FOCUS SCRIPTURE
Matthew 5:1-12
DAILY BYTE
If you find yourself at a crossroads in your life, unsure of the path you need to choose to follow your true purpose, what are the values and principles that will influence that decision? It’s essential to recognise that compared to the values and principles of this world, the values and principles of God’s kingdom are upside-down. Donald Kraybill in his excellent book The Upside-Down Kingdom writes:
The gospels suggest that the kingdom of God is inverted or upside down when compared with the conventionally accepted values, norms and relationships of ancient Palestinian society and of modern culture today…. Patterns of social organization which are routinely taken for granted in modern culture are questioned by kingdom values. Kingdom ways of living do not mesh smoothly with the dominant society. In fact they may sometimes appear foolish. The kingdom way often elicits responses of surprise and astonishment from the secular audience...
Again and again in parables sermons, and acts Jesus startles us. Things are not like they are supposed to be. The stories don’t end as we expected. The Good Guys turn out to be the Bad Guys. The ones we expected to receive a reward get spanked. Things are reversed. Paradox, irony, and surprise permeate the life of Jesus. The least are the greatest. The immoral receive forgiveness and blessing. Adults become like children. The religious miss the heavenly banquet. The pious receive curses. Things are just not like we think they should be. We are baffled, perplexed, and most of all surprised. We are caught off guard. We step back in amazement. We aren’t sure if we should laugh or cry. The kingdom surprises us again and again by turning our world upside down.
Some of the surprising, startling, alarming values and principles of this upside-down kingdom include the following:
- The way up is down.
Climbing the ladders of material success, political influence and social prestige may raise your status in the eyes of the world, but in God’s Kingdom the exact opposite is true. Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45). - True strength is found in weakness.
There was an area of weakness in the Apostle Paul’s life that was a source of frustration to him. We don’t know what it was, but he called it “the thorn in my flesh” and he pleaded for it to be taken away. But then he heard these words spoken by Christ to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul discovered that this was true, that it was in his weakness that he came to experience God’s great strength like never before, and so he was able to say, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10) or as Eugene Peterson’s wonderful translation of one of the beatitudes puts it: “You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.” (Matthew 5:3). - The way to find your life is to lose it.
Using the analogy of a grain of wheat that must ‘die’ (i.e be buried in the ground) if it is to realize its true purpose and potential, Jesus said that those who try to hold onto their life, unwilling to risk giving it away in service to others and the world, would discover that theirs is a hollow, empty and ‘lifeless’ kind of life. But those who give their lives away will discover what real living is all about. - The last shall be first
In the eyes of God, the poor and the marginalized, the weak and the vulnerable, the widows and the orphans, the homeless and the unemployed, the sick and the handicapped, the destitute and the dying, the frail and the forgotten - in the eyes of God these have a special place and are recipients of God’s special care. In fact, in the eyes of God, these are the ones who are first in line for the blessings and riches of the Kingdom.
Which of these upside-down Kingdom principles is most difficult for you to accept? Why do you think that is so?
PRAYER
Lord, the upside-down ways of your kingdom upset so many of the accepted customs and conventions of this world that so many people simply take for granted. And to be honest, sometimes I’m not sure what to make of all of this. But as I look at the mess of this world and its ways, I know that something radically different is needed. And I can get a sense of the incredible life and freedom that the values and principles of your Kingdom bring. Help me to embrace the upside-down-ness of the gospel message, taking it to heart and so allowing it to re-align my life according to that which is excellent, life-giving and true. And whenever I find myself at a crossroads moment in my life, unsure of the path I need to choose, remind me of the upside-down nature of your Kingdom, and give me the courage to follow the path that most closely corresponds with that. Amen.
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