SHARING BREAD
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Matt 5:4-5
(NIV)
“The teachings of Jesus are all out of proportion when
compared to our natural way of looking at things, and they come to us initially
with astonishing discomfort. We
gradually have to conform our walk and conversation to the precepts of Jesus
Christ as the Holy Spirit applies them to our circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of rules
and regulations - it is a picture of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit
is having His unhindered way with us.” Oswald Chambers
When we consider those who mourn as well as those who are meek
our first thoughts seem to be anything but “Blessed”.
Most of the time, in thinking as the way of the world, those who are mourning
and those who are deemed meek are not in enviable positions – no vying for
their spots, their places on the ladder of life. They seem to invoke both our empathy and
sympathy yet Jesus tells us here that “Blessed” is exactly what they are. Hmmm isn’t that interesting. Could it be that Jesus knew it was - and is
still - most merciful of our loving God to allow us to be at the end of ourselves
– at the end of our ropes, so to speak, to reach the edge of our need clearly
realizing our vast limitations with nothing left to cling or hold on to which
we have so foolishly put in the place of Him?
Could it be that this is where abundance truly begins - humbled and
broken and falling facedown at His feet? Wits end – empty - looking up is a
good starting place for flesh. Blessedness
begins with the brokenness of self. When
we recognize our needs and bring them to the only One Who is able - Jesus states
we are “Blessed”
– possessing the favor of God. King
David rightly states:
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken
and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalms 51:17 (NIV)
“The Lord sometimes suffers His people to be driven into a
corner that they may experimentally know how necessary He is to them…..Jesus
can soon remove our sorrow, He delights to comfort us. Let us hasten to Him while He waits to meet
us.”
Charles H. Spurgeon
Indeed, Jesus’ job description while He walked on this earth
prophesized in Isaiah - as well as stated and fulfilled by our Lord Himself - permeated
with comfort and hope:
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the
LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from
darkness for the prisoners, 2 to
proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to
comfort all who mourn, 3 and
provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead
of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead
of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting
of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)
“The
believer is in spiritual danger if he allows himself to go for any length of
time without tasting the love of Christ and savoring the felt comforts of a
Savior’s presence. When Christ ceases to fill the heart with satisfaction, our
souls will go in silent search of other lovers… By the enjoyment of the love of
Christ in the heart of a believer, we mean an experience of the “love of God
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us” (Rom. 5:5)…
because the Lord has made himself accessible to us in the means of grace, it is
our duty and privilege to seek this experience from Him in these means till we
are made the joyful partakers of it.” John Flavel
Our
Lord comforts us in our afflictions in order for us to in turn comfort others
with the comfort we ourselves have received.
It takes no rocket scientist to realize the great need the world has for
comforting. A casual glance around our spheres
of influence will make that clear if we are simply willing to take our eyes off
self and our own agendas and stop, look and listen for a moment. Masses of hurting humanity are everywhere – just
like the disciple’s viewed only dressed up and pretending perfect. Since the fall of mankind way back in the Garden,
there has been no shortage of pain on this earth. Nobody has more problems than people!
“God
comforts us not to make us comfortable but to make us comforters.” John
Henry Jowett
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can
comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from
God. 2 Cor 1:3-4 (NIV)
Lastly,
we read our Lord calling the meek “Blessed”.
How odd. Meek conjures up
milquetoast in my mind – someone not willing to take a stand – afraid of their
own shadows. That is not at all what the
word means. It is anything but
weakness. It is a condition of mind and
heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness but in power. It is a balance born in strength of character
– it is power under control. It is Jesus
on the cross. I am reminded of our Lord’s
Word to us later in Matthew:
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take
my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. 30 For
my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matt 11:28-30 (NIV)
What I glean from this:
· God will
not despise a broken heart.
· In mercy, God
allows things in our lives to drive us back to Him – to get us to return to our
point of departure – for our good and His glory.
· Meekness
is power under control.
