Mat. 5:1-12
Swagger is a virtue in our western world today. There is even a digital lifestyle magazine for men called SWAGGER Magazine. Here is how the publisher describes it: “Our product is simple. It is targeted to the affluent males that aspire to have great things in life, and are on the path to building themselves to be powerful and successful people in all aspects of life . . .”
This is not exactly Jesus’ approach to success. His prescription begins like this:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
. . .
With these words He begins His great block of teaching that takes up three chapters in Matthew’s gospel. And with these words He turns our world upside down—no, right-side up. These words tell us our commonly held values are all wrong. We are barking up the wrong tree.
I have heard many try to interpret these beatitudes in various ways—by squeezing them into our formulation of the gospel or by making them new commandments. But if we take them at face value, Jesus is saying needy people are the ones who are happy and who will ultimately gain success. They are blessed and comforted, and they will inherit the earth. And if we go on to the rest of these beatitudes—they will be filled, they will be shown mercy, they will see God, they will be called children of God, and they have the kingdom of heaven.
With these words, the Lord lifts us out of our time-bound perspective and transports us to eternity. He says, “God is in charge, and He determines by His own wisdom what success and happiness are and who will attain them.
Those who will ultimately be happy and successful, He says, are not those who swagger, but those who bow the knee; not the aggressive, but the meek; not those who hunger and thirst for success, but those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; not the clever, but the pure in heart; not the aggressors, but the peacemakers; not the abusers, but the persecuted. God has a different standard. The kingdom of heaven is different from the kingdom of this world.
This is how Jesus begins His sermon on the mount, and He ends it with these words:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. . . .”
If we are to put Jesus’ words into practice, we need to adopt this worldview He gives us. We need to adopt His perspective and His values.
Prayer: Lord, give me the great privilege of living by these values, in my family, in my work, in my relationships, in my service for You. Help me realize I am poor in heart and to always turn to You for help.
Author: Lindsay Hislop was raised in southern Scotland and southern Ontario and now lives in the southern United States. He worked in the engineering field for 15 years (mostly in Canada) before pursuing an academic career. He has taught for over thirty years at Columbia International University. He also serves as an elder in his church, where he teaches and preaches regularly. He is married to a wonderful wife Pam and has two terrific children, Holly, who lives in Canada, and Doug, who lives in Columbia. His four grandchildren, Isaac, Madeline, Lindsay, and Dolan, are also pretty special. He likes doing carpentry and odd jobs around the house.
