Justice, Mercy, Humility
6 "With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" 8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8)
Throughout humanity's relationship with God, humanity has failed - we sin, we turn away. But God and God's message have remained constant and consistent. Spelled out very plainly by the prophet, Micah, God requires that we treat one another with justice and kindness (or mercy in some translations), and be humble in our relationship with God. In a way, we have also been consistent - we consistently seek favoritism over justice, self-interest over kindness, and pride over humility.
In the fifth chapter of the book of Matthew, we are presented with Jesus, standing on a mountainside, attempting - like many prophets before him - to bring God's world view to a broken people. We are only given Jesus' words - not the reactions of those listening. Rather they scoffed, laughed, or dared to imagine the world Jesus described, there was no doubt that reality did not match these words of blessing and warning. Today, when companies making huge profits lay off hundreds of workers so those at the top can make even more - this vision is still just
as difficult to grasp.
Living the way of Christ requires a reorientation. We need not deny reality, we need only to refuse to accept that it must be this way. We can choose to live counter to our culture - not in an effort to convince anyone that we're right, but in an effort to be a blessing to others and be pleasing to God. It won't change the world with the flip of a switch, but it will change the world.
2 Then 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. (Matthew 5:2-9)
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