MPC, 1st June 2003.Matthew 5:1-16 "Apologies Accepted"
Phil Campbell MPC, 1st June 2003.
Mike Seccombe, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald last Thursday, summed up, I think, the feelings of the nation. He was writing about the Governor General. And his final speech as he explained his resignation to the nation.
"At the very end," says Mike Seccombe, "Hollingworth at last succeeded in striking the right note while addressing the allegations that have dogged him for most of his term. The difference," says Seccombe, "was penitence. There was only a brief burst of self-justification. Otherwise, there was little hint of the blame-shifting and rationalisation which has been a pattern in Hollingworth's recent career.
In another column, Geoff Kitney said the same. "Peter Hollingworth finally got it right." He says, "His farewell statement to the nation last night was an appropriate admission of culpability and contrition. Only the most cynical would not have been moved."
Now I want you to dwell on some of those words. Because whether you think the governor general was unfairly hounded from office, or whether you think he had to go, there's something true in those news reports. And that is, that rightly or wrongly, the Australian public was looking for something other than arrogance. The Australian public was looking for something other than self righteousness. People weren't going to be satisfied with blame shifting and rationalisation.
When you meet people who do that in your own life, you know how much you long for something different. Which Peter Hollingworth finally, according to the papers, which Peter Hollingworth finally on Wednesday afternoon, got right. Admission of culpability. I was wrong. Genuine penitence. I'm so terribly sorry. And contrition. I humble myself and ask for your forgiveness.
Which of course is nothing less than what God expects... from his people Israel. After their long, dark time of punishment for their sin.
For these people who are called the people of God, you'd look back at their history and you'd say, what's gone wrong? I mean, they're like the little kid in the playground, pushed around by one bully after another. They were smashed by the Babylonians. And before they could even put things properly back together, they're smashed all over again.
The people of Israel are longing for something better. The people of Israel are longing for the kingdom of God to come. For God to step in and put everything right. Longing for blessing. And they're wondering... why it hasn't happened.
They're trying their best. People like the Pharisees. Who say, we'll get obeying God's law down to such a fine art that he'll have to be impressed. And everyone else will have to be impressed with us as well. And the teachers of the law they hang around with. Who go through every word, who argue every sentence. Experts on the scriptures. Who have missed just one thing.
Something important. That Moses said right from the start. And the other prophets have repeated over and over again. And that is, if you're looking for blessing from God again... then come back with a contrite heart. If you're looking for blessing from God again, make sure you come back humble. If you're looking for blessing from God again... come back with a lowly spirit.
Isaiah 57:14. Listen to this:
And it will be said: "Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people." For this is what the high and lofty One says - he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."
God's ready to restore. When Israel's ready to be contrite. Isaiah says, God's ready to create praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel. The broken and humble.
Who admit their culpability. Instead of hiding behind self righteousness. Whose penitence is genuine. Who are contrite... right to the heart.
And the best Israel can do is a bunch of Pharisees and teachers of the law who go around criticising everybody. While they pat themselves on the back for their own superior righteousness. And they're saying, why doesn't God bless us?
Into that situation... here's Jesus. Preaching in the wilderness. Saying, repent. Because the Kingdom's very near now. Here's Jesus. Withstanding the testing of the devil like Israel always should have. Here's Jesus. Saying to Israel, it's decision time. Are you going to be washed with the Spirit? Or are you going to be the stubble in the fire?
And with all that in mind, here in Matthew 5, Jesus sits down on the mountainside, and begins to teach. In what's been called the Sermon on the Mount. Now when he saw the crowds, verse 1, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying... you wonder why Israel's not blessed? Well, it's like this.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit. For theirs... is the kingdom of heaven."
The word he uses there, poor... it literally in the Greek means crouching like a beggar. Which is exactly what Isaiah said. And the prophets. Come back with a humble heart. With a contrite and lowly spirit. And God will meet you with open arms.
Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." And it's Isaiah again. "Blessed are the meek. For they... will inherit the earth."
Now can I suggest that for any Pharisees listening in, these words are absolute poison. Because they're not meek at all. They're proud. They're not mourning about anything. Which is exactly how Israel had been for hundreds of years since their exile.
It's still a horrible thing, isn't it, when you see power and pride dressed up in the name of God? And the last 2000 years or so, we've done a pretty good job of making the mistakes of the Pharisees all over again. In the name of this same Jesus sitting on the mountainside talking about the need to be humble in spirit, the need to be meek, the need to be in mourning before God about the terrible botch up we've made of things... we build cathedrals, we dress up in ornate robes, we process up and down in purple finery; and if you asked the average Australian their perception of what the church is about it would be the absolute opposite of poor in spirit.
We need to watch we don't make all the same mistakes as Israel.
Let's press on. Verse 6. And the fourth of these 9 statements that have been come to be known as the Beatitudes.
I wonder... if you can think back to the last time you were really hungry. Or really thirsty. It's 35 degrees in the sun, you're mowing the lawn, your mouth's parched. And you're longing for a long, cool drink. To the point where you can think of nothing else. But the ice cubes. And the first sip of your favourite lime cordial.
Or you're in Survivor Amazon on TV. Joanna in the last series said she was starving. Most days, all they got to eat was a sort of a maize porridge. And Joanna says all she could think about when she was hungry was the strawberry cake her sister makes every Thanksgiving.
Well, Jesus looks around the crowd of Israelites on the slopes of the mountain, and he says, how hungry are you? Are you hungry and thirsty, he says, for righteousness? Because here it is. Verse 6. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness... for they... will be filled."
I mean, you would have thought every Israelite would be hungry for righteousness. You would have thought as the people of God they'd have a passion... for pleasing God. A passion for truth, a passion for integrity, a passion for goodness and love.
It's interesting. A lot of what Jesus is saying here comes out of Isaiah chapter 57. Where God's got something to say about Israel's righteousness. Because the reason they're not hungry and thirsty for righteousness is they're so full of self righteousness. Isaiah says, "they think they're righteous. But they're not. They think they're full of good works. But the only ones they impress are themselves." And so God says, Isaiah 57 verse 12 and 13, "I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not benefit you. When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you!"
The danger is, they're too easily satisfied. And they've confused their junk food for the real thing. Jesus says, if you're not satisfied, if you're hungry for righteousness, if you're thirsty... you've come to the right café. If you're hungry and thirsty for righteousness, stick with me. And you'll be filled.
And the Pharisees will sniff and say, we're righteous enough already.
So what sort of Israel is God looking for? An Israel with hungry hearts. Longing for something better. Longing to be the people they should be.
Verses 7 to 9 paint the picture.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Here's the problem with Israel. They think somehow God owes them something. But they're not interested in mercy. They're not pure of heart. They're not peacemakers. And yet they think they've got every right to be called sons of God.
So you want to see a real son of God? We've met him already. Where God says as Jesus is baptised back in chapter 3, "This is my son whom I love. With him I am well pleased." And as you keep reading Matthew's gospel you'll see it over and over again. That Jesus himself is going to be what Israel ought to be. The point is, who's coming with him? And that's what he's going to be asking in the sermon on the Mount. Who, with a humble and a contrite heart, is hungry and thirsty for righteousness. Who wants to be pure and merciful in heart? Who wants to be a peacemaker? Because the ultimate peacemaker... the ultimate pure heart... is right there with them on the mountainside. Looking to gather up the Israel that wants to be what a true Israel should be. The question is, will anybody step forward? Is anybody listening? Is there anybody in Israel who is hungry for that sort of thing? Or not?
We're going to see more in the next couple of weeks as the Sermon on the Mount unfolds. With a picture of what real righteousness looks like. A righteousness that goes right to the heart. That's not just about religious posturing and keeping up appearances. But cuts far deeper.
Jesus says, if you want that... if you're hungry for righteousness... then keep listening. And stick with me.
But before we finish you'll need to notice that keeping company with Jesus isn't a ticket to popularity and success. And right from the start there's a warning that if that's what you're looking for, you've come to the wrong place.
What you're in for if you step forward, says Jesus, is persecution. Just like the prophets got when they called Israel to repent. What you're in for if you come with me is persecution. What you'll get if you're hungry for righteousness is persecution as well.
But it's worth it. Because the kingdom of heaven is worth it.
What you'll get, Jesus says in verse 11, is insults, and persecution and false accusations, because of him. And when you do, he says rejoice. And be glad. Because of the reward that's waiting in heaven.
And you keep reading in Matthew's gospel, that's exactly how things unfold. Especially for Jesus. As the false accusations and the insults and the persecution take him to the cross.
And yet he says it's worth it. For the glory that lies ahead. For the glory of seeing God. Being called sons of God. And inheriting at last a restored creation.
The key thing for Israel is to realise they were meant to be the salt of the earth. They were meant to be the light on a hill. They were meant to be the one nation of all the nations that showed what real righteousness looked like.
And instead of that, they just wanted to be like everybody else. With their idols, with their corruption, with their compromise. Still keeping the machinery of religion going. But underneath the veneer, rotten to the core.
Which is easy, isn't it?
And there's a warning. A warning to Israel in verse 13. A warning that if they're not going to be what they're meant to be, then it's time for a change.
Read what he says. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses it's saltiness, what's it good for? How can it be made salty again?" I mean, what are you going to do, sprinkle some salt on the salt to make it salty? He says if you're not going to be what you're meant to be, then the time is coming. He says, It's no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
Which is hardly subtle, is it?
You're meant to be the light of the world. Different. Distinct. Don't hide it. Let your light shine before men... so they'll see your good deeds, and praise your father in heaven. Be the Israel that you're meant to be. Full of righteousness and truth.
And if Israel doesn't want that? Well, Jesus is putting the positions vacant sign up on the company noticeboard. Because one way or another, God's looking for a people who really want it.
It's like a story Jesus tells later. Chapter 22. About a banquet that's prepared for the wedding guests. For Israel. And they decide not to come. So everyone's invited.
Seats at the table for anyone hungry and thirsty for righteousness. Seats at the table for anyone who wants to come with a contrite heart. Humble and poor in Spirit. For anyone who wants to follow Jesus no matter what persecutions come with the deal.
So if you ask the question, what does God want from you, the answer is exactly the same. God wanted an Israel that was hungry and thirsty for righteouness.
What are you hungry for? Bruce Springsteen's song "Everybody's Got a Hungry Heart" says you can try to fill the hunger with girls you meet in bars. Doesn't work. Maybe with success and a comfortable lifestyle.
The funny thing in the Sermon on the Mount - and maybe the scary thing - is that Jesus doesn't criticise. He doesn't even challenge where your hunger lies. He just offers. Lays the offer on the table. Says "here's the kind of attitude God's looking for in his people Israel." And it's the kind of attitude he's looking for in you as well. Here's the kind of hunger - a hunger for righteousness - that's going to be filled.
And so it leaves you with the question. Are you? I mean, is that what you've come to Jesus looking for? Deep in your heart, does the Spirit move you to say, what I really want, it isn't more money or a new car... what I really long for is a righteous heart. I look inside myself and I don't like it; I've got a soul that's got cracked lips. And I'm thirsty. And I'm hungry. And I've got nothing to be proud of.
If that's you, Jesus says, great start. Keep listening. As he goes on to spell out what a righteous heart's going to look like. And then to show it in action. As he lives out the life of the perfect son of God. And dies for the failures of the rest of us.
So stop shifting the blame. Forget the self justification and the rationalisations and the good track record and the people who think you're impressive. And ponder on words like penitence. And culpability and contrition. Words that describe a hungry heart. Because if you're hungry, you've come to the right place. And you need to stay tuned. And be here next week. For the Sermon on the Mount Part 2.