|
Today’s scripture readings are full of contrasts. Unlike the popular belief that the truth is to be found somewhere in the middle, the scripture teaches that there is a distinct difference between right and wrong. The scripture also teaches us that the Lord’s ways are much different than ours. So what we may hold up as important and honorable in society, the Lord sees the hearts of people and judges us accordingly. As we look at the contrasts of God’s view and the world’s view, it is important to remember that we ourselves are known for who we truly are before the Lord God.
Let us begin with the prophet Jeremiah. Now Jeremiah was of the small tribe of Benjamin who were located north of Judah in the Northern Kingdom. During the time of Jeremiah’s laments, Judah was under the rule of the Babylonians. Jeremiah’s writings at this time reflect the persecutions which he suffered for his preaching of repentance to the people of God. Jeremiah believed that obedience to the commandments and the teachings of Moses was Judah’s only hope for survival. This was in direct contrast with the contemporary view of elevating temple worship over obedience to the Law of Moses.
In today’s Old Testament reading, Jeremiah compares those who put their trust in humans like unto shrubs in the desert, parched places of the wilderness and uninhabited salt land. In contrast, those who put their trust in the Lord are likened to a tree planted by water. Jeremiah describes this tree in this way, “sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leave shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.”
In other words, those who do not trust in the Lord are barren, while those who do trust in the Lord are fruitful even in times of drought. Because the wise place their trust in a higher power than mere mortals, they are able to not only endure times of trouble, but they even continue to prosper during the times of hardship. Those who place their trust in the Lord are sustained by the Living Water, which is the Spirit of the Lord. Many centuries later in the New Testament, Jesus will reveal that He is the giver of the Living Water in a conversation He has with a Samaritan woman at a well.
In the gospel of John, chapter 4, verse 10, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink’, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’” Later in the same conversation, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman, “…those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”
It is those who seek the Lord and trust in Him who is rewarded, because as Jeremiah teaches, it is the Lord who knows our hearts. Jeremiah writes, “The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse—who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.”
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus states something very similar to what Jeremiah writes. Jesus states in chapter 7, verses 18 through 20, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” It is through the actions of those who claim to be believers that the truth is seen as to whether or not a person is truly of the Lord. False believers seek only the approval of others, while true believers seek the approval of the Lord.
The psalmist describes the righteous as “like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither, everything they do shall prosper.” While the wicked are “like chaff which the wind blows away.” As we are seeing, the scriptures use contrast to show the difference between the righteous and the unrighteous. The righteous are rewarded, while the wicked are punished.
In today’s gospel reading from Luke, we are given four Blesseds and four Woes. The Blesseds are contrary to what the world upholds as good, while the Woes are the opposite of what the world sees as bad. It is as though Jesus were holding up a mirror to the values in this world and saying that they are the opposite of how we perceive things to be.
In this world, the secular goal is to be rich, have plenty of food, have lots of fun and to desire that all speak well of you. Yet, Jesus proclaims that these things are not blessings, but woes or sorrows. How can this be? According to Jesus, it is the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and those persecuted for following Christ, who should be rejoicing and leaping for joy, because they will be rewarded greatly in heaven.
Through the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches us that we are not to be striving for the goals of this world. Instead, as true believers, our goals need to be set on becoming Christlike. Jesus gave up His place in Heaven to become poor for us in order for all to be free to come to Him. If we want to follow Him, then we need to reach out to those who are poorer than us. For it is in their poverty and hunger, that they share the common hardship lived by Jesus when He was on this earth.
Jesus did not come into this world to party and have a good time. Instead, Jesus came into this world to bear our sorrows and to be acquainted with grief. If we truly want to walk the walk that Jesus walked, then we need to be willing to bear each other’s sorrows and to share in carrying one another’s burdens. It is in giving of ourselves to one another wherein we will discover the Christ in one another. Jesus warns us that living Christlike lives will not make us popular. Instead we will be hated, excluded, reviled and defamed. Yet, if we truly want to know the heart of Christ and to be found pleasing before the Lord, then we must be willing to suffer for Christ’s sake.
By placing our trust in the Lord and looking to Christ, we can know victory in this world and beyond. We will become like the tree planted by water, not living in fear, but in faith. It is a life led by faith in God that is pleasing to the Lord. It is not that we are called to live in poverty and hunger, but we are called to live our lives for Christ, by reaching out to those in need and being willing to take a stand for Christ – no matter what it may cost us.
| 
