30 Days on the Mount of Blessing. Gasp.
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Transcript
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus. Matthew 5:3. Hi, it’s Nathan, and this is Day 2 of 30 Days on the Mount of Blessing.
A gasp of disbelief ripples through the crowed—some in visible dismay, others in surprised shock. The Teacher has vindicated the cause of the poor. Assured them of kingdom benefits only imagined for the rich and accomplished. In one single declaration he has flipped the social structure on its head, placing the least and lowest squarely in the position of blessing, happiness. They had been assured of something that the calculated pursuits of the better-offs had failed to acquire—the kingdom. The poor had been given the kingdom. Even in our shiny, highly-accomplished society—boasting of all its enlightenment—such words are scandalous. We are—virtually every last one of us—deeply persuaded that success is defined by attainment of some kind. Career advancement. Diverse investment portfolio. Sophisticated degrees. Comfortable, more-than-we-need lifestyles. Big cars. But we’d be wrong. So very, very wrong. Actually, if we take this Teacher’s words seriously, the thing of greatest value is an honest assessment of our own brokenness. Jesus is NOT advocating for incompetence, lack of motivation, mediocrity, or an ‘I’m helpless’ complex. What he is advocating for is a heart oriented around an honest self-assessment, a confessional self-assessment. We are decidedly NOT put-together—only self-ignorance can believe otherwise—and we are each in deep need of his healing work. This honest self-awareness is the orientation of real, meaningful success in life.
