Daily Devotion for Lent 2024, Day 1 Ash Wednesday

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he began to speak and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

                       Matthew 5:1-3 (NRSVue)

Matthew records Jesus teaching this sermon on the mountain while Luke records it being preached on a level place.  Matthew wrote his gospel to a Christian community that was birthed out of Judaism.  The adherents to the faith would have been raised in the Jewish tradition and so Matthew uses a lot of soft comparisons of Jesus with Moses.  Just as Moses receives the 10 Commandments on a mountain, Jesus gives the beatitudes on one as well.

The first blessing shows that the poor in spirit inherit the kingdom of heaven.  

This child probably doesn't feel blessed.

I was always confused by this as a child in that it reminded me of a poor sport which I knew wasn't a good attribute.  The Common English Bible translates it as hopeless which is a little better than poor sport but it is still pretty negative.

How can someone without hope - poor in spirit - receive the kingdom of heaven?

This is one of the reversals of Jesus' teaching that is so common in his parables.  Normally, people in Jesus' day that had it all together were thought to have God's blessing.   I would say that even though we know better, a large majority people operate as if those who have it all together have been blessed by God.

The opposite conclusion of this thinking is that some people who are living in difficult circumstances are somehow cursed by God.  I think that the beatitudes are trying to reverse this philosophy.  

The hope we retain from this is that even in the midst of tragedy, God remains with us.  This reminds me of the Mark Miller (a good United Methodist) song, "I Believe" which states, "I believe in love even when I don't feel it."

How do we share with people that God is with them even when bad things are happening?

I believe that the Christian ethic is to step up and be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world today.  Because every human being has experienced doubt in the midst of pain, we can offer faith and light in the midst of darkness.

Prayer for the day: 

Gracious God, we believe that you love all the children of the world.  But we also realize that not all children feel love or even security.  As we encounter people in the world, remind us that each person is somebody's child.  And as we increase our faith, may we also recognize you are this "somebody."  May we be a witness to your love to someone today so that your blessing may be true.  Amen.

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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.