In this new blog series we are going to be asking a question which may have intrigued you, scared you or prompted you to wonder whether we have changed our religion: Was Jesus naive?
The motivation for the question is the oft-heard claim from many with very different political sympathies to ours, and who would also call themselves ‘Christian’, that a range of teachings attributed to Jesus are far too weak and are not fit for the real world.
A typical response from those of us who believe Jesus’ words should be taken seriously might be to doubt whether those who insist that forgiveness is weak, or that welcoming the stranger threatens the survival of the ‘Christian’ culture they think is so important, are Christians at all.
But we’re going to take a different tack. If we genuinely believe that the teachings of Jesus are something we can live by, and might make a real difference to our world if they were better understood and put into practice, surely we have to ask deeper questions. If the words of Jesus don’t survive scrutiny then we have no right to invite people to engage with them. If there is no arena in which Jesus words have relevance today, we might do better if we pack our bags and find someone else to follow.
In this series will be looking at the Beatitudes in Matthew’s Gospel. Our aim is to approach them with a more quizzical, maybe even critical eye – attempting to ask the questions that somebody who rejects the ‘if Jesus said it, it must be right’ methodology of the already convinced might find helpful.
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At the beginning of February we will release a podcast which was the first conversation we had on this theme. Next week we will record and transcribe a conversation which will kick off the series. Whilst we wait, let’s remind ourselves of the words of Jesus which are either too weak and naive to consider seriously, or are worth listening to carefully, thinking about deeply and living authentically, depending on your point of view:
The Beatitudes
Seeing the crowds, Jesus walked up the hill. After he sat down, his disciples came to him, and he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
“How blessed are the poor in spirit!
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
“How blessed are those who mourn!
for they will be comforted.
“How blessed are the meek!
for they will inherit the Land!
“How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness!
for they will be filled.
“How blessed are those who show mercy!
for they will be shown mercy.
“How blessed are the pure in heart!
for they will see God.
“How blessed are those who make peace!
for they will be called sons of God.
“How blessed are those who are persecuted
because they pursue righteousness!
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
“How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me! Rejoice, be glad, because your reward in heaven is great — they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.
“You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on.
“You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:1-16 from the Complete Jewish Bible
