“The Sermon on the Mount” is the most famous summary of Jesus’ teaching in the Christian Scriptures. But this teaching begins, not with instructions or prohibitions, but with a poem. And this poem declares that the poor, downtrodden, ridiculed, and seemingly “weak” are actually approved and favored by God. Setting the upside-down tone for the sermon as a whole, Jesus’ memorable pronouncement of “congratulations to the losers” must have caused quite a commotion in the crowd gathered on that mountainside. Within first century Jewish society, it was generally accepted that following the Torah led to divine approval—which was in turn demonstrated in tangible rewards: material wealth, health and good fortune, respect and honor in the community. Thus, it was the rich and powerful who must be “blessed.” The poor, grieving, down-on-their luck must have offended, failed or disappointed God in some way. After 2000 years of reading this shocking, revolutionary declaration, we have found ways to tone down the impact and make Jesus’ words correspond to what seems “fair” or “feels true.” We romanticize the poor, oppressed and grieving as possessing the secret of confident dependency on God. Or we spiritualize these attributes so that it is the humble (but not humiliated), the empathetic (but not depressed), and the otherwise virtuous who are favored by God and will be rewarded—if not here on Earth, then at least in life beyond the grave. We don’t want to be shocked. We want to know the rules and so be able to judge our own performance and that of others. We want to earn approval; rules and rewards make sense and feel safe; they grant us a measure of control. Grace (unearned blessedness) is scary. This week we will consider what it means to let go of a “performance approach” to following Jesus, and instead embrace a life of being wholly loved—not because or in spite of who we are and what we do, but simply because God is Love.

From Series: Inside Out and Upside Down | More Messages from Ruth Campbell | Download Audio