Blessed are those who mourn. Oh yeah. That’s a message we all want to hear. Especially when it’s translated as “happy are those who are unhappy”. But remember, this is Jesus. Everything’s either upside down or backwards. After all, Jesus is the one who said, Mt 20:16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” So what else should we expect?
Blessed are those who mourn More
What do ancient myths and modern poetry have to do with Heaven? More than you might think. It’s not that they actually describe Heaven. But there’s something about them that’s worth considering.
Ancient Myths, Modern Poetry and Heaven More
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Seriously? The poor in spirit are blessed? That sounds so backwards! It’s even more strange when it’s translated as happy are the poor in spirit! It seems like it should be blessed are the rich in spirit. And yet, that’s not what Jesus said. So what did Jesus mean when He said what we now call the first of the Beatitudes?
Mt 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
When we read the whole verse, it sounds even more backwards. How can the kingdom of Heaven be for those who are poor in spirit? Isn’t it for the “good Christians” who are “rich in spirit”?
Blessed are the poor in spirit More
Will we be married in Heaven? That’s a tough question. And many people don’t really like the easy answer. That easy answer, of course is, no we won’t be married in Heaven. And that’s because Jesus said, The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage …
But is that too easy? Actually, yes, it’s way too easy. Partly because the quote is taken completely out of context. And also because it completely ignores the cultural differences between Biblical times and many parts of the world today. Further, it completely disregards the reason marriage and divorce were even instituted in the first place.
Will we be married in Heaven? More
The goal here wasn’t to tell you that toothless will be in Heaven. And it wasn’t to get you to want to ride around the universe on him. No, the goal was to get you to think. Even more so, to dream. And dream big. Really big. And very good. To get you to realize that no matter how good you may think this life is, the next life will be so much better. Better than you think. Better than you can dream about. And something you really don’t want to miss.
Dragons and the things God has prepared for those who love him More
Are most people good by nature? That’s one of the questions asked by LifeWay Research. The answer was shocking. Shocking to me, at least. According to their survey, 66% of Americans say, “Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.” Wow.
Are most people good by nature? More
The Beatitudes – the “blessed are” verses. But Who are they for? And What do they mean? I mean, it’s nice to be blessed, isn’t it? But some of these don’t sound so nice. Who wants to be poor in spirit or in mourning? Probably not too many people. Unless / until we really understand what they mean.
The Beatitudes – Introduction More
Are we supposed to be happy? To most people, the answer is probably obvious. At least it may seem obvious. But to others, like me, who have issues with depression – the answer is hardly obvious at all. Being happy can feel like something for other people. Whether happiness is something to experience can be a question for Christians as well.
The preachers who are into the so-called prosperity gospel, which isn’t in the New Testament, say – of course, God wants us to be happy. But what does Jesus actually say about being happy during His time on this planet? Jesus’ words should be shocking to those proponents and believers of that “prosperity gospel”.
I’m asking this question because I’m trying to write this series on The Beatitudes. You know – the part of the Sermon On The Mount where everything starts with “Blessed are …”? Well, if you didn’t know already, that can also be translated as “happy are …”.
When you read it, it sounds kind of odd. Actually – it can sound really odd.
Honestly, those are the reasons we celebrate. Not just because a cute cuddly baby was born. But because that cute cuddly baby was God in human form, who came here to suffer and die for us.
And look what we’ve done with that day. That season. We commit even more sins in our attempt to celebrate His birth. We force people to say things. We have need to have bigger and better displays than our neighbors, because of our pride. We give good gifts, because we want people to like us, even if we don’t think twice about them the rest of the year. And on – and on.
Why does Christmas matter? More
I doubt that a huge number of people today would refer to Christianity as counter-cultural. In fact, being in what’s called a post-Christian era, more people are likely to view Christianity as the old way – much like young people don’t use email, Facebook, and countless other “old” technologies.
The question is – why not? Christianity should be very much a counter-culture. The fact that it isn’t, I believe, is more related to how Christianity is practiced than it is to what Christianity is really about. I’m talking about the Christianity of Jesus – not the Christianity of man. Not the European model, where people are more into following The Force, as in Star Wars, or being a “none”. And not the Christianity of America, where the so-called prosperity Gospel seems to have more followers than anything close to what Jesus actually spoke about.
So as you read this, think about Jesus’ words in that counter-culture way. Maybe it’s not what you’re used to hearing. But they are, after all, His words. They aren’t the watered down or misinformed words that are spoken or written about by people who don’t even follow Jesus’ teaching themselves. Think the “yeast of the Pharisees” here.
The Sermon On The Mount – Introduction More
