Go: Jesus’ Radical Blueprint for Joy
Matthew 5:12
2 June 2024
Focus Statement:
Jesus challenges our conventional ideas of joy and calls us to live out his radical blueprint for joy as we embody attitudes that build a world reflecting God’s love and compassion.
Prayer:
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable to you, God, Earth-maker, Pain-Bearer, Life-Giver, who challenges us to live out your radical blueprint for joy, both for us and for the world. Amen.
How are your hearts this morning? As I observed what has been happening in Rafah over this past week, my heart broke for the many children who are suffering, and the continuing devastating loss of lives. “How long more, O God?” our hearts cry. I didn’t know what else to do but to pray for peace on this land, and peace for the people. And two days ago, it was reported that the proposal for ceasefire in Gaza is finally making headway with both Israel and Hamas, and there seems to be a chance that both sides will agree to a ceasefire and hopefully, no more war.
I wonder what Jesus thinks about all this. During his time on earth, he witnessed the suffering of the people under Roman rule and oppression. He saw the intense poverty and marginalisation of many whom society rejected. For his first very public sermon, he chose to share his radical blueprint for joy, one that challenges our conventional ideas of joy.
Last Sunday, Miak spoke about being salt and light, and he ended his sermon by reading the passage just before Jesus’ words on salt and light. So I thought I would follow through and explore this passage found in Matthew 5:1-12. Perhaps we can uncover Jesus’ radical blueprint for joy, and see how it is still relevant to us today. How do we experience joy in the midst of suffering — both our own and that of the world?
Matthew 5:1-12 (NRSVue)
When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[b] on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
This passage is often known as The Beatitudes, and the word beatitude comes from a Latin root word which means happy or fortunate. And that meaning is similar to the Greek word for “blessed” which is Makarios, and it can be translated as happy, fortunate, blessed. Happy are the poor in spirit. Happy are the merciful. Happy are the pure in heart. But this might seem a little confusing to some of us. Because in these eight Beatitudes, Jesus is talking about the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful, and those who are persecuted. These aren’t the usual groups of people we think of when we think of happy, blessed, or fortunate people.
So why does Jesus say they are blessed, happy, fortunate? “Happy” may not be a perfect translation because in our culture it can convey a superficial, temporal kind of happiness. He is describing a deeper happiness, the kind of happiness that only comes when you find yourself in the center of God’s will. Perhaps a better word would be “joy.”
Question 1 (Open)
What’s the difference between happiness and joy?
Happiness is typically a more fleeting emotion, often sparked by a particular moment or event that brings a sense of excitement or exhilaration. Joy, on the other hand, is a more long-lasting state of being, characterized by contentment and satisfaction with life overall.
Joy is a deeper emotion than happiness that comes from within — from a sense of purpose and meaning, including finding meaning in suffering — and from relationships with others. It therefore lasts longer than its counterpart.
Joy is internal and connected to living a more authentic life. This is because to have joy, you must do inner work, identifying your values and strengths and aligning your life with them. Joy is bigger than you and me, and that it requires us to make meaningful and deep connections with others.
Through the Beatitudes, Jesus is teaching us what is a more mature spirituality, one that in turn leads to deeper joy in life. What do I mean by a more mature spirituality? Richard Rohr actually explains this by comparing the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes.
| The Ten Commandments – Moses | The Beatitudes – Jesus | |
| Focus | Actions and External Behavior: The 10 Commandments focus on what we should do and avoid doing. They lay out a moral code that governs our behavior towards God and others. Following these commandments is seen as essential for living a righteous life. | Internal Attitudes and Character: The Beatitudes focus on cultivating specific inner qualities and dispositions. They describe the character traits that bring us closer to God and true happiness. There’s less emphasis on specific actions and more on the underlying motivations for our actions. |
| Tone | Law and Judgement: The 10 Commandments are presented as divine laws with consequences for disobedience. They often take the form of prohibitions (“Thou shalt not…”) which can feel restrictive. | Blessings and Promises: The Beatitudes are presented as blessings from Jesus. They describe the qualities that God finds pleasing and promise spiritual rewards for embodying them. The tone is more positive and encouraging. |
| Relationship with God: | Obedience and Avoiding Sin: The 10 Commandments emphasize obedience to God’s will and avoiding actions that displease God. They focus on a right relationship with God based on following the rules. | Love and Transformation: The Beatitudes emphasize growing closer to God through love, compassion, and service. They focus on a transformative relationship with God that changes us from the inside out. |
| Objective | Creating social order: “The Ten Commandments does give us the necessary impulse control and containment we need to get started, which is foundational to the first half of life.” | Creating a new consciousness: “The Beatitudes reveal a world of pure grace and abundance, or what Spiral Dynamics would call the second tier of consciousness and what I call second-half-of-life spirituality.” |
Spiral Dynamics (SD) is a model of the evolutionary development of individuals, organizations, and societies. It was initially developed by Don Edward Beck and Christopher Cowan based on the emergent cyclical theory of Clare W. Graves. The Spiral is a framework for how people think about things. It represents containers that shape worldviews, not the contents that fill them (beliefs, values, etc.).
The general trend is that we evolve up the Spiral because thinking in more complex systems offers more degrees of freedom to act appropriately in a given situation by using more fully the mind which is there.
So this is what Richard Rohr means by the second-half-of-life spirituality. He says, “Doing anything and everything solely for God is certainly the most purifying plan for happiness I can imagine. It changes the entire nature of human interaction and eliminates most conflict.”
So what are these Beatitudes all about? Someone once said the Beatitudes can be referred to as the “Be-Attitudes.”
These verses, often called the “secret to happiness,” challenge our conventional ideas of joy. Jesus doesn’t tell us to chase wealth, power, or worldly possessions. Instead, he offers a radical path – a path that runs counter to our individualistic, achievement-oriented culture. Jesus embodied all of these Beatitudes in his life and invites us to do the same. So let’s unpack some of these Beatitudes together.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This isn’t about poverty per se, but about recognizing our inherent need for God’s grace. Jesus was poor in spirit, for he humbly acknowledged he had nothing and was nothing apart from God. But he also took care of the poor and the impoverished because this beatitude is about dismantling systems of wealth and privilege that leave so many behind. True joy comes from working towards a more equitable kin-dom here on earth. Imagine a world where resources are shared, and everyone’s basic needs are met.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Jesus acknowledges suffering. In fact, we saw Jesus mourning over Jerusalem, and weeping at the death of his friend, Lazarus. Feeling joy doesn’t mean ignoring pain; it means finding solace in community, in fighting for justice alongside those who grieve. We are called to advocate for the marginalized, the forgotten, those whose voices are unheard.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” This isn’t just about personal piety. It’s about a deep yearning for a world transformed by God’s justice. Happiness comes from actively working to dismantle systems of oppression, from fighting for a society that values all people.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Meekness isn’t weakness. Jesus was meek in the face of Pilate and his accusers. He grounded his identity in God, and remained calm and centered during the trial. Meekness is strength under control, a willingness to prioritize compassion and understanding over domination. In a world obsessed with power, true joy lies in using our strength to lift others up, not to beat them down.
These Beatitudes are interconnected. When we recognize our limitations and the suffering of others, we naturally become meeker, more willing to prioritize compassion, more willing to work together for a just world. The kin-dom of God isn’t about waiting for some heavenly reward – it’s about building a more equitable and joyful existence here and now.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called children of God.”
A peacemaker is the one who reconciles quarrels and overcomes conflicts, first of all within himself or herself. Clearly you can see Jesus is not on the side of the violent but on the side of the non-violent. He exemplified non-violence throughout his arrest and journey to the cross. Yet we did not have the English word “non-violence” until the 1950s. This just means we did not have the concept of non-violence even in our consciousness before that time.
For most of Christian history, we were unable to hear Jesus’ teaching on non-violence, and Christians were guilty of starting, encouraging, and fighting in many wars, and also fighting among ourselves. Even now, our world is fraught with wars and conflicts. And Jesus is saying there must be a clear consistency, a constant unity between our means and the ends we hope to achieve. There is no way to peace other than peacemaking itself. This is why we are all called to be peacemakers. It begins first with reconciling conflicts within ourselves, and then with other people.
The remaining Beatitudes – mercy, purity of heart, persecution – all flow from this core message. Building a world that reflects God’s love requires:
True joy lies in embodying all these values, in building a world that reflects God’s love and compassion.
These Beatitudes are a call to action. They challenge us to examine our priorities, to move beyond self-interest towards a radical love for our neighbor. But within this challenge lies a profound promise: true joy comes not from material possessions or worldly success, but from aligning ourselves with God’s will and God’s work in the world.
Through acts of service, justice, and compassion, we discover the true wellspring of happiness – a happiness that transcends circumstance and brings lasting joy. This is the radical joy Jesus offers, a joy that transforms not just ourselves, but the world around us.
Question 2 (Open)
What is one thing you learnt or want to apply from the Beatitudes today?
As we close, I want to read you the Beatitudes from another version of the Bible. And I want you to imagine you were one of the committed disciples climbing up the hillside with him. And I want you to hear Jesus saying these words to you.
Matthew 5:1-12 (The Message)
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and God’s rule.
4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. God is food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.”
The Beatitudes are Jesus’ radical blueprint for joy because they offer a promise of liberation to those at the margins of our society. They also invite and require all of us with privilege and power to participate in the process of making the promised liberation a reality. So let us be people of the Beatitudes. When we choose to embody attitudes that build a world reflecting God’s love and compassion, we are taking the first step towards a more mature spirituality that leads to liberation for ourselves and others.
As we participate in God’s kin-dom work, may we experience the radical joy Jesus offers, a joy that transforms not just ourselves, but the world around us. Amen.
