DAY 6 - Return of the King

Day 6 - RETURN OF THE KING

Read Matthew 5:1-20 here first

Ever been asked what you'd do if you were king, even for a day? What rules would you pass? How would you rule your people? I reckon I'd be huge. I'd eat the finest food all the time, I'd have people fetching things for me non-stop. I'd hardly move, piling on the weight. I think I'd care about the poor and look after them, but I would definitely be massive.

As Jesus begins preaching, and gathering his disciples, excitement seems to stir. Crowds start to follow him, and I imagine a buzz goes around with people wondering what this Jesus has to say. There were likely to be all kinds of questions. Is this the time? Is Jesus the one? Will he lead Israel to rise up and claim a new kingdom?

As Jesus speaks, it's clear that he has come to proclaim a new kingdom, but not in the way that people were hoping. Jesus doesn't talk here as an action hero, declaring war and destruction on Israel's enemies. Instead, Jesus talks about how blessed people are. Jesus says they are blessed when they've lost things, when they care, when they bring people together, when they hurt, when they aren't out for their own gain. Jesus has arrived on the Earth after seeing man pursue our own gain and seeing how much we can build ourselves up. Jesus comes against the thinking that people are blessed when they have loads of things.

I think that Jesus is pointing out here that blessed are those who don't think they've got it all sorted, that know life isn't all about them. As Jesus points out the trials and pain that people can go through, he also points out the heart of God is to fill people, to adopt them, to comfort. Jesus tells people that persecution is no longer a sign of rejection by God, but rather an acknowledgement that they're living for the challenging truth. Jesus re-focuses people right at the beginning. He proclaims a kingdom for the broken, the weak, and the peacemakers. He's coming and saying that His Kingdom isn't the property of the strong, the educated, and the rich.

This isn't the kingdom people wanted. People wanted rebellion and an uprising, taking back power from the Romans. Jesus is declaring a whole different kingdom, one which feels contrary to how we feel a successful kingdom should be. As Jesus comes to declare the Kingdom of God, he declares that it's not of this world, not based on how we want things to go. Isn't that so often the way with Jesus? We think we've got a great idea and wish God would just fall in behind it.

At the end of Matthew 5, Jesus tells people they are to be salt and light. He tells people that to be part of His kingdom will mean standing out. It will mean striving for something different to the normal way that society works. It will mean not being concerned with being seen as a success. It will mean living sacrificially, pouring ourselves out for things that matter in this world.

Jesus is telling people to not think about fitting in. Being salt and light will be tough. It may mean driving a slightly worse car. It may mean sacrificing some of your time. It may mean that we help people that throw it back in our face. We may feel unappreciated and let down. Jesus experienced way more of this than we will. It will hurt, but it's the best way. It's the way Jesus called us to.

As we look at the words of Jesus, we need to drop all pre-conceptions of how we think life should go, and try to approach him with fresh eyes and ears, hungry to respond to what he says. As we read the words of Jesus, let's take them seriously. There will be things that we wrestle with, things that challenge us. There will be things that encourage us and stir our hearts. We may get emotional, we may get fired up. We may wish Jesus hadn't said certain things. Life would be certainly easier if he hadn't. As hard as it will be, let's not read it with a filter, or a 'yeah, but..' attitude. Let's read his words and let them shape our lives. It was how it was meant to be.