearly James shows purifying is our responsibility: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8).
How is this purifying done? I Peter 1:22 makes a summary statement: "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart." Obedience to the truth through the Spirit purifies our character by inculcating right habits within it.
After commanding us to clean ourselves up, Isaiah adds, "Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow" (Isaiah 1:16-17). Likewise, after admonishing us to guard our heart, our Father says:
Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:24-27)
Jeremiah 4:14 adds, "O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?"
Psalm 24:3-4 asks a searching question and gives a clear and important answer to all of us: "Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully." These two brief verses broadly cover conduct, motivation, attitude and how a person prioritizes his life.
To meet these qualifications requires "truth in the inward parts" (Psalm 51:6). A deceitful heart will never meet the standards because it does not operate from a foundation of godly integrity. David says in verse 5 that, humanly, he was shaped in iniquity. God, with our cooperation through faith, is ultimately the Creator of a pure heart in us, but it is a protracted process achieved by imparting a holy nature by His Spirit. This unites us with a holy Christ, with whom we fellowship, washing us in the blood of the Lamb so that with His aid we can mortify the flesh and live toward God, giving Him first priority in everything.
We will never be pure as God is pure in this life. Our purity is at best only in part. We are partly purified from our former darkness; our will is partly purified from its rebellion; our desires are partly purified from desires, avarice and pride. But the work of cleansing has begun, and God is faithful to finish what He starts (Philippians 1:6).
Interestingly, when Peter refers to God's calling of Gentiles in Acts 15:9, he says God "made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." He uses "purifying" in the sense of a continuous experience. In Titus 3:5, Paul also uses "renewing of the Holy Spirit" in the same ongoing sense. We must see purity of heart in this sense because as James 3:2, 8 states, "For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. . . . But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." By daily denying the self, sincerely confessing and wholehearted obedience, we work toward purity.
However, it is not enough to be pure in words and outward conduct. Purity of desires, motives and intents should characterize the child of God. We need to examine ourselves, searching diligently whether we have freed ourselves from the dominion of hypocrisy. Are our affections set on things above? Has the fear of the Lord grown strong enough that we love what He loves and hate what He hates? Are we conscious of and do we deeply grieve over the filth we yet find within ourselves? Are we conscious of our foul thoughts, vile imaginations, evil desires? Do we mourn over our pride? Perhaps the heaviest burden of a pure heart is seeing the ocean of unclean things still in him, casting its filth into his life and fouling what he does.
Do We See God?
This beatitude, like all the others, has both a present and future fulfillment. Paul says in I Corinthians 13:12, "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." To "see" God is to be brought close to Him. In this instance the sense is that what we are far from cannot be clearly distinguished. That, as sinners, we are far from God is proclaimed in Isaiah 59:2: "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear." Thus James 4:8 admonishes us, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
The pure in heart are those who with all their being seek to remain free of every form of the defilement of sin. The fruit of this is the blessing of spiritual discernment. With spiritual understanding, they have clear views of God's character, will and attributes. A pure heart is synonymous with what Jesus calls a "single" (KJV) or "clear" (NKJV margin) eye in Matthew 6:22. When a person has this mind, the whole body is full of light. Where there is light, one can see clearly.
The sense of this beatitude's promise to see God carries over into the Kingdom of God. In one sense, all will see God, as Revelation 1:7 prophesies: "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they also who pierced Him. And all the tribes of earth will mourn because of Him." They will see Him as Judge.
Jesus' promise, though, is stated as a blessing, a favor. Revelation 22:4 says of those who will inherit God's Kingdom, "They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads." I John 3:2 reads, "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." To see someone's face is to be so near as to be in his presence. In this case, the term indicated the highest of honors: to stand in the presence of the King of kings. Certainly David understood the greatness of this: "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness" (Psalm 17:15).
As we have seen, God places great value on being clean, especially in terms of purity of heart. Also, we can easily become defiled, whereas remaining clean requires constant vigilance, a determined discipline and a clear vision of what lies before us to serve as a prod to keep us on track. Since it is sin that defiles, this beatitude demands from us the most exacting self-examination. Are our work and service done from selfless motives or from a desire for self-display? Is our church-going a sincere attempt to meet God or merely fulfilling a respectable habit? Are our prayers and Bible study a heartfelt desire to commune with God, or do we pursue them because they make us feel pleasantly superior? Is our life lived with a conscious need of God, or are we merely seeking comfort in our piety?
To examine our motives honestly can be a daunting and shaming but very necessary discipline, but considering Christ's promise in this beatitude, it is well worth whatever effort and humbling of self it takes. It is good for us to keep Paul's admonishment found in II Corinthians 7:1 fresh in mind: "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
We live in a world torn by animosities. Even a cursory survey of the past century's events causes us to wonder if mankind has ever had more need of peacemakers. Americans have fought two World Wars as well as major conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. Currently, wars of varying degrees of intensity blaze in Yugoslavia, Angola, Sudan, Afghanistan and Rwanda. In addition, the Arab-Israeli conflict always simmers just below the surface, like the long-running feud between India and Pakistan. Tibet is subject to China, and the two Chinas, like North and South Korea, have chilly relationships. Numerous countries fight political and economic problems. Certain racial and ethnic groups charge bias against others. In short, much of the world seems to reside in a boiling pot about to spill its contents over its sides and into the fire.
Governments send their emissaries in attempts to avoid all-out war, but they never seem able to accomplish anything except short-lived, surface tranquillity that only allows the parties to gear themselves up for the next round of hostilities. Some of these antagonisms have simmered and flared for centuries—one has its roots in discord existing for millennia! Based on human history, everyone can reasonably conclude that the business of peacemaking has generally been an abject failure, though interspersed with some moderate, brief successes in bringing the worst of the hostilities to a halt for a while.
This does not detract from the beatitude, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9), because Jesus states this from God's perspective. Tragically, the world has usually reserved its highest honors for the war-makers. But if God says peacemakers are blessed, who can truthfully argue against His conclusion?
The above overview clearly shows how difficult a peacemaker's task is, regardless of the scope of the dispute he is attempting to resolve. Peacemaking aims to reconcile groups or individuals at odds. The difficulties in this are threefold:
» First, keeping one's biases from unduly influencing the tenor of the arguments.
» Second, finding common ground from which agreement can be built. This can be troublesome because some people are highly competitive, contentious, stubborn and driven to "win" regardless of the cost. Some will pull everybody else down with them just so they do not appear to "lose."
» Third, finding ways to change the views of those at odds to effect a change of position.
Getting people to take a different view of a problem and change their minds about how a conflict should be resolved can be arduous and emotionally draining. Proverbs 26:17 gives some keen insight into this, "He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears." This strongly indicates that peacemaking may be a painful endeavor.
A Christian Vocation
We must always remember that in the Beatitudes Jesus describes characteristics of those who will be in His Kingdom. Peacemaking qualifies as a characteristic each son of God will exhibit. James 3:16-18 adds:
For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil work will be there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
"Wisdom" in the Bible has the same general meaning as the English word "skill." In this context, "wisdom" indicates proficiency, competence or adeptness at living in such a way to produce the fruits of righteousness. Notice that this wisdom from above that reflects itself in the conduct of God's children is first pure. It is uncontaminated by any of the myriad aspects of carnal, self-centered human nature. It is not peace sought at the expense of righteousness. Hebrews 12:14 clearly says we are to "pursue peace with all men, and holiness." It is not either/or; it is both. We all need to avoid needless contentions, yet not to the point of sacrificing the truth, compromising principle or forsaking duty.
This wisdom is also peaceable and, unlike the attitude of the highly competitive, willing to yield. That is, it is not irascible, contentious, angry or bigoted—driving the wedges of separation deeper—but rather calming, gentle and tranquil. The heavenly wisdom will accomplish this through a person, not because he is necessarily mediating, but simply because he is projecting the nature of God.
If we are indeed regenerated by God's Spirit, being at peace and making peace will be the rule in our lives. As to the actual mechanisms that we can use to make peace, room for some differences of opinion certainly exists. There can be no dispute, however, that the vocation of every Christian is to make peace primarily through what he himself is. Secondarily, we must strive to secure the conditions and relationships that will make good will, concord and cooperation possible instead of hatred, strife, competition and conflict.
Pursuing Peace
Paul gives more advice on this subject in Romans 14:19: "Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another." This seems so obvious that it need not be said, but God includes it in His Word because Christians within the church do not hold in check some of the very things that cause so much disunity in this world. The apostle entreats us to lay aside the causes of contention so we can live in harmony.
Sometimes we do not understand how competitive human nature is. It is proud. It feels it has to win, be vindicated, and if possible, elevated over others. These attitudes do not make peace. Rather than pursuing the things that cause contention, Paul says, pursue the things that cause peace. It is a Christian's responsibility, part of his vocation. Emphasizing the positive is an incomplete, but nonetheless fairly accurate, description of what can be done.
Solomon writes in Proverbs 13:10, "By pride comes only contention, but with the well-advised is wisdom." Contention divides. Much of the strife and disunity in the church is promoted by those who seem bent on "majoring in the minors." This is the overall subject of Romans 14. Church members were becoming "bent out of shape" over things that irritated them but had little or nothing to do with salvation. They blew these irritants out of proportion to their real importance, creating disruption in the congregation.
Essentially, Paul tells these people to change their focus, to turn the direction of their thinking, because we agree on far more of real, major importance to salvation than what we disagree on. If we will cooperate on these major things rather than on private ends and prejudices, peace and unity will tend to emerge rather than strife and disunity. Paul further admonishes the irritated members to have faith in God's power to change the other: "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:4).
Why can we not cultivate a spirit of peace by striving for holiness? Holiness is a major issue leading to preparation for God's Kingdom and salvation. Peace is one of its fruits. Why can we not show love for the brethren and strive to do good for them "as we have opportunity, . . . especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10)? Why can we not spend more serious time studying God's Word getting to know Him? These admirable pursuits are humbling and serving. They produce peace and put other, less important matters into a proper perspective and priority. If pursued sincerely, they keep the "minors" right where they belong because they tend to erode one's pride.
In Romans 10:15, Paul focuses our attention on part of the gospel's intention. He quotes Isaiah, writing: "And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!'" The gospel to which God converts us contains good news of peace, and Isaiah describes the feet of the bearers of this message to the troubled as "beautiful."
"Peace" signifies any kind of good produced by the gospel. It is the good news of reconciliation and the end of the conflicts, distresses and woes of our warfare. No wonder the means of locomotion to get this message to distressed and anxiety-ridden people—by foot, as it was delivered in Isaiah's time—is described as beautiful! Of course, this does not mean conflict and trouble immediately end. The gospel is prophetic, and salvation in its broad terms is an unfolding process. Peace describes the benefits that come when we cease to be an enemy of God, since, until that happens, peace is not a major part of our lives. It should be and will be, and we are preparing to be part of bringing it in its fullness (Isaiah 9:7).
Peace With God Comes First
Paul plainly states in II Corinthians 5:18-21:
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
We play a part in making peace with God by choosing to be reconciled to Him. This is perhaps the first step in becoming a peacemaker.
Paul essentially refers to himself as the one to whom the word and ministry of reconciliation have been given as a portion of his function as an apostle of Jesus Christ. However, the thought does not end there because we are also being prepared to assist in causing the reconciliation of the world to God. This is a second major, time-consuming step toward being a peacemaker. The sanctification process of a Christian's conversion creates within us the ability to be a peacemaker in the godly mold.
The church is a spiritual body, the body of Jesus Christ. It is an assembly of people called to prepare for God's Kingdom and participate in and support the church's work in feeding the flock and preaching the gospel to the world. The church has two primary duties: 1) to provide a means of calling others to reconciliation and peace with God, and 2) to provide the full counsel of God to help the called know God and become holy. This is the vocation, the work, of all Christians under God.
In this church age, sanctification is the process by which an individual's peace with God reaches beyond a legal technicality (as occurs at justification) to be inculcated into the person's character. In God's paradigm, a person cannot really make peace unless he is first at peace with God. "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Romans 8:7). Describing unconverted mankind, Paul says, "The way of peace they have not known" (Romans 3:17; Isaiah 59:8). Until ongoing conversion dissolves that enmity and peace is thoroughly established in a person's character, we cannot truly be instruments of godly peace.
Paul can thus write in Romans 5:1, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Here, peace undoubtedly means a cessation of hostilities, a tranquillity of mind, where formerly a state of almost continual agitation had existed because of the carnal mind's innate hostility toward God and His law. These last several verses take note of the horrible contention and enmity that sin causes, for where there is no strife, there is no need for a peacemaker. All of us, however, were at war with God; Titus 3:3 catches all of us within its scope: "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." Before conversion, we each needed a peacemaker to mediate and make reconciliation for us.
What is missing from verses like Titus 3:3 is that they do not show how tenaciously human nature clings to our attitudes and behavior, providing a constant challenge to maintaining peace with God and others. Paul vividly describes his battle with it in Roman 7, and numerous other exhortations encourage us to employ self-control and love for God and the brethren. This leads us to understand that peacemaking involves more than mediating between disputing parties. Peacemaking is a constant responsibility. Its achievement is possible but more difficult than it first seems because many factors—both from within and without—challenge us in maintaining it.
Except for verses like Romans 5:1 and other specific contexts, biblical peace is much broader. Jesus, of the tribe of Judah, spoke Hebrew and Aramaic, the languages common to those He taught. The Hebrew and Aramaic word for "peace," shalom, perhaps best describes this peace. The word forms a portion of Jerusalem, "city of peace"—something that it is not at this time.
Shalom and Peacemaking
William Barclay's Daily Study Bible Series gives this understanding of shalom:
In Hebrew peace is never only a negative state; it never means only the absence of trouble; in Hebrew peace always means everything which makes for a man's highest good. In the east when one man says to another, Salaam—which is the same word—he does not mean that he wishes for the other man only the absence of evil things; he wishes for him the presence of all good things. In the Bible peace means not only freedom from all trouble; it means enjoyment of all good. (vol. 1, p. 108)
This definition begins to give us insight why peacemaking, just as with all the other characteristics expressed in the Beatitudes, is such a high, demanding standard. Peacemaking is a more encompassing term than it appears. Since it means "everything which makes for a man's highest good," it is another, more specific term for love. Loving under every circumstance is not easy.
At first glance, there seems to be a number of contradictions regarding peace, peacemaking and the Christian. Most commentators write only narrowly on peacemaking, approaching it almost entirely in regard to mediating between disputing people. Good as far as it goes, this is inadequate in describing what the beatitude means.
Jesus was a peacemaker; in Isaiah 9:6, He is titled "Prince of Peace." Here, however, an apparent contradiction appears. We might think that if anyone could successfully mediate between warring parties, He could. If anyone could bring peace, perhaps even impose it, He could. But He did not. In fact, He says in Matthew 10:34-36, quoting Micah 7:6:
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to "set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." And "a man's foes will be those of his own household."
Nonetheless, Jesus is still our model; His life is the pattern ours should follow. Paul writes in Romans 12:18, "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." Undoubtedly, Jesus did this, but it did not produce peace at that time. Some perceived His life, popularity and words as so threatening that they put Him to death. Some were moved to jealousy while others, enraged, incited the populace against Him to sway Pilate's judgment. His life, death and resurrection, however, enabled Him to be the instrument of our peace with God and each other by qualifying Him as the payment for sin and High Priest to mediate for us before the Father.
The following verses add several necessary elements:
» I John 2:2: And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
» Romans 3:25-26: [Jesus,] whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
» Hebrews 5:9-10: And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek."
» Ephesians 2:14-18: For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
As a human, Jesus of Nazareth certainly had more success mediating between disputing parties than we ever will under similar circumstances. Even though His life created conflict and hostility in others, it did not stop Him from living the life of a peacemaker so that He could become a real Peacemaker upon His resurrection as Savior and High Priest. The life He lived as a man cannot be separated from what He became. It is the model of the kind of peacemaking Jesus intends in the Beatitude.
Peacemaking involves not only mediating but also everything the person is, his attitude and character as well as what he intends to accomplish. Peacemaking is a package dominated by the godliness of the person. Thus, Paul says in Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted."
Peacemaking Through Living
Most of us are not at all adept at reconciling warring parties, but that is not the kind of peacemaking Jesus is concerned about for us now. His idea of peacemaking revolves around the way we live. It was Adam and Eve's conduct that shattered the peace between man and God. Cain's conduct broke the peace between him and Abel and him and God. As it is with all of us, conduct makes or breaks the peace!
As mentioned earlier, Paul commands us, "As much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men" (Romans 12:18), an arduous task at times, considering human personalities. The thrust of Paul's exhortation implies that, far from being a simple task, complying with it will call upon our constant vigilance, self-control and earnest prayer.
Though human nature guarantees that peace-breaking "offenses must come," it is part of Christian duty to ensure that our conduct produces no just cause of complaint against us (Matthew 18:7). It is first for our own peace that we do so, for it is impossible to be happy while involved in arguments and warfare. Some Christians are more competitive and contentious than others, and they need to beg God doubly for the spiritual strength to restrain their pride and anger and to calm them. Paul warns, "‘Be angry, and do not sin': do not let the sun go down on your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26). Though pride may be at the base of contention, rising anger within one or the other person in a dispute is frequently the first sign that the peace is about to be broken. Paul's warning is necessary because anger is so difficult to check and equally difficult to let go completely before the peace is broken, and bitter and persistent hatred soon replaces the anger.
Paul quotes the first phrase of this verse from Psalm 4:4, then modifies the second phrase to give it a more immediate and practical application. "Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord" (Psalm 4:4-5). This is exactly the course Jesus follows when taunted and vilified by those whose ire He had aroused. Notice Peter's testimony:
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: "Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth"; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. (I Peter 2:21-23)
If we follow Christ's example, the one reviling or threatening soon finds himself without an opponent. God, then, advises us to be passive in the face of contention. In the Kingdom, however, we will likely be a great deal more proactive, just as Christ is now as our High Priest. He will be even more active when He comes as King of kings to fight against the nations and establish His peace.
Since it is true that "blessed are the peacemakers," it logically follows that God curses peace-breakers, a fact all who desire to be peacemakers must keep in mind. Contention produces the curse of disunity. When Adam and Eve sinned, both unity and peace were shattered, and God sentenced them to death. Regardless of the justification, it is impossible for sin to produce either godly peace or unity. It is therefore urgent that we be diligent not merely to guard against the more obvious forms of sin but also bigotry, intemperate zeal, judging, impatience and a quarrelsome spirit, which provide a basis for Paul's counsel in Romans 14.
This leads directly into Paul's advice to the Ephesian church:
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)
Notice carefully what Paul names as the reason for making unity and peace: the value we place on our calling. If, in our heart of hearts, we consider it of small value, our conduct, especially toward our brethren, will reveal it and work to produce contention and disunity. Thus John writes, "If someone says, ‘I love God,' and hates his brother he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (I John 4:20).
Paul next counsels us to choose to conduct ourselves humbly. Humility is pride's opposite. If pride only produces contention, it follows that humility will work to soothe, calm, heal and unify. He advises us to cultivate meekness or gentleness, the opposite of the self-assertiveness that our contemporary culture promotes so strongly. Self-assertiveness is competitive determination to press one's will at all costs. This approach may indeed "win" battles over other brethren, but it might be helpful to remember God's counsel in Proverbs 15:1, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." James declares that godly wisdom is "gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy" (James 3:17).
Then Paul counsels that we be patient; likewise, James counsels us to "let patience have its perfect work" (James 1:4). We often want quick resolutions to the irritations between us, which is certainly understandable since we want to get rid of the burden those differences impose. But we must understand that speedy solutions are not always possible. Interestingly, in Paul's letter to the Philippians, he does not use his apostolic authority to drive the two feuding women into a forced solution (Philippians 4:1). Some problems are deeply buried within both sides of the contention, so finally Paul admonishes us to forbear with each other in love. Essentially, he says to "put up with it" or endure it, doing nothing to bring the other party down in the eyes of others and vainly elevate the self. This is peacemaking through living by godly character.
Yet another aspect to the Christian duty of peacemaking is our privilege by prayer to invoke God's mercy upon the world, the church and individuals we know are having difficulties or whom we perceive God may be punishing. This is one of the sacrifices of righteousness mentioned briefly earlier in relation to Psalm 4:4. The Bible provides many examples of godly people doing this. Abraham prayed for Sodom, Gomorrah and probably Lot too, when the division between them and God was so great that He had to destroy the cities (Genesis 18:16-33). Moses interceded for Israel before God following the Golden Calf incident (Exodus 33:11-14). Aaron ran through the camp of Israel with a smoking censer (a symbol of the prayers of the saints) following another of Israel's rebellions that greatly disturbed the peace between them and God (Numbers 16:44-50). In each case God relented to some degree. We will probably never know in this life how much our prayers affect the course of division or how much others—even the wicked—gained as a result of our intercession, but we should find comfort knowing that we have done at least this much toward making peace.
The Reward of Peacemaking
Jesus says that peacemakers "shall be called sons of God." Once we understand the Bible's usage of the words "sons" and "children," we can easily see that this beatitude does not apply to worldly people. Both "sons" and "children" not only describe those who are literal descendants, but also those who show the characteristics of a predecessor who is not necessarily a biological ancestor. For instance, in John 8:38, 41, 44, Jesus tells the Jews that Satan is their father. Their attitudes and conduct revealed who their true spiritual father was; they were in Satan's image. Those who fit the Matthew 5:9 description of godly peacemakers reveal that they are in the image and likeness of God!
As Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, God is called the God of peace (Hebrews 13:20). When we add the thought of Hebrews 2:11, interesting ramifications concerning us surface: "For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren." If indeed we are His children and therefore united in the spiritual body of Christ, we will show the same peaceable disposition of the One who is the Head. Thus He has no shame in calling us brethren. Through us, His characteristics are being manifested to the church and to the world.
Peacemaking is more complex and involved than it first appears because it entails the way we live all of life. This produces peace both passively and actively: passively, because we are not a cause of disruption, and actively, because we create peace by drawing others to emulate our example and by them seeking for the tranquillity and pleasure we have as a result. Though a Christian has little or no control over others in mediating peace between disputing parties, this should not deter him from living the peacemaking way. It is the way a person lives that will prepare him to be a much more active and authoritative peacemaker in the World Tomorrow when Christ returns. Peacemaking is indeed a high standard and a worthy vocation, yielding a wonderful reward that is worth bending our every effort to submit to God and seek His glorification.
Persecution! The very word can generate vivid images of hiding in terror of pursuing, implacable foes; of being found and resolutely facing the excruciating pain of torture meant to cause renunciation of cherished beliefs; and finally—hopefully—following faithful resistance to every agonizing constraint to deny the faith, of death. Others imagine a courtroom scene where one endures a penetrating inquisition before ecclesiastical or civil authorities. Some think of the Roman Coliseum filled with people raucously cheering as hungry lions chase down defenseless Christians; of people lashed to a stake as piled wood is lighted beneath them; or of a person chained in a dark, dank jail with rats scurrying about his feet. Each of these images can be a dreadful, unwanted result of our faith in God, yet Jesus calls those persecuted for righteousness' sake "blessed." Such people will be greatly rewarded!
This seems far removed from God's multitudinous promises of peace, prosperity and deliverance. Some think it an enigma or contradictory that a God of endless love and limitless power can even say such things, let alone seem to do nothing while His innocent and faithful children are undeservedly, cruelly and painfully harassed, tormented and mocked. As unjust as this seems on the surface, it is part of God's Word and His way of life. In no way does it invalidate His love or negate His purpose or care of His children. The Bible records so much persecution of His servants that, understood in the right context, we can see that it serves a vital role in the outworking of His purpose.
Strong's Concordance reveals that "persecute" (Greek dioko) means "to pursue, follow after or press toward." Vine's Expository Dictionary adds "to put to flight or drive away." Only within certain contexts does it take on the sense of oppression, ill treatment, abuse, tyranny and even martyrdom and murder. Persecution is aggressive and injurious behavior carried out in a hostile, antagonistic spirit, normally by a group, but occasionally by one individual toward another. It is often carried out with fiery zeal, as Paul remarks about his persecution of the church (Philippians 3:6), but the persecuted must always remember that the fiery zeal bent against them is, according to Romans 10:2, "not according to knowledge." Thus Jesus, while dying on the stake, asks His Father to forgive His persecutors, "for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34).
Source and Focus
In the Bible, especially in the New Testament, persecution is so pervasive that it is presented as a more or less expected terror. Jesus, the epitome of righteousness, is also the focal point of persecution. As such, He clearly reveals persecution's source. In John 8 the Pharisees challenge Jesus' assertion of who He was, and the ensuing discussion leads to revealing its source.
The Jews claim to be Abraham's descendants and never in bondage to any man (though at the time they were subject to the Romans). Their statement is partly true. Jesus readily acknowledges they are physically Abraham's descendants, but He adds in verse 40, "But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this." He implies that, if they were truly Abraham's children, their conduct would display his characteristics, and they would not be persecuting Him. He continues:
You do the deeds of your father. . . . You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. (verses 41, 44)
Satan the Devil is the source of persecution of those bearing and living the truth of God. At times he undoubtedly works through people whom he has duped and inflamed to unrelenting anger toward God's people so that the persecution appears to be entirely of men. But the Bible reveals the reality of Satan as the source.
Revelation 12:3-5, 13-17 confirms this:
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and to His throne. . . . Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Here, the church bears the brunt of Satan's persecution. The church, however, is also the body of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23), that group of people in whom Christ is being formed (Galatians 4:19). Jesus warns us that this will occur:
If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, "A servant is not greater than his master." If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. (John 15:18-21)
Thus, because of our relationship to Jesus Christ, persecution becomes our lot in life. Luke movingly describes this sense of solidarity and union with Christ during Paul's experience on the road to Damascus. Christ calls out, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4). Just three verses earlier, he writes, "Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest." Paul had physically and psychologically abused the members of the church, but Christ considers any attack against His church to be an attack against Himself personally.
His disciples can count on persecution. In fact, persecution serves as a sign of the authenticity of his relationship to Jesus Christ, as Philippians 1:27-30 attests:
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
The Bible also shows that the disciple's response to persecution is a veritable litmus test to determine that authenticity. Notice these two passages:
» But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. (Matthew 13:20-21)
» Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. (Matthew 24:9-13)
Clearly, God will count as righteous those who respond to persecution in faith.
Forms of Persecution
Biblically, persecution is primarily of a religious nature. However, ethnic persecution appears in the book of Esther. In spiritual contexts, though, persecution takes on a number of forms:
Beating: I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6)
Stoning: Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. (Acts 14:19)
Mocking: Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. (Luke 23:11)
Insults: Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. (Psalm 69:9)
Slander: I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. (Revelation 2:9)
Ostracism: His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. (John 9:22)
Intimidation and threats: So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. . . . "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your Word." (Acts 4:21, 29)
Imprisonment: For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. (Mark 6:17)
Exile: I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:9)
And finally, death. God's Word records so many of these that it would be futile to list them. From righteous Abel in Genesis to the prophetic record of Revelation, Satan has hounded the righteous even to death in his frenetic, insane attempts to destroy God's purpose and plan and overcome Jesus Christ.
Wrong Responses
II Timothy 3:12 plainly states, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." It is inevitable that the truly righteous must face it, and God exhorts us to respond positively. He condemns negative reactions:
Fear: But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." (I Peter 3:14)
Compromise: As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these try to compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. (Galatians 6:12)
Cursing: Bless those which persecute you; bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14)
Desertion: "But all this [Christ's betrayal and arrest] was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. (Matthew 26:56)
Retaliation: Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. "Therefore, if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21)
Apostasy: But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Therefore do not cast away your confidence which has great reward. . . . But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:32-35, 39)
Every one of these wrong reactions destroys our witness for God, our character and our loyalty. Since persecution comes on all who live godly in Christ Jesus, it is no wonder God places so much emphasis on it. Persecution plays a vital role in God's purpose.
Righteousness and Persecution
This beatitude presents us with yet another paradox. The other beatitudes show that a Christian can be filled with a joy that he cannot fully express, yet lament over things that the carnal consider as insignificant. He has a deep and abiding sense of satisfaction, yet groans daily and sincerely. His life experiences are often painful, yet he would not part with them for the great wealth, acclaim and ease the world offers. Though the world exalts those filled with pride, self-esteem and assertiveness, God exalts the humble and meek. The world displays its approval for war-makers by giving them ticker tape parades, putting them into high office and remembering their achievement by naming streets, cities, parks and schools after them—yet God blesses the peacemakers. Understanding these earlier paradoxes among the Beatitudes, this one states that all we will receive for doing well is to earn the antipathy of fellow man.
We need to understand the connection between righteousness and persecution because not every sufferer or even every sufferer of religious persecution suffers for righteousness' sake. Many suffer persecution for zealously holding fast to what is clearly a false religion. Often, a rival religious group or civil authority—just as ignorant of God's truth—are the persecutors. At any given time persecutions of one form or another are taking place. In the recent past the Japanese persecuted the Koreans and the Chinese, the Nepalese. In Africa the Moslem Sudanese are persecuting "Christians," while in Europe the Slavic Eastern Orthodox "Christians" are persecuting Moslem Kosovars. In the history of man, this familiar beat of persecution continues endlessly with nary a connection to righteousness.
Some people become victims of their own character flaws and personality disorders. They foolishly take comfort in Matthew 5:10-12, claiming persecution when others merely retaliate against their displays of evil speaking, haughtiness or self-centeredness. Such people are just reaping what they have sown.
Psalm 119:172 says, "My tongue shall speak of Your word; for all Your commandments are righteousness." This is a simple, straightforward definition of righteousness. It is rectitude, right doing. God's commands thus describe how to live correctly. They teach us how to conduct relationships with Him and fellow man. This beatitude is written about those who are truly doing this. They will receive persecution, and it will be because they are living correctly—not because they have irritated or infuriated others through their sins or because they belong to another political party, religion or ethnic group.
Does anything illustrate the perversity of human nature clearer than this? We might think that one could hardly be more pleased than to have neighbors who are absolutely trustworthy; who will not murder, commit adultery or fornication, steal, lie or covet one's possessions; who rear respectful children; who are an asset to the neighborhood; who so respect God they will not even use His name in vain; who submit to the civil laws and do not even flaunt the codes and covenants of the neighborhood.
However, this description does not mention the relationship to God that really brings the persecution. These are things moral people of this world might do, yet they lack the true God in their lives and are not regenerated by His Spirit. An element of righteousness is still missing. Paul writes in Romans 8:14-17:
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by which we cry out, "Abba Father." The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
The source of true persecution is Satan, and its target is God. Satan not only hates God, he also hates all who bear His holy image in them by means of His Spirit. Satan works in and through people just as God does, and he incites them to do all in their power to vilify, destroy the reputation of, put fear in or discourage God's children to cause their disqualification. He will do anything to get us to respond, to retaliate, as worldly people do, because then we would display Satan's image rather than Jesus Christ's. Satan knows those who have the Spirit of God, and just as he tempted Jesus, he will also single out His brothers and sisters for persecution.
The righteousness needed to resist these pressures and respond in a godly manner goes far beyond that of a merely moral person. This righteousness requires that one be living by faith minute by minute, day by day, week by week, month by month and year by year. It is one ingrained into a person's very character because he knows God. He is intimately acquainted with Him and His purpose rather than merely believing academically that He exists.
Following on the heels of this beatitude is another statement by Jesus on righteousness: "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). He focuses on a righteousness that is not merely legal, resulting from God graciously justifying us by Christ's blood, but one inculcated within the heart and mind by constantly living God's way. Such a person's righteousness comes of sanctification. He is striving to keep all the commandments of God, not merely those having to do with public morality. He has made prayer and study a significant part of each day along with occasional fasting to assist in keeping humble. He is well on his way toward the Kingdom of God. These are not normally things that one does publicly; his neighbors may never know much of this person's life. Nonetheless, Satan knows, and this person's living faith will attract Satan's persecution, the Devil's attempts to derail him from making it.
For Righteousness' Sake
Jesus' phrase in the beatitude, "for righteousness' sake," calls upon us to examine ourselves honestly before God both before and after we are opposed. Notice I Peter 4:12-16:
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.
Peter, like Jesus, perceives persecution as inevitable and therefore a Christian should expect it. Since a disciple is not above His Master, a follower can hardly expect to escape some form of what the Master received.
Human nature dislikes and is suspicious of anyone who is different. True Christianity brings on its own form of unpopularity. It has never been easy, in part because, regardless of where they live, Christians are different. A Christian presents the standard of Jesus Christ to the world. Worldly witnesses to this do not understand exactly why, but it at least irritates them, pricks their conscience and separates them from the Christian. In some it leads to open anger, even rage. For instance, while calling it a virtue, worldly people think goodness is a handicap because they fear it will keep them from achieving their goals. At the same time, a truly good person will irritate them. Before long, their conscience disturbs them, and they react by persecuting the good person. The human heart is so deceitful that Jesus remarks in John 16:2, "They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service."
Peter also perceives persecution as a trial to overcome. A person's devotion to principle can be measured by his willingness to suffer for it. Therefore, since he writes of true Christians and not those merely in name, persecution will be a test. Compromising with God's standards will not elicit persecution because that leads to agreement with the world. Jesus says, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19). Compromise will certainly ease the pressure, but God intends persecution to test the Christian's trust, loyalty, sincerity, courage and patience.
Suffering for righteousness' sake is an honor leading to glory. In fact, Peter says that when one suffers persecution, the glory of God rests upon them. When Stephen was put on trial, his accusers "saw his face as the face of an angel" (Acts 6:15)! In such an instance, a persecuted Christian falls into the same category as Jesus Christ because all He suffered was for righteousness' sake. We therefore share in the same and should be unashamed.
However, we must be exceedingly careful we do not suffer because of our own misconduct. A Christian's life should be his best argument that he does not deserve what is happening to him. Jesus says in Matthew 5:11, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake." We hope that we suffer for our sins only rarely, but when we do, we are getting what we deserve. There is no glory in that. But even in this, all is not lost because it may lead to repentance, change and growth.
The Human Source of Persecution
Persecution can come from a wide variety of sources. One of the most likely is within our own homes and/or families. Christ remarks in Matthew 10:34-36:
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to "set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." And "a man's foes will be those of his own household."
Less frequently, our employers may persecute us. Many have found themselves persecuted on the job because of keeping the Sabbath. A severe form of this is prophesied to happen to those who do not have the mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:16-18).
At times, we may receive social persecution within a community. We are often excluded from friendships that would normally be extended to us as they are to others who are not of the truth. Sometimes our children face this more directly in school than we do in the neighborhood or market place.
Without a doubt, the most intense persecution begins with those of a religious bent and culminates with the civil authorities. Christ received His most frequent attacks from the religious leaders, those with the greatest spiritual pretensions. The scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees all attempted to ostracize Him or destroy the validity of His teaching. In the end, the ecclesiastical authorities called upon the civil authorities to administer the savage beating and execution. As the Beast arises, we can expect its persecution to follow the same pattern.
Great Is Your Reward
It may seem strange that Jesus passes so quickly from peacemaking in the previous beatitude to persecution—from the work of reconciliation to the experience of hostility. But we come to learn from life's experiences following conversion that, however hard we try to live peacefully or to make peace through reconciliation, some refuse to live at peace with us. Indeed, as this beatitude shows, some take the initiative to oppose, revile and slander us. We must live with and adjust to the fact that persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value systems. God has called us, selected us, to represent Him in patiently enduring and even overcoming persecution as part of our witness and preparation for His Kingdom.
God is not without sympathy for the difficulties these challenges pose for us, but He calls us blessed, counseling us to "rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is [our] reward in heaven" for successfully overcoming persecution. We should realize we do not earn the reward because we are doing only what we are supposed to do (Luke 17:7-10). But God freely gives the reward; He promises it as His gift.
We are to face persecution remembering "that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). When it comes upon us, we should not retaliate like the world, sulk like a child, lick our wounds like a dog in self-pity, or simply grin and bear it like a masochistic Stoic. Our Savior tells us to rejoice in it because it proves the authenticity of our faith, puts us into a noble succession of towering figures of faith who have preceded us, and guarantees us great reward in the Kingdom. It may also put us into the company of many martyrs exalted in God's Word.
Above all, persecution for His sake brings us into fellowship with the sufferings of our Savior. Our love for Christ should be so great that we rejoice that it has come upon us on His account. If He suffered so much to give us this awesome future, why should we not gladly suffer a little for Him?
Persecution is a blessing in disguise designed to bring out the best of Christian character. From it we frequently become aware of weaknesses in our character. Persecution's pressures are humbling. They make us understand that our spiritual infirmities are so great that we cannot stand for a single hour unless Christ upholds us. How true are His words, "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
Persecution can also keep us from certain sins because it makes us more vividly aware of the impossibility of friendship with the world. Seeing we cannot have both the world and the Kingdom, it can help us set our resolve to live righteously. "And not only that," the apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:3-4, "but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope."
At first glance, persecution seems contradictory to the way and purpose of God. Though we certainly do not wish it upon anyone, and though we sincerely hope we do not have to face it, we can understand in the broad overview that, because of the enmity of Satan, it is inevitable. And in reality, it is a disguised blessing, designed to complete our preparation for God's Kingdom.
It is not at all uncommon these days to hear of an ambitious person as being "hungry" to accomplish significant things. Writers apply this term to athletes who want to make it to the professional leagues, to actors who want to attain stardom, and to businesspersons who seek to become CEO or president of a major corporation. These people drive themselves to work harder than their competition. They push themselves in studying every facet of their discipline, and they practice longer and harder than others. Their ambition knows no limits. They seem to play every angle to bring themselves to the attention of their superiors. They seize every opportunity to "sell" themselves to those who might be useful in promoting them.
Some but not all of these nuances are present in Jesus' use of "hunger" and "thirst" in Matthew 5:6. He describes a person who from the very depths of his innermost being has a driving need to satisfy a desire. William Barclay, in his Daily Study Bible commentary on Matthew, provides a colorful description:
Words do not exist in isolation; they exist against a background of experience and thought; and the meaning of any word is conditioned by the background of the person who speaks it. That is particularly true of this beatitude. It would convey to those who heard it for the first time an impression quite different from the impression which it conveys to us.
The fact is that very few of us in modern conditions of life know what it is to be really hungry or really thirsty. In the ancient world it was very different. A working man's wage was the equivalent of three pence a day, and, even making every allowance for the difference in the purchasing power of money, no man ever got fat on that wage. A working man in Palestine ate meat only once a week, and in Palestine the working man and the day laborer were never very far from the border-line of real hunger and actual starvation.
It was still more so in the case of thirst. It was not possible for the vast majority of people to turn a tap and find the clear, cold water pouring into their house. A man might be on a journey, and in the midst of it the hot wind which brought the sand-storm might begin to blow. There was nothing for him to do but to wrap his head in his burnous and turn his back to the wind, and wait, while the swirling sand filled his nostrils and his throat until he was likely to suffocate, and until he was parched with an imperious thirst. In the conditions of modern western life there is no parallel at all to that. (vol. 1, p. 99)
We see, then, that Jesus is not using "hunger" or "thirst" as we would describe the emptiness or dryness we feel between meals, but a hunger or thirst that seemingly can never be satisfied. With physical appetite, this would be a hunger and thirst that, even after a full meal with plenty of drink, we would still feel as though we could eat and drink much more! Again, as Barclay describes it, "It is the hunger of the man who is starving for food, and the thirst of the man who will die unless he drinks" (pp. 99-100).
Nothing can better express the kind of desire we should have to obtain righteousness. The Bible's writers frequently employ the imagery of hunger and especially thirst to illustrate an ardent desire, particularly for the things of God:
» Psalm 42:1-2: As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
» Psalm 63:1: O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.
Even limiting hunger and thirst to our normal, daily need for nourishment illustrates a continuous cycle of consuming a most vital necessity for spiritual life and strength.
Ending a Series of Links
In the introduction to this series, I mentioned that the Beatitudes seem to be linked in two general groups with the first four directed specifically toward one's relationship with God. Each link leads to the next while presupposing the one preceding it. If we are poor in spirit, we will humbly acknowledge our utter spiritual bankruptcy before God. We are thus led and enabled to mourn over the cause of our bankruptcy, our sins, as well as the ever-present corruption of human nature and its reign of sin and death in this world. Since we are sinners, when we are measured against the standard of God's holiness, and have nothing that will grant us preference over others, we must allow these two virtues to condition our behavior toward both God and men. We then make poverty of spirit, mourning and meekness part of the motivation to make up for deficiencies in our character God graciously exposes by revealing to us what we really are. If we are ever to be in His image, hungering and thirsting after righteousness must follow our confession of the sins God reveals.
Hungering and thirsting after righteousness is deeply involved in accomplishing important steps toward salvation. These steps are called a number of terms in God's Word, including justification, sanctification, growing, overcoming, becoming perfect, going on to perfection, coming to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, seeking holiness and being created in God's image. God enables us to have this desire and make use of it, but we must make the choices to sacrifice ourselves in accomplishing His desire for us. God's will for us now is that we prepare to live with Him just as He lives in His Kingdom.
What is Righteousness?
At first, the question "What is righteousness?" may seem like a "no-brainer" because we know it means "rectitude," or more simply, "right doing." By quoting Psalm 119:172, "All Your commandments are righteousness," we feel equipped with a direct biblical definition of this important biblical concept. None of these is wrong, but the Bible's use of "righteousness" is both specific and broad—so broad that in some places it is treated as a synonym of salvation itself:
Rain down, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created it. (Isaiah 45:8)
This is an example of a typical Hebraic grammatical technique in which the two terms are used synonymously to reinforce and explain each other. The author thus makes his meaning clearer. Notice these other instances in Isaiah:
» Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness; I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger, and I will place salvation in Zion, for Israel My glory. (Isaiah 46:12-13)
» My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples. (Isaiah 51:5)
» Keep justice and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come and My righteousness to be revealed. (Isaiah 56:1)
» I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. (Isaiah 61:10)
Though the Bible uses "righteousness" so broadly, its comparison with "salvation" does not help us much in understanding it because "salvation" is one of the Bible's most comprehensive terms. Since none of us has fully experienced salvation, we look through a glass darkly trying to comprehend it.
Righteousness is used in a similar sense in the very familiar passage given in Matthew 6:33, where Jesus commanded, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Here it has the sense of seeking all of God's spiritual blessings, favor, image and rewards. We see in this verse not only a broad New Testament application of the term but also, more importantly, its priority to life. This dovetails perfectly with the hunger-and-thirst metaphor. It is not enough to ambitiously yearn to accomplish. According to Jesus, God's Kingdom and His righteousness are the very top priorities in all of life. Seeking God's righteousness is that important.
Obviously, the world does not have righteousness as its top priority. I hope that we do, and what we have has come to us completely unbidden as an act of God's grace. Jesus says it is our responsibility to seek after what God has made available to us. For what, exactly, are we to hunger and thirst? When God gives someone a responsibility, He also, by His grace, provides the means for him to accomplish it. Are we using the means He has given?
Three Righteousnesses
Some have argued that the righteousness Jesus refers to in Matthew 5:6 is what comes to all through Christ upon repentance. The Bible, though, shows three kinds of righteousness, and each is important in its own right. All three are included within the scope of Jesus' words because all three are important to Christian life and development. All three are to be sought within each Christian's relationship with God and with fellow man. Two of them are exceedingly important, and the third less so only because of the Christian's God-limited authority in relation to this world.
The first is the righteousness of faith that comes when God justifies a sinner by grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. This results when Christ's obedience is imputed to him, thus giving him legal righteousness before God. David writes in Psalm 14:1, "There is none who does good, no, not one"; Paul changes the wording in Romans 3:10, "There is none righteous, no, not one."
God makes these powerful indictments against a world in which most people undoubtedly consider themselves as "good." But it is a goodness perceived through their own standards—in a mind not awakened to God's righteousness, filled with the pride of self-righteousness, deceived and blinded by the god of this world (Revelation 12:9; II Corinthians 4:3-4). Such a mind can be, like the unconverted Paul, an accomplice in killing and persecuting God's true children and think all the while it is righteously doing God service (John 16:2). They are like those described in Titus 1:16: "They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work."
According to God, all of us have been somewhere in this picture. As sinners we frequently broke God's law in word, thought and deed, and in many cases, were ignorant of doing so because of the deception and blindness Satan has wrought. But God in His calling removed the veil that was over our minds and revealed Himself, His purpose and His standards. We convicted ourselves of spiritual bankruptcy. Where we formerly thought of ourselves as perhaps involving ourselves in a "little" sin—but basically okay as measured against our neighbor and the evil people in society—we now begin to see ourselves in a far different light. We do not have a leg to stand on before God.
Romans 2:4 makes it clear that only by God's mercy are we led to see ourselves to some degree as He sees us: "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" God enables us to measure our goodness, our righteousness—which He describes as "like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6)—against Him rather than our neighbor. We realize that certain death for sin is staring us right in the face, yet He has graciously provided us with a perfect righteousness in Christ. This offer is not free, though, because we must totally surrender our lives to His rule. Even as it cost Jesus His life to provide this deliverance, it also costs us our lives, as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), to take advantage of God's offer. Nonetheless, it is amazing how hungry and thirsty we become for God's offer of justification leading to salvation.
However, we cannot stop here. Hunger and thirst have brought us this far, but it is only a beginning. If it is a true, godly hunger and thirst, it remains, even though we are justified, because the justified person realizes God has only begun a good work in us (Philippians 1:6). The hungry person will recall Romans 5:1-2:
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Justification brings reconciliation and therefore peace with God and access to Him. But it also brings with it the hungering and thirsting for the very glory of God! What an awesome thing to consider that, once we have an imputed righteousness, having God's very image created in us, imparted to us by His Spirit, is the goal of the process we began through God's calling. It can be ours!
It is a profound but nonetheless true purpose that everyone who catches this vision must surely desire with all his being! Have we ever been offered anything greater? Can any other goal in life even begin to compare? We must not "neglect so great a salvation" (Hebrews 2:3)! We must not let this great potential slip from our grasp! No wonder Jesus used such strong language to describe the driving desire for God's righteousness that pleases Him. And when He sees it in us, He will also satisfy it.
Striving for the Second Righteousness
The second kind of righteousness for which we are to hunger and thirst is the one that occupies the greater portion of our life after conversion. Notice how Jesus states this beatitude. He does not say, "Blessed are those who have hungered . . . ," but rather, "Blessed are those who hunger [do hunger, KJV]." This hungering and thirsting is a continuous state, and it must be this way for the second kind of righteousness, elsewhere called pursuing holiness, going on to perfection, or growing in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Frequently the Bible calls it sanctification. None of these terms is specifically righteousness, but all are contained within its broad meaning. This righteousness is created in us, imparted to us by God's Holy Spirit following justification as we experience our relationship with God. It is seeking godly character to be prepared for living in His Kingdom.
God cannot create His holy and righteous character by fiat. It requires the willing and freely given cooperation of the called; by exercising their free moral agency, they submit to Him in the experiences of life. Submission is difficult, and thus Christianity is no cake-walk through a garden. Jesus often warns that it will require a devotion to Him of such degree that all else must be secondary to Him. We are to bear our crosses and count the cost (Luke 14:26-28). He also warns, "The way is difficult and narrow" (Matthew 7:14), and "He who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 24:13). The trek of the ancient Israelites through the wilderness is a type of the Christian's pilgrimage to the Kingdom of God. Their wilderness experiences expose a number of pitfalls that can destroy a Christian's faith and enthusiasm for continuing to the end.
Through this beatitude, God presents us with a serious challenge. Because it is continuously needed, it establishes a demanding requirement. How much do we want goodness, the righteousness of God? Do we want it as much as a starving man desires food or a parched man wants water? Do we so lack vision that we will give up our faith as all the Israelites, save Joshua and Caleb, did in the wilderness? According to Hebrews 4:1, though they heard the good news, they did not believe it sufficiently. They, therefore, died in the wilderness, their pilgrimage finished before they reached their goal. Rather than submit, they resisted God until their deaths. Apparently, they did not hunger for it.
Most of us have a desire for God's Kingdom and His righteousness, but it is, to our detriment, frequently nebulous rather than sharp. When the time comes to make a choice, we are not prepared to make the required effort or sacrifice that the righteousness of God demands. It is situations like these that reveal that we do not desire righteousness more than anything else.
Why do we do things like this even when we desire righteousness? It is very easy to answer that the problem lies with human nature, and this is not wrong, just quite broad. Jesus gives an answer along this line in Matthew 15:18-20:
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.
The heart symbolizes our innermost being, the source of our words and actions. Today we call it the mind. When God awakens us to some of His great truths, when we at last begin to realize the vital importance of righteousness, there is a blush of first love, and we begin to hunger to apply them in our lives. But what is already in the heart fights almost desperately not to be displaced by the new nature in hope of wearing down our enthusiasm for the truth. Paul illustrates this resistance in Galatians 5:17:
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Why do we not do the things we wish? The answer lies in the extraordinary power of ingrained habits. They are most difficult to break because they have had free sway for so long one unconsciously does what they incite. Paul speaks of this using a different metaphor in Romans 7:23: "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."
The almost constant persistence of these habits can be depressing. If we seem to be making no progress, life can become downright discouraging. But we must not give in to discouragement. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose except that which is of no value for the Kingdom of God anyway. Discouragement that feeds frustration only makes Satan's work that much easier for him.
There are things we can do to enhance the initial hunger God gives to us. If we were physically hungry or thirsty, we would give every last ounce of strength we had to find food and water or die in the effort. We must be willing to do whatever it takes to make progress in our quest for God's righteousness.
As adolescents, we were unaware that growth was taking place until someone who had not seen us for a while brought it to our attention. Even though we were not aware we were growing, we still made efforts to grow by eating and drinking the things that promote growth. In the same way spiritual growth may also seem so slow that we think it is not happening. But we should not let that stop us! We must keep on making the spiritual efforts even as we did the physical, and growth will occur. Keep on praying for others, thanking God for His goodness and mercy, asking for wisdom, love and faith. Keep studying God's Word, filling the mind with
Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8)
Paul writes in II Timothy 3:1, "In the last days perilous times will come." For us, a great deal of that peril exists in the multitude of visible, emotional and audible distractions that occupy minds nurtured by television, movies and radio. Through these mediums we invite the world and much of its appeal directly into our homes. We have come to tolerate television's intrusion into our lives. By means of the Internet, some of us have become information junkies, and others can hardly go anywhere without being accompanied by a playing radio. We need to honestly examine ourselves as to whether we are showing God that what this world bombards our minds with through these mediums is really what we hunger and thirst for. How are they preparing us for the Kingdom of God?
God is the Source of what makes us grow spiritually, so we must strive to keep the relationship with Him vibrantly alive through constant communication and striving to obey. We must fill our minds with His character and His wonderful purpose, counterbalancing these with knowing what this world is really like and what horrific situations those who have no knowledge of Him or His purpose experience. These things will help to put an "edge" on our hunger, helping to keep it alive and sharp.
We must ask God to fill our minds with insight into the glorious way He lives life—free of fear and pain, unworried about murder or harm, always creating and involved in wonderful projects that bring good to others, warmly satisfied in accomplishing good. Do we not desire to live life forever like this too?
Social Righteousness
Because of the nature of Christianity today, the third kind of biblical righteousness does not touch as much on our lives. At the same time, we must not allow ourselves to think it is of little importance. Biblical righteousness is more than a private and personal affair, something only having to do with our direct personal relationship with God. This kind of righteousness can be called a social righteousness. It is hungering and thirsting for righteousness for the community as well as for the self. It can involve civil rights, justice in the courts, integrity in business, and honor in home and family. It is much more evident in the Old Testament, when the covenant people lived in a single community, Israel, as a kingdom of this world. At the very least, this righteousness contemplates, "Let your light so shine before men, that they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
Today, "our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20). Peter describes us as "sojourners and pilgrims," showing Christians as being aliens in a land not theirs, just passing through, as it were, to another place (I Peter 2:11). Paul calls us "ambassadors for Christ" (II Corinthians 5:20). Therefore, in many aspects of the exercise of citizenship normally required in a country of residence, our priority goes to the Kingdom of God.
Jesus is a clear example of what we must seek to do. Despite all of His wonderful powers, He never moved to change society externally. Though exceedingly wiser than the entrenched government, He in no way attempted to overthrow it or get a crowd behind Him to vote it out of existence. He did not participate in its politics, nor did He sit in councils or juries judging cases that normally come to those bodies. The apostle Paul followed His example. There is no record of any of the apostles concerning themselves with these things, even though they were undoubtedly disgusted with the outrageous injustices perpetrated and sympathetic toward the victims. Indeed, like Jesus, they all may have been victims of human government. They, like us, undoubtedly yearned with great desire for the time to come when they could change things according to God's way.
We should have this desire to change things, and thus we pray virtually every day, "Thy kingdom come." But this should not stop us from doing good as we have opportunity. Jesus did move to change society internally by laying the groundwork through the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God and dying for the sins of mankind. He used His office as God's apostle by traveling around the nation doing good through healing, counseling and teaching. He did not do more because it was not yet God's time for it. Similarly, though we do not have the office of God's apostle, we nonetheless have His authority to do good works within the framework of our part of His body.
Thus Paul writes in Galatians 6:9-10:
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
It is noteworthy that Paul includes some incentive to gain more willing participation in seeking this righteousness. We are not to give in to weariness but to know that we will reap reward. That is God's promise. If, like a farmer, we want a harvest, we must also sow.
Cotton Mather, a Puritan preacher, once said, "The opportunity to do good imposes the obligation to do it." He is implying that we have been favored when an opportunity to serve in this manner arises. We are not to do it only when it is convenient or when it will contribute to our fame, but we should do it when we have opportunity, no matter how often it occurs or how much self-denial it takes. Proverbs 3:27-28 adds the Bible's approval of this maxim:
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it," when you have it with you.
We should be thankful for the privilege of representing our Savior in this manner. If we are not, we might need to ask ourselves, "Just how hungry am I to carry out this search for righteousness?"
Filled
Like all the other beatitudes, this one also has a promise. Remember, this is a God-created hunger that begins when He calls us into His Family. When God creates a hunger and thirst in us, it is so that He may fill it. When God creates a need in us to know Him, to understand His will and be like Him, it is for the express purpose of drawing us to Him to embrace all these things as part of ourselves.
Like hungering and thirsting, there is first an initial and then a continuous filling. He fills us with what He is and what we need to negotiate our pilgrimage to His Kingdom safely and securely. He fills us with understanding that we might have His perspective on the affairs of this life and a clear vision of our future life in His Kingdom. He fills us with wisdom that we might apply the understanding He makes available to us. He fills us with a peace that passes all understanding in the midst of an insane world. He fills us with thanksgiving and knowledge of Him that we might praise Him. He fills us with faith, hope and love that we might be like Him (I John 3:2).
He does all this and much more that we might be done with sin forever. Then, according to Revelation 7:16-17,
They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; . . . for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.
Certain portions of Scripture seem to be etched more deeply into people's minds than others. Psalm 23 is definitely one of these, as are I Corinthians 13 and Hebrews 11. The Sermon on the Mount, as Matthew 5-7 is commonly called, is another. Its popularity may stem from its position near the beginning of the New Testament, causing it to be read more frequently than other parts. Far more likely, however, people know it well because of its succinct and strikingly clear teachings that form many of the foundational planks of the Christian way of life. Containing Jesus' description of what His followers should be and do, it comes closer to being Christianity's manifesto than any other single portion of the Bible.
Scholars debate whether Jesus actually gave the Sermon as a single discourse, but Matthew presents it as though it was, and the issue is really moot in terms of the powerful instruction it offers. Among other things, it contains the Beatitudes, brief illustrations on the spirit of the law, and advice about the personal and private nature of a relationship with God, including the so-called Lord's Prayer. It teaches us how to avoid the pulls of this world through trusting in God and seeking His Kingdom and righteousness before all other priorities in life. Chapter 7 includes the well-known Golden Rule, a caution against judging, a warning to beware of false prophets and a final admonition to found ourselves on solid ground by not only hearing but doing.
The Sermon in Matthew's Gospel
Matthew breaks a 400-year-long scriptural silence between Malachi and the birth of Jesus Christ. We have no record that God sent any prophets during that period, though undoubtedly a remnant of faithful people awaited the fulfilling of the promises God had so long before given to Abraham. But when God again began speaking, He spoke through His Son, the chief Apostle, the greatest Prophet, Messiah and soon-to-come King. Jesus came proclaiming a New Covenant and a new way to relate to God, a way independent of the Temple, Jerusalem, Aaronic priesthood or bloody animal sacrifices. As long as it was done decently and in good order, God could be worshipped anytime, anywhere, by those having His Spirit, for God intended His children to worship Him through every avenue of life.
Matthew begins by stating, "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." He refers to Jesus as "the Son of David" seven times in his book, thus connecting Jesus of Nazareth with the throne. His defining theme is Jesus as the promised Messiah, who will save us from our sins and rule over this earth in the Kingdom of God.
The world perceives this book as being the most "Jewish" of New Testament books, but this is only partly correct. Matthew does provide a transition from the Old Covenant to the New, yet the promises made to Abraham—which Matthew presents Jesus as fulfilling—were to Abraham and his seed, which included physical Israel as well. Therefore, it would be more correct to say that Matthew is the most "Israelitish" of New Testament books, including both Israel and Judah. At the time of Christ, the Jews were the only visible part of that far greater body of Abraham's descendants.
Early on, Matthew foreshadows the King's rejection by His own by showing Jesus born outside Jerusalem and worshipped by magi who apparently traveled a long distance from the east. Normally, the King would be born in the city of His throne and worshipped by its citizens. In the fourth chapter, after He defeats Satan in a titanic struggle, leaves His hometown of Nazareth, moves to Capernaum and begins His ministry, the reader discovers that those who knew Him in Nazareth violently rejected Him when He preached to them (Luke 4:16-30). Matthew then reports that Jesus went beyond Jordan into Galilee of the Gentiles and preached to the Gentiles there (Matthew 4:12-16).
Not an auspicious beginning for the greatest Teacher this world has ever seen! However, He patiently persisted in preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God and calling people to repentance. His fame began to spread throughout Galilee, aided greatly by His miracles of healing bodies, minds and spirits, until great multitudes followed Him.
The Sermon's Setting
The Sermon's opening is quite brief, but a number of similarities and contrasts with other places, people and events are of interest. The first is the place. Unlike the scribes and Pharisees, who held Moses' seat and taught in fine auditoriums, Jesus gave this vital address on an unknown mountain. It was not one of the "holy" mountains like Mount Sinai, Mount Zion, Mount Moriah or the Mount of Olives, but an anonymous, ordinary mount, again outside Jerusalem, with no distinguishing holiness or history.
There are more contrasts than similarities when one compares this event with Moses and Israel at Mount Sinai. Here, Christ goes up the mountain and preaches a sermon that is really an exposition of the law. When the law was given, the Lord came down on the mount. When God spoke the law, it was accompanied by thunder, lightning and earthquake, while the people—ordered to keep their distance—cowered in fear. This time He speaks in a small still voice, and the people are invited to draw near. Small things? Maybe, but significant in that they are recorded.
Yet His going up into the mountain may have an even deeper significance by drawing attention to Matthew's theme. On other occasions he also highlights the place from which Jesus taught. In Matthew 13:36, Jesus speaks "in the house." In chapter 17:1, He is transfigured into glory before the eyes of Peter, James and John "on a high mountain." In chapter 24:3, He delivers the end-time prophecy on the Mount of Olives. Finally, in chapter 28:16, the risen Christ, the Conqueror of death, commissions His apostles from the mountain. In each case, God, by showing Him in an elevated place, subtly draws attention to the Christ's royal authority. As our Lord, He is above.
Another fact, while seemingly small, is not entirely insignificant considering these things: He sat as He proclaimed the laws of His Kingdom. This was the common practice of Jewish teachers: Jesus says in Matthew 23:2, "The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat." However, His sitting intimates something more than merely accommodating the prevailing mode of teaching of that time. Mark 1:22, from a time very early in Christ's ministry, reads, "They were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." In Matthew this comment appears as the concluding remarks of the Sermon (7:28-29). As Jesus declares His Kingdom's laws, He speaks with an authority that transcended that of the Jewish leaders. Therefore, His posture is better seen as symbolic of the King sitting on His throne and "laying down the law."
To Whom Did He Preach It?
Virtually every picture of this Sermon, whether in a movie or painting, portrays Jesus speaking to a large multitude. Some reason exists to assume this because Matthew 4 ends with great multitudes following Him; chapter 5, as the sermon begins, opens with Him seeing the multitudes; and when chapter 8 begins, great multitudes follow Him again. In Mark and Luke when He was preaching other messages, "great multitudes" and "innumerable multitudes" describe the size of the crowds listening to Him. Undoubtedly, Jesus attracted large numbers of people to hear Him.
However, in this case the stronger evidence lies with the understanding that it was a sermon intended for His disciples. Though others besides the twelve may have been listening, Jesus did not speak to a great multitude. Matthew 5:1 begins with, "And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain . . .," clearly giving the impression that He went up the mountain to withdraw from the multitudes. Then the verse says, ". . . and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him." The multitudes did not consist of disciples. The disciples were those already committed to Him and His way. It is they who gathered before Him, and at this time in His ministry, it was a very small number. Verse 1 gives the distinct impression that Jesus gave His concentrated instruction to a small group of people. When He came down from the mountain, multitudes again became part of His following.
There is no doubt, though, to whom this message applies. Some parts of its instruction might be considered as of a general nature, yet the overwhelming majority of it applies only to the converted, those having the Spirit of God. Its thrust is not evangelistic—intended to call people into the church—but internal, as it sets standards for those already converted to prepare them for God's Kingdom when it comes in its fullness. The instruction is intensely practical; it deals, not as much with things to be believed, but with things to be done.
The Sermon tells us what our attitudes must become and admonishes us to be lights to the world. We must not lust or allow our anger to be uncontrolled or frivolous. We must turn the other cheek, agree with our adversary quickly, go the extra mile and love our enemy. It tells us how to pray, fast, do charitable deeds, lay up treasure in heaven, be single minded, exercise our faith in trusting God, seek Him before all other things in life and much more. The point is clear. These are all things the converted must actively do to witness for God, glorify Him and be in His Kingdom. They are not intended to be the limit but a summary of the attitudes, thoughts and works of one striving for the Kingdom of God.
An Application for Today
Currently, the membership of God's church has been scattered to the four winds. Unity seems only a distant hope or something wistfully remembered from good times past. The church is in anxiety-producing turmoil and confusion as its members search to make sense of all that has happened while seeking direction for their lives. The Bible contains a model of this in the example of the first-century church. Its strength and unity also dissipated as the apostles died and false doctrine crept in. The church of that era lost its first love.
Jesus prophesies that He would spew the end-time Laodicean church out of His mouth if it did not repent of its ungodly attitudes. It has come to pass. Laodiceanism is nothing more than a lackadaisical worldliness regarding our relationship to God and the application of His way to our lives. Worldliness is simply being like the world. It defines an attitude toward our relationship to God and our failure to reflect His way of life in our lives.
We urgently need not only to see but also to feel the greatness of our separation from God and each other in this scattering. If the church conforms to the world, and the two appear to the outsider to be merely two versions of the same thing, the church is obviously either losing or has lost its God-intended identity.
A major lesson of I Corinthians 12 is that the church is no more than the sum of its individual members as God has placed us in it. Because of this, we have responsibilities to each other. The church is therefore strengthened or weakened, elevated or depressed, unified or scattered, by the attitudes and conduct of its individual parts. As each member reflects Jesus Christ in his life, the church is strengthened, elevated and unified. As we reflect the world, the opposite occurs. Paul says in I Corinthians 12:26, "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."
Can it be said of us that we are no different from any reasonably well-behaved and "good" carnal person? Have we taken the opportunity during this time of distress in the church to examine ourselves so thoroughly that we can truly say that we have brought every thought into obedience to Christ (II Corinthians 10:5)? How do we fare in living by every word of the Sermon on the Mount? If the church is ever to be turned around, each of us must take responsibility for the church's condition and quit pointing fingers of scorn at others, waiting for someone else to do something. We can all do something positive toward unity by changing ourselves.
Now is an excellent time to refresh our minds of a major instruction in Romans 14:7-13:
For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.
These verses give the proper perspective of our relationship and responsibilities to Christ and our brothers and sisters in the church. Paul wrote this to confront a problem, judging and scorn, that was dividing the church. The counsel he gives fits our circumstances, and if used, it can go a long way toward solving many of our problems. He reminds us first to remember to whom we belong, why we belong to Him and what responsibility this gives us. We belong to Christ because He died for us, rose from the grave, and now sits at the right hand of God, judging those the Father has called into His church.
We should be acutely aware of this, knowing we are being judged according to what we do. We are to strive with all our being to please Him by living as He lived, not to serve ourselves but to serve Him and the church. Judging each other does not fall into our area of responsibility. Living according to the Sermon on the Mount does. If we do this, we will not cause any brother to fall. We appear not to be striving hard enough to please Christ, which is why we continue to split.
Be Holy for I am Holy
The theme of the whole Bible is that God's purpose is to call out for Himself a holy people, set apart from the world to belong to Him and to obey Him. This people's work is to be true to its identity—to be holy or different from this world in outlook, attitude, speech and conduct. To this end He has called us to be "in Christ" and to grow to the measure of the stature of His fullness. Undoubtedly, Jesus lived His life just as He instructed His disciples to live when He spoke from that mountain almost 2,000 years ago. The principles He enunciated are eternal. They apply just as surely to us today as they did to His original audience.
Notice what God tells Israel just after He brought them out of Egypt:
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the LORD your God.'" (Leviticus 18:1-4)
Because He was their God, the covenant God, and they were His special people, they were to be different from everybody else. They were to keep His commandments and not take their lead from those around them.
As Israel journeyed through the wilderness, they encountered Balaam, whom Balak had hired to prophesy against them. However, God intervened: "Then the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, ‘Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.'" (Numbers 23:5). Verse 9 contains part of what Balaam prophesied about Israel. "For from the top of the rocks I see him [Israel], and from the hills I behold him; there! A people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations."
God thus admonishes Israel in Deuteronomy 12:29-30:
When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, "How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise."
But the centuries of history that God records in the Old Testament testify that Israel kept forgetting their God-intended uniqueness. They kept becoming assimilated to the peoples around them. As Psalm 106:34-38 says of them:
They did not destroy the peoples, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them, but they mingled with the Gentiles and learned their works; they served their idols, which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood.
Israel did not merely neglectfully drift into worldliness. Some individuals undoubtedly did, but Ezekiel and Samuel make it plain that Israel as a whole greatly desired to be like the nations around them. Ezekiel 20:32 says:
What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, "We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone."
Notice Samuel's experience with this desire:
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make for us a king to judge us like all the nations." . . . Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." (I Samuel 8:4-5, 19-20)
God pleaded with them, "Do not learn the way of the Gentiles" (Jeremiah 10:1-2), and through Ezekiel He cried out to the same generation, "Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God" (Ezekiel 20:7).
No matter what area of communal life, whether religion, government, economics, national defense, entertainment, fashions or education, Israel persisted in turning a stubborn neck and deaf ear to God while openly seeking the ways of the nations around. It is no mystery why God allowed His judgment to fall on Israel and Judah:
For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. . . . Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them and delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His sight. (II Kings 17:7-8, 19-20)
Israel and Judah, rather than being different by living God's way, had conformed to the world around them. They were worldly. Thus, Israel first and then Judah about 120 years later fell in military campaigns and the people were taken into captivity. Israel remains scattered and virtually unknown among the nations. It has not returned to the land of its birth. Judah has returned a few people to the homeland so it is at least known, but its greater number are likewise scattered among the nations. It is a clear picture but not a pretty sight.
Can we see any parallels between Israel's example and what has happened to the church in our time?
The prophets provide instruction about what we should do in times like these:
» Therefore say to the house of Israel, "Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.'" (Ezekiel 14:6)
» Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:7)
But Jeremiah 3:6-10 clearly shows Israel's and Judah's response.
The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: "Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.' But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense," says the Lord.
In the Context of Our Time
Now is a time of decision for all of us, and the choices are clear. We have allowed the world to squeeze us into its mold through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (I John 2:15-17). We have neglected our high calling and drifted into such a precarious spiritual condition that God had to scatter us to get our attention! Either we must enthusiastically choose to give evidence of our loyalty to God through whole-hearted repentance and obedient submission to Him, or we will neglectfully or confusedly continue to drift in our relationship with Him, as we have the last decade or so. We cannot wait for somebody to unify the church. We must settle it in our minds that unity begins with each of us individually—and primarily in our devotion to our relationship with Him.
We must see the Sermon on the Mount in this sort of context. It is set in the beginning of the first gospel account just after Jesus began His ministry. It is the first thing our eye falls upon after the introduction sets the stage. Matthew 4:17 says, "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" The very reason Jesus had come was to inaugurate the Kingdom. If it was on the threshold then, almost 2,000 years ago, imagine how close it is now to its fullness! Can we afford to ignore this foundational, concentrated instruction intended for us, His disciples?
The Sermon on the Mount portrays the repentance, the complete change of mind, and the righteousness that belong to the Kingdom. It describes what human life and human community (as in a church) look like when they come under the gracious rule of God. Our scattered, bickering, fault-finding, and disunited condition certainly does not give evidence we are living under His gracious rule.
Do we not look more like what we would ordinarily expect from the world? We are to be holy, different, set apart from the world! We are not to take our cue from the people around us but from Him, and thus prove to be genuine children of our heavenly Father. A key statement of this is Matthew 6:8: "Therefore do not be like them," reminiscent of what God says in Leviticus 18:3, quoted above.
Our character, as described in the Beatitudes, is to be completely distinct from that admired by the world. We are to shine as lights in the darkness of this world. How can we shine if we are just like them? No distinctive difference would exist. Our righteousness in ethical behavior and true devotion to God is to exceed that of the religious folk around us. We are to have love even for our enemies, people whom the world would utterly reject or fight against if put in a similar situation.
There is hardly a verse in the entire Sermon where Jesus is not contrasting what He wants us to be with the way the world was in His day and still is. This is its underlying theme. Human nature never changes, so the same challenges He placed before them face us. Sometimes the contrasts are with the religious Jews and sometimes the Gentiles, but they are always drawn to leave us without excuse about knowing what is expected of us.
The Gentiles love and salute each other, but Christians are to love their enemies. They pray after a fashion, "heaping up empty phrases," but we should pray with the humble thoughtfulness of children to their Father in heaven. They are preoccupied with material necessities, but we are to trust God and seek first His Kingdom and righteousness. The Jews love to proclaim their charity and piety in fasting, but we must give, pray and fast "in secret" by faith, knowing God is aware and looking to Him for response, not the acclaim of others. Thus the Sermon on the Mount teaches us we are to be different—different from both the religious and the irreligious secular world.
The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete, single delineation in the New Testament of what might be called a true Christian counter-culture. In the 1960s the hippie generation dropped out of society to seek a culture that ran counter to the violent, cold and loveless one they found themselves living in. Their efforts ended in utter failure. They had neither a correct conception nor the right spirit. But Christ's Sermon presents us with a true Christian value system, ethical standard, religious devotion, attitude to material things and a network of relationships—all of which are at total variance with this world's.
What has happened to the church is good evidence that God has spewed us out because He found us distasteful, but Revelation 3:19-20 does not leave us in a hopeless state. As He did so many times with ancient Israel, God holds out His hand to us and encourages us to change:
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
The Sermon on the Mount is a trustworthy guide for us. Each of us should urgently examine ourselves against it and with God's help reestablish a strong and loving relationship with Him by humbly submitting to Him in obedience to the Sermon's instructions. We can then be assured we will not be worldly, and God will restore us to a unity far better than we ever had before.
Repentance is the key, and the Sermon gives the direction. God expects His children to submit to it. Living it can only produce good fruit.
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