Blessedness and Jesus' words today
"Enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure or good fortune" is what it is to be blessed, according to the Visual thesaurus. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." I became curious as to who Jesus was talking to. I always assumed it was the crowd. Interestingly the start of the Beautitudes is to the disciples, but once Jesus gives the parable of building on sand and rock, "the crowd is astonished."
I don't know why it matters who he was talking to. I guess I read this as a proverb more than a magic formula this morning. Some would use this as a binding contract with God, "You said, in your word, that if I were merciful I would be given mercy. I now claim this promise!" But is that how this works? How much mercy makes us one of the merciful? If our identity were really that of the merciful, would we allow such distance and distrust in order to get our way? Even if our way was based on justice, goodness, wanting the best for others; love? Maybe.
And yet, why can't we take God at his word? Are we making something of the Bible that only relationship was meant to be? Is Jesus' talking to his intimate disciplines and then a crowd who was sweating under the same sun as him, feeling the same breeze as him, something I can claim as my own because technology has allowed these words to exist for centuries?
I don't know why it matters who he was talking to. I guess I read this as a proverb more than a magic formula this morning. Some would use this as a binding contract with God, "You said, in your word, that if I were merciful I would be given mercy. I now claim this promise!" But is that how this works? How much mercy makes us one of the merciful? If our identity were really that of the merciful, would we allow such distance and distrust in order to get our way? Even if our way was based on justice, goodness, wanting the best for others; love? Maybe.
And yet, why can't we take God at his word? Are we making something of the Bible that only relationship was meant to be? Is Jesus' talking to his intimate disciplines and then a crowd who was sweating under the same sun as him, feeling the same breeze as him, something I can claim as my own because technology has allowed these words to exist for centuries?
posted by Learner at 3/31/2006 09:56:00 AM
2 Comments:
I am intrigued by Jesus being the Logos. Does the Church follow the Bible or Jesus? Has the Logos or Jesus boiled down to the Bible through modernity? This would help us better understand about the Beatitudes, as well as many other things Jesus taught.
Hi Jason,
Your Prof here. I enjoyed this format very much. It was easier to read and of course the pictures were a delight.
You really did struggle with a variety of different forms of daily devotions. I was impressed with your willingness to really move outside your comfort zone.
Thank you for sharing to the extend that you did. So is this a blog that anyone can access?
Ian
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