Christmas 2014 Meditation Eight

Mount of Beatitudes
Matthew 5:1-12

Today we return to the Sea of Galilee. Jesus taught many lessons, but one of the most known is the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus saw the crowds and went up the mountainside, sat down and began to teach. Today it is hard to imagine how Jesus could be heard without a microphone and some speakers, but the mountain and sea acted as amplifiers for him. Fr. Earle King, our group's leader, demonstrated this by standing on the mountainside, reciting the Beatitudes while we were all by the sea. We heard every word.

So much has been said about these saying already by much more qualified people than me. So let me insert the Beatitudes (NIV) and ask some questions:

“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 be shown 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 because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Standing on the side of the road with the Sea of Galilee behind me and the mountain in front of me I tried to imagine what it would have been like to be there to hear Jesus say those words. I'm not really comforted by these words and I wonder if Jesus' listeners felt the same discomfort. Or were they comforted? Are we too far removed from first century Israel to fully appreciate and understand these words?

I don't think I'm poor in spirit; I don't mourn and I'm definitely not meek. These are attributes that are due to circumstance or personality. I will mourn at times in my life, but I don't think I will ever be poor in spirit or meek. Does this mean that the kingdom of heaven isn't mine? What will I inherit, since I won't be inheriting the earth?

I am challenged to answer the call to "hunger and thirst for righteousness", to be merciful, pure in heart and a peacemaker. With God's grace, I can become these things and they are all interconnected. But how do I live that out? There are so many places and times of unrighteousness, which cause do I fight for? What does it mean to be merciful? Must I show mercy to everyone, even those who are unrighteous? I am human so I'm depending on Jesus' sacrifice and grace to be pure in heart. I think that being a peacemaker is necessary to find justice and righteousness, but I don't know how to do that!

I live in a time and place in which I am not persecuted for righteousness, I am not persecuted because of Jesus. For many Christians around the world today this is a reality. But does that mean I do not share in the reward in heaven? Or must I put myself in a situation to be persecuted? Is endangering my life and leaving my family really part of God's plan?

I have more questions than answers, but I do know that Israeli occupation of Palestine is unjust and violent. I stood at the heart of our common faith; Jewish, Christian and Muslim. I walked along the paths that each tradition claim as their own, but I only saw one way. It is the way of peace and the path must be shared. There will be no peace if the Israeli government continues to oppress the Palestinians, Christian and Muslim alike. There will be no peace as long as the Palestinians respond to the oppression with violence. 

I fell in love with the Holy Land and it's people. I feel a yearning to go back, a yearning to see peace in Jerusalem and beyond. Is this my call to "hunger and thirst for righteousness?" Where will this lead me? I'm curiously straining to see how I will be filled; but also cautiously holding back, fearing the unknown. How does this passage comfort you or challenge you?

View of Sea of Galilee from Mount of Beatitudes

If you are interested in learning more about the conflict and how you can help, please visit the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem website. Some good books on the subject are The General's Son by Miko Peled and The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan.

If you are interested in a pilgrimage, Fr. Earle King will be leading another one next November 6-16, 2015. Please visit the St. Martin's, Grand Island website for more information.  Iyad Qumri, our guide, will lead this group as well. He is a great guide with a lot of knowledge, both historical and biblical. Please visit his website for more information about him.