blessed for being the least

The Sermon on the Mount Part I

The Roman Empire was large. It was dominating. It was scary. This is what was familiar to the group of people that was sitting next to Jesus on the day he decided to give them a lesson on true greatness. The culture all around these people was saying, take control, get as big as you can, have as much power as you can, show no sign of weakness. Is it possible this culture threatened them because they came from an unpopular, nomadic nation that struggles keeping their own land? Is it possible that Jesus had a political bent behind his words in the beginning of his sermon on the mount in Matthew 5.1-11? Is it possible that his words were more reaffirming rather than convicting and confrontational?

I wish I could have been there, because I love it when people say truth so boldly that it flies in the face of everything that is. I imagine myself sitting there smiling like a giddy schoolboy because this man has just put words to what I have been sensing. That sense of doubt, frustration because in order to exist and have meaning you have to gain power and step on everyone else to get it. I imagine being motivated to stand up for my country (Israel) and being proud of our smallness, the only ones who have one God, and weak because we help people and resolve fights. I imagine walking away and being blessed for being the least, which means being completely comfortable with who I am, what I do, and who I believe because of God and his righteousness.