The Sermon on the Mount in Our World, Part 7: Blessed are the Peacemakers

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God." -Matthews 5:9

The dove represents the Holy Spirit. The sword, spear, pruning hook and plowrepresents Isaiah 2:4 "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears intopruning hooks." The olive branch and olives represent peace.

American history pop quiz:

Since World War II, what is the longest the United States has gone without engaging in a military action?

No cheating. Think about it.

OK, give up? Eight years. From 1953, the end of Korea, to 1961, with the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Korea started in 1950, five years after the end of WWII. Vietnam ran from 1964 to 1973. 1980 was the botched attempt at saving the hostages in Iran. We were in Lebanon from 1982 to 1984, Grenada in 1983, and Panama in 1989. Then the Persian Gulf conflict in 1990. Somalia was 1992, Haiti was 1994, and various involvements in the Balkans lasted from 1995 until 1999. After 9/11, we went into Afghanistan and Iraq, and two-and-a-half years ago, we sent troops into Libya.

It has been a little over 72 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor, in December of 1941. America has been involved in an armed conflict for 47 of those 72 years.

Is this what a Christian nation looks like?

Jesus' blessing of the peacemakers in the world is the easiest one to relate to the modern political world. Jesus' whole message of love and service to others revolves around the idea of being peaceful. Jesus addresses it multiple times. He urges us to turn the other cheek, to put away our sword, to love our enemies.

Jesus' world was a very violent world. Rome conquered all of the Mediterranean basin and Europe through the power and efficiency of it's armies. The people of Israel were one of those overrun by the legions, the latest in a long line of violent takeovers of their country. They believed the only way to free their nation from the yoke of Rome was through a violent uprising, led by a warrior-king Messiah, in the model of David, the greatest warrior-king of all.

So violence was ingrained in the people of Palestine. Which makes Jesus' blessing of peacemakers, his shunning of violence as a way to lead his people, all the more amazing. How in the world would they ever escape the clutches of Rome, if not through a war? How would turning the other cheek, or loving you enemy, make this happen?

We see the same mindset today. Many people believe the only way America can maintain its place in the world, the only way our lifestyle can be sustained, is through force and a willingness to use that force at any time to protect our interest. In the face of terrorism and radicalism across the world, they don't see how America has any choice but to counter with violence and rule by fear.

And we've maintained that over the last 73 years by using our armed forces to impose our will on the people's of the world. We've appointed ourselves the world's police, and used both conventional and unconventional warfare to maintain the status quo and snuff out anything we don't like.

America has become a country of perpetual war.

We are a country that scoffs at the idea of compromise, of international action and unity, of dialogue with nations we disagree with, of mistrust for other countries. We throw around our weight, use bluster and hubris in our relations, and incite fear and hatred in foreign peoples through our military presence and tendency to use that military to advance our interests at the expense of the rights of other peoples to choose their leaders and policies.

And we have the gall to call ourselves a "Christian nation?"

"Realists" look at the idea peace and shake their heads knowingly. Naivety, they think. Peace sounds great, but its not realistic, right? Talking to other nations solves no problems, only buys the bad guys time. The UN and arms reductions and treaties all sound good in theory, but any SERIOUS THINKER knows that stuff is all unrealistic, and yes, naive.

And therein lies the radical nature of Jesus' call for peacemakers. Jesus understood then what we still have failed to grasp now. Jesus looked at the long line of "messiahs" who had led his people before, and saw a line of men who were crushed in their rebellions by the overwhelming force of Rome. He realized that the use of violence was hopeless. And so he taught them what it would take: peace. Love. Understanding. Nonviolence.

It's a message we need to take to heart today. Instead of throwing our weight around, of using our force to impose our will, of ruling with fear and causing anger, what if we led with peace? What if we relied on our statesmen, on the UN and treaties, and trust? What if we allowed other peoples to determine their own path, to pick their leaders and style of government and policies? What if we stood for universal human rights and freedom and religious liberty and equality everywhere, and abandoned those who ruled with a closed fist and persecuted their people? Imagine the world we would live in. And imagine the high regard we would have around the world.

We revere peacemakers in history. Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Dr. King, Bishop Romero, Mother Teresa. And we look for them in our time as well. Think of the Orthodox priests in Ukraine a few weeks ago, standing between the clashing lines of protestors and police in Kiev. OR Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, who for decades has tried to bring democracy and peace to her country.

As followers of Christ, we have a duty to oppose conflict and violence anywhere is arises. We must stand against the use of force to settle differences, no matter the reason. Jesus in his example showed us the path of nonviolence. Even at the point when one would think violence was most warranted, in the Garden when the guards show up to arrest Jesus and take him to his death, he implores his disciples to put away their swords.

It is impossible to live out Jesus' requirements for our lives if we make violence a part of our lives. You cannot practice love and forgiveness and mercy and acceptance if you are practicing violence. The ideas are fundamental opposites.

And the transformative thing about peace and nonviolence, the thing Jesus showed us, is that if we each sincerely practice it in our own lives, it will spread! If we are peaceful to those around us, and to the world around us, it will rub off on others, and begin to spread. If we show love for others and accept them, they will feel compelled to live the same. And eventually it will spread to our institutions, to our governments, across the planet.

We Christians knew this once. We spent the better part of three centuries practicing peace and spreading it across the Mediterranean. And then, we got sidetracked. Constantine decided to use Christianity as his standard in battle, and we bought in. We liked the feeling it gave us to be the one's in power now, the ones wielding the sword, rather than those feeling it's bite. And we've been off track ever since, trying to equate Christ with battle and armies and guns and a violent culture. Everything He was against. Everything He taught us not to be.

Now, in America, Christianity has stood behind preemptive wars. It has been used to add a sheen on respectability to assassinations and torture and coups. It has been enveloped in our gun culture, wrapped around armed revolution and the need to use violence to "protect" one's self.

It's our duty to return Christianity to its original form. Jesus showed us that nonviolence would protect us, would make us respected, would make us leaders. We have a duty to show to world again what He taught. "Blessed are the peacemakers" is essential to Christianity. It is at the heart of who we are. Let's show the world we can live with peace.

Read Part 1: Blessed are the poor in spirit. 
Read Part 2: Blessed are those who mourn.
Read Part 3: Blessed are the meek 
Read Part 4: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
Read Part 5: Blessed are merciful  
Read Part 6: Blessed are the pure in heart

The Sermon on the Mount in Our World, Part 6: Blessed are the Pure in Heart

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." -Matthew 5:8

The Holy Trinity, the heart, hand and lily, represent the pure in heart. The doves represent purification.

Now here is a tough one. I took a look at this verse, and said, "how in the world am I going to find a link to policy and government?" If there is any part of the Sermon that can stump this series, this verse is surely it.

We have to look closely at what Christ meant by the "pure in heart." Many scholars believe Jesus was referencing Psalm 24:3-5, which reads,

"Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation."

"Clean hands and pure hearts."

"those who...do not swear deceitfully."

I think I'm finding some ground to stand on here.

Jesus often quoted the Psalms, so it's quite plausible that was the reference he was making here. The Psalmist here was identifying the people who would inherit God's kingdom, who would take up residence in God's house. Obviously, he was speaking of the Israelites at David's time.

The ancient Israelites considered themselves a people set apart from the others in the ancient Middle East. And in many ways, they were. There were very possibly the only monotheistic people around, not to mention the only people who preached a personal relationship with their god. They had been one of the last to come to a monarchy, and had a very unique and distinct set of religious practices and customs. And their God constantly told them how special they were, how he had a special plan for them and regard for them over all other peoples.

This was still the prevailing notion at the time of Jesus. Despite the Roman takeover, the Israelite people still considered themselves in God's favor, and believed it only a matter of time until they threw off the yoke of Caesar and rebuilt their kingdom centered on Jerusalem. This explains the popularity of various "Messiahs" who popped up in Palestine during the occupation. The people knew that there destiny wasn't as a Roman province.

At the same time, there were definite cracks in this facade. Their "King" was now a puppet installed and supported by the Romans. The presence of Roman legions and governors and customs had become commonly accepted, and even the Jewish religious leaders openly cooperated with the Roman authorities. While many Jews felt a special place with God, they were also coming to a slow acceptance of dominion under a foreign power. Some even felt declaring an allegiance to Rome would ease their troubles and allow them to maintain their culture in peace, far enough from Rome to maintain some independence, but fully enveloped in the perks that came from being in the Caesar's good graces.

And then here comes Jesus. People on all sides of the debate expected another prototypical "Messiah" who would lead an uprising against Rome militarily. They expected a declaration against Rome, and a reiteration of the special place Israel held in God's heart.

And in one way, Jesus did just that. He rejected the idea of allegiance to Rome, of the idea that the Empire was something compatible with God's kingdom.

But he didn't go into the other camp either. Because when Jesus blessed the "pure in heart" and referenced the Psalms, he was painting with a very broad brush. He wanted his followers to take no oaths, to swear no allegiance. He not only pushed back against the Romans, but also strongly pushed against Herod and the leaders of the Jewish faith in Jerusalem. He did this because he wanted his followers to understand something way outside of their cultural heritage:

God's kingdom is bigger than Israel.

God was no longer favoring just the Israelites. His message wasn't just for them. His message was for all humanity. I didn't play favorites. It didn't lead them into war with other peoples and their gods. It didn't stand behind their sports team against the other sides. God's kingdom as envisioned by Christ was all-encompassing. He didn't instruct his followers to go and make disciples of the Israelites. He said to them, go out into the whole world and make disciples of all men!

The pure in heart, in Jesus' reckoning, were those who were purely in God's camp. They didn't conform to worldly allegiance or national boundary. They loved all people and accepted all people and cared for all people. These people who maintained a pure heart would see God and His kingdom right there, in the open and inclusive love they were practicing in the world.

A lot of modern-day Christians need to take a good look at this teaching. Some many Christians today equate Christianity and God's kingdom with America and the veritable religion that has sprung up around American symbols and ideas. We are told that God "blesses" America above others, that we are the modern "Chosen people of God." We are now encouraged by church leaders to pledge our allegiance to the American flag that they prominently display in God's temple and that the work of America is the work of God on earth.

Watching some of the things our country does makes me, and many others, very leery of equating America's actions with God's will.

Now, this isn't to say that America is bad by any means. America is a nation that has done more to extend the hand of freedom and equality than any other nation on the earth. It's a nation where we are free to practice our religion, to say what we think. A nation where we are accorded affirmative rights that no one, not even the government, can take away.

But America has a tendency to do a lot of bad things too. From our long acceptance of slavery and institutionalized racial discrimination, to our ill-conceived foreign wars that lead to death and suffering for millions of innocent people, our nation is far from "Christian" in the things it does.

This is why Jesus emphasized a kingdom above all others, that preempted nationalism and borders and allegiances. Because associating God's kingdom with any one nation puts the sins of that nation under the banner of God. And God is above and beyond any sins were commit here.

As Christians, pure of heart, we are also to be above petty allegiances and boundaries. We are supposed to be open and welcoming and inclusive of all people. We are supposed to respect the different peoples and nations, but to let them all know that God's kingdom encompasses it all.

In God's kingdom, national identity is unnecessary.

Christ is not represented in an eagle, or a star-spangled flag, or in a national anthem. Christ is represented in the purity of His church and the work it does to bring about His kingdom on Earth.

Read Part 1: Blessed are the poor in spirit. 
Read Part 2: Blessed are those who mourn.
Read Part 3: Blessed are the meek 
Read Part 4: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
Read Part 5: Blessed are merciful 

The Sermon on the Mount in Our World, Part 5: Blessed are the Merciful

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy." -Matthew 5:7

The wing and hand of the angel with the cross symbolize the act of Mercy and represent those giving mercy as shown with the bandaged hand. The Caduceus represents the medical profession. The Chi Rho represents Christ and the bottomost symbol represents sickness and healing.

There were very few ways to die in the ancient world that were more painful, humiliating, or excruciatingly drawn out than crucifixion. It was generally a punishment by Rome for political enemies or military traitors. They were strung up on a beam and crossbar by hand and foot, and than left until they died from exposure or wild animals. While they waited for death, they had to endure the agony of intense muscle exertion and cramping, as well as hunger and thirst. The depictions of Jesus being hung with no support under his feet are wrong; that would anatomically impossible to do to a person, and would defeat the purpose anyways of a long, drawn out death.

They were often crucified in public places, such as roadsides, so serve as an example to other would-be revolutionaries. In the 2nd century BC, after the Spartacus uprising, the gladiators who followed Spartacus were crucified all along the road from Tuscany to Rome, one every 100 meters. The public aspect was intended to bring great shame on the prisoners. To not have one's body anointed and buried upon death was the ultimate humiliation, as the people of Rome believed  that you could not pass over to the afterlife with a proper burial.

And crucifixions were very, very ordinary. Hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions, of people were crucified during the extent of Roman Empire. People knew that the punishment for treason was generally crucifixion. It was a fairly convincing deterrent.

And, needless to say, it was very, very inhumane. That was kind of the point. It was to degrade their enemies, to shame them and bring them down to the lowest level of humiliation, that Rome did this. It was a particularly intense form of torture, and the death penalty, all rolled into one terrible act.

Jesus was crucified in this way. The man who had been declared King of the Jews, in direct contradiction to the Roman Emperor and King Herod, was strung up on a beam and left to die. He was shamed and humiliated and displayed publicly. It was a way for the Roman to deter future Messianic claimants, and by the Jewish leaders to mock the supposed prophet and Messiah. What Messiah suffers so long and so publicly? What Messiah allows himself to be exposed to nature and hunger and thirst and torture? What Messiah would allow his body, his personal Temple for the Lord to dwell in, to be degraded in such a way?

And yet, as He hung up there, Jesus asked for forgiveness for the one's who did this to him.

He didn't call out for vengeance. He didn't curse them. He didn't charge his followers with avenging his humiliating end.

He forgave. He asked for mercy for his tormentors.

Just as he did in His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus instructed, "Blessed are the merciful." He continuously commanded his followers to love their enemies, to forgive them, to show mercy to those who commit wrong or persecute them.

If Jesus commanded our mercy, then what does it say about us as a nation that has executed 1,364 people since 1976? A nation that, in some places, makes no regard for minors or the mentally handicapped when it comes to death penalty punishments. A nation that has exonerated 143 death row inmates since 1973. How many innocent men and women have we wrongfully executed?

Did we learn nothing from Jesus' example? Jesus really did, under Roman and Jewish law, commit a crime. He got the punishment prescribed by the authorities for his treason to the Roman emperor. Why would we, as a nation, take on the retaliatory role of the empire, rather than the merciful role of Christ?

Jesus demanded mercy from us. He was able to forgive those who persecuted him, people who hounded him and tortured him and humiliated him and ultimately killed him. Can we not find it in us to show mercy to those who commit crimes here, in our time? Not to release them and act as if it never happened. But what right to we have to play God, to determine when someone's time on this earth is done. But taking that person's life, we are taking away any and all opportunity they may have to find redemption. We take away the opportunity for them to show remorse and ask for forgiveness. We lose our chance to follows Christ's example.

Jesus said, "Forgive them, they know not what they do." He was speaking of those who could find no mercy in themselves. He was speaking of those who felt that the best answer to violence was more violence. He was talking about us.

For a really good discussion and meditation on crucifixion, check out Robin Meyer's excellent book, Saving Jesus from the Church. This blog post draws heavily from the ideas in Chapter 3.

Read Part 1: Blessed are the poor in spirit. 
Read Part 2: Blessed are those who mourn.
Read Part 3: Blessed are the meek 
Read Part 4: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

The Sermon on the Mount in Our World, Part 4: Blessed are Those Who Hunger and Thirst For Rigtheousness

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." -Matthew 5:6

The Rays of the Holy Trinity flow downward to the Bible and the Baptismal shell representing righteousness for which they hunger and thirst. The Staff and Cross represent the Lord as our Shepherd.

 Righteousness is one of those good old church words. You know the ones I'm talking about. One of those words you hear a thousand times on Sundays as a kid growing up, but have absolutely so idea what it means. And then as you grow up, you are expected to absorb the meaning somehow and understand when it is referenced.

Like through osmosis with the preacher or something.

But no one really ever explains it to us. So what is righteousness?

Websters Dictionary defines righteousness as the noun form of the adjective "righteous." And righteous is defined as "acting in accord with divine or moral law," and "morally right or justifiable."  A subheading says "arising from an outraged sense of justice or morality."

I like that. We are getting somewhere.

"An outraged sense of justice or morality" is what I think Jesus is getting at in Matthew 5:6. So far, through three verses, he has blessed groups of downtrodden people.

The poor in spirit.

Those who mourn.

The meek.

Now, he is blessing "those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." I don't think he is invoking another downtrodden group here. I think, in wrapping up the first half of the eight Beatitudes, he is putting the bow on top of the first three, so to speak.

If you peek ahead a little, the last Beatitude also invokes "Righteousness." Interesting, huh?

So who are these people who "hunger and thirst for righteousness"?

As we have seen, the outcasts of ancient Palestine were forgotten groups of people. The ill. The widows. The gentle. Jesus has already upended things by giving his first Blessings to these outcasts. Now, Jesus is calling on his disciples and followers. By blessing those "Who hunger and thirst for righteousness," he is telling his listeners who they are called to be.

And what a way to describe them! Not just those who want to see righteousness. Those who "hunger and thirst" for it! Those who are starving for righteousness, who are parched for righteousness. One who hungers or thirsts is not one who is just mildly uncomfortable or annoyed. Think about a time you have been really, really hungry or thirsty. The feeling wraps you it up, it consumes you. All you can think about is eating or drinking something.

Jesus wants us to feel a need for righteousness in the same way.

Jesus doesn't just want his followers to see injustice in the world and have a casual reaction to it. He doesn't want them to simply respond with a small cash donation, or 30 minutes bagging meals for the hungry. He wants them to feel the need to rectify it as a deep, painful sensation!

In Palestine, as we have seen, injustice was a huge part of society. So many people lived in poverty, and in need. And with the rule of the Romans, the Jewish people were regarded as scarcely better than livestock. Rome's justice was not one that made sense to the people of Palestine. It did not play by the rules that their God had laid out two thousand years earlier to Moses. It was impersonal and distant and unjust.

But it was the just the way the world was. It was accepted as the way of the world. Rome's dominance was accepted as inevitable, as they swept across the Western world unstoppably over the past century. Unjust? Yes. Unexpected? Not at all.

Jesus wanted to shake the people of Palestine out of this acceptance of injustice! He wanted them to look at the inequality and poverty and bleakness of the world and be just as outrage as He was! He wanted them to feel a righteous anger over it so deep they could taste it. And he knew this "outraged sense of justice or morality" would propel them on to action.

And he made it very easy to realize if you were doing the right thing. One who "hungers and thirsts" doesn't just accept that and move on. They try to quench that hunger and thirst. They don't stop until they find food or drink to satisfy them. By blessing those who hunger and thirst, Jesus told us, "If you really, really care about righteousness, about the injustice in the world, you will not stop until you have quenched your hunger and thirst to see it made it right."

Injustice is still a huge part of the world. It's a huge part of the very nation we live in. So many people in America live in poverty, live with food insecurity, live with the constant threat of violence. Inequality in our country is more pronounced than ever, and much more pronounced than in much of the rest of the world.

And yet we just accept that that is the way it is.

We say it's their own fault. They are lazy and weak and don't want to work hard and only want a handout. We say they should pulls themselves up, nothing is standing in their way. We say the free market should not be interfered with, that it knows what is the right balance of equality in the world. We say that the rich obviously earned what they have. We say it's not our problem. It's unfortunate, but we can't do anything about it. We say there will always be poor and hungry people. We say it is structural, and the price of a free capitalist society.

If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you don't say any of these things.

You don't just accept poverty and hunger and inequality as inevitable. You don't just accept the injustice in the world. You act. You quench that hunger and thirst you feel deep down inside, and you don't stop until it is done.

If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you will be filled. But you have to make it happen.

Read Part 1: Blessed are the poor in spirit. 
Read Part 2: Blessed are those who mourn.
Read Part 3: Blessed are the meek

The Sermon on the Mount in Our World, Part 3: Blessed Are the Meek

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." -Matthew 5:5

The lamb symbolizes the meek. The water represents the living water. The fish represents Christianity.

The third beatitude is one of the most beloved of Jesus' sayings, and also one of the most dismissed. It is also one of the most difficult to think about how to live.

This arises from the problems with the word "meek." To be meek is not something that is not very highly looked upon in the world. One who is meek is one who submits, who shuns conflict. In the hyper-masculine world of 1st century Palestine, and the equally hyper-masculine world today, these are not qualities that folks strive for.

In Palestine, as throughout most of history, men were the center of society. They were the only ones allowed to one property, conduct business, attend the synagogue, or travel. The men who were most esteemed were the strong, the smart, the assertive. The ones capable of defending their family and their property, both through their dealings with others and through violence, if necessary. This tough manliness was the view of the ideal man.

So it would be natural that after blessing those who mourn, with a focus on widows and women, that Jesus now blesses again those who don't conform to the accepted view of manhood in the world.

The Greek word used in the original scripture, praus, was an active verb. It conveyed the idea of one who is actively meek in the world, one who actively goes out of their way to be humble and gentle and friendly, as opposed to rough, hard, suspicious of others or violent. In fact, a more accurate translation of praus in the light of today's vocabulary would be gentle.

So why did Jesus call blessing upon the meek?

All through his ministry, Jesus led an example that can only be described as actively meek. Later in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that we should turn the other cheek when someone strikes us, instead of retaliating.

In Matthew 18:4, he teaches that he who possesses true greatness is the one who "becomes humble like this child."

In Matthew 11:29, he refers to himself as gentle and humble.

In Matthew 26:52, he admonishes Peter to put away his sword, saying "For all who take the sword will perish by the sword."

Jesus' ministry was one of continual meekness. It was a ministry where he taught us that the way to change the world, to bring the Kingdom of God on Earth, was not through "manly" virtues like violence and force and hardness, but through love and kindness and serving others. It was a focus on being a friend to those in need, of being gentle to others and humble in our actions and thoughts.

I love this verse for this series because it has a direct parallel to today's world. We still revere the "ideal man" image. We tell our sons they need to be tough and hard, and not to trust anybody.

This bleeds over into leaders. We are told we should vote for the "tough" candidate, the one who will put criminals behind bars forever, who will play hardball with other world leaders, who won't coddle the weak in society. We like the loud and boisterous and confident-to-the-point-of-arrogant candidate.

But is this the kind of leader Jesus would have of choose? Is this the ideal He would want us to live?

Clearly not! We are instructed to be meek, to be gentle, to be humble. We are shown this example, and are supposed to follow it in all aspects of life. We should demand that our leaders show gentleness towards the needy, humility in their words and actions towards others, and yes, meekness in their attitude. We should demand that our leaders lead with these attributes, instead of raw force and power. We should demand they practice gentleness, and present our nation as a nation that is gentle and humble, instead of throwing our weight around and imposing our will on people who don't want it.

As the church, we are called upon first and foremost to live this life. We are to be the examples. The church should be humble. It should be gentle and welcoming. It should have open arms and an open attitude towards others. As the saying goes, we are to be the change we want to see in our world.

Because Jesus tells us that it is the meek who will inherit the world. It is the humble who will rule in His Kingdom. Being manly and tough and harsh may get us somewhere in this world, but we are called to embody the new world. It is not those virtues that will win in the end. If we want to see the Kingdom of God here on Earth, we need to be the leaders Jesus tells us will have that Kingdom.

Blessed are the meek, the gentle, the humble, says Jesus. Be like the little children. Put away your swords.

Is that us?

Read Part 1: Blessed are the poor in spirit. 
Read Part 2: Blessed are those who mourn.

The Sermon on the Mount in Our World, Part 2: Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." -Matthew 5:4

The eagle flying into the sun symbolizes the Resurrection and the Life. The flames reprisent the Holy Spirit flowing down from the resurrection to comfort the kneeling figure in mourning. The hands with the shovel represent burial. The tearful eye also symbolizes mourning.

In our first look at the Sermon on the Mount on Wednesday, I talked about "Blessed are the poor in spirit," and tied it to those who are suffering from depression, addiction, and mental illness. Today's passage logically follows in Jesus' blessings.

In first-century Palestine, Jesus' listeners would have known who specifically he spoke about when he said "those who mourn." Those who mourned the most publicly and with the greatest feeling were widows. Because, to be a widow in Jewish culture was truly a terrible fate. A woman's fate in the Jewish culture was inextricably tied to her husband.She could own no land or property, she could not engage in business, she was not allowed to travel on her own. She was her father's property until marriage, and her husband's thereafter.

So for a woman to lose her husband was a veritable ostracizing event. The Old Testament laws tried to account for their situation by commanding the brothers of dead men to marry the widows. But if these men were married, or a man had no brothers, often times a woman was out of luck. The loss of her husband meant she no longer had a place in the world.

This is why you hear Jesus talk so much about praying and caring for widows. They were outcasts, forgotten and abandoned. So when Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn," he is calling blessing down upon women who have no hope. Women who feel no comfort, who have been forgotten by society and felt behind in the world.

So lets fast forward to today's world.

And shift gears.

I want to focus on two groups of people who probably feel they have almost nothing in common, but are more related than they think.

Abortion is the hottest of hot button issues in our current political climate. Since Roe v. Wade in 1972, it has become the major dividing line between our two political parties. It stirs passions on both sides of the aisle like nothing else, and rightfully so. It is an issue wrapped in our human identity and our morality.

As I see it, there are really three groups involved in the abortion debate: those who want to make it illegal, those who want to see it's legality preserved, and those who have ever had abortion (who fall into both other categories pretty evenly.)

And I think all groups involved are greatly misunderstood.

Anti-abortion activists view pro-choice activists as heartless relativists who have no regard for unborn children, and are in fact knowingly complicit in an act tantamount to murder.

Pro-choice activists view anti-abortion activists are misogynistic neanderthals driven by a dogmatic religious creed that has no regard for women's rights or bodily autonomy.

And those who have had an abortion are often pushed aside, forgotten after their ordeal, demonized by one group, and held up as a political victory by the other.

But they are the ones who mourn.

Those arguing this issue forget the tragic and unimaginably difficult decision making process these women go through. Often alone, and frightened, and ashamed, they don't see a better option for their lives. Many are poor. Many are single. Many have families who would condemn them, or even ostracize them, for being pregnant.

They may have felt like they had no choice with the man they were with. They may have been the victim of a rape, either from a stranger or a friend or even a spouse. Maybe their birth control failed. Above all, this isn't their fault. Our society has a disturbing tendency to make them feel that way. But it's not. As the saying goes, it takes two.

They probably realize they are in no financial place to raise a child. They are already in a non-optimal situation, and can't afford the doctor's appointments, the clothes and food and car seats and everything else it takes to raise a child. They don't want their child to live a life of poverty.

And so they feel as if they have no other choice. And then they feel dirty. They feel like they are the lowest of the low for even thinking of abortion. But they don't know where else to turn.

So they find a local clinic. But, in today's world, now they often have to go through state-mandated counseling. And a state-mandated ultrasound. And they may have the state mandate that they have to hear a verbal description of their baby. And then there may be a state-mandated waiting period.

As if this wasn't already hard enough.

And there may be protesters outside the clinic who yell things like "baby killer!" at them. And hold signs with pictures of aborted fetuses. Or maybe a pro-choice group wants them to speak about their exercising of their rights.

These are the one's who mourn. No one uses abortion as birth control, contrary to some rhetoric. This is a decision brought about by a lack of hope, by a feeling that they are alone and have no other choice. It's not one approached with anything other fear and sadness and mourning. And those emotions continue after. There is no sense of closure, no lifting of a weight.

Our leaders will continue to debate abortion as a campaign issue. They will do little to change the status quo, because it makes such an effective political cudgel to motivate the faithful.

Meanwhile, there will be thousands of women who mourn.

As followers of Christ, we need to embrace these women. We need put aside any judgment, any urge we may have to politicize their ordeal. We need to comfort them, welcome them, help them heal. We need to present an image to the world that helps women understand they have choices, that they aren't dirty, that they aren't at fault. We need to understand that abortion is a complicated issue, one with a lot of gray area. We need to realize that women consider it for legitimate reasons, go through with it for legitimate reasons. We need to realize that they need us, both before and after abortion.

Because these are the ones who mourn.

Read Part 1: Blessed are the poor in spirit.

The Sermon on the Mount in Our World, Part 1: Blessed are the Poor

This is the first of a semi-daily blog series about the Sermon on the Mount. I want to go through the Sermon from Matthew 5 teaching-by-teaching and talk about each teaching in the context of today's world. This being a blog about Christianity and politics, these modern-day applications will of course focus on public policy and governing. This will come from Matthew 5:3-7:27, and the translation is the NRSV, although I will reference others as well (noted in parentheses throughout.)

The stained glass series presented throughout the Beatitudes comes from Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Seward, Nebraska. The story behind these beautiful pieces of art can be found here. The captions under each come directly from the St. Vincent de Paul's website.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." -Matthew 5:3

The Crown and Scepter symbolize the Kingdom of Heaven; the dove the Holy Spirit; the hand reaching from the flower symbolizes humility.

Jesus opens his Sermon with the Beatitudes, a set of blessings commonly found in Hebrew writings. Jesus, however, shakes things up from the start by pronouncing blessings on a very unlikely group of people. His first: the poor in spirit, or the hopeless (CEV).

In first century Palestine, this encompassed a very large part of the population. Most people in ancient Palestine lived in abject poverty. They lived hand to mouth, and had to constantly worry about the whims of the Roman proconsul or legionnaires. The tension, stress, and want they lived with engulfed them in a poverty of spirit, a lack of hope. Nothing had ever been good for them. Why would anyone ever think it would?

So Jesus making them the very first line of his great Sermon is huge. Immediately, he is reaching out to people listening, most of whom lived in despair and without hope. Immediately, he told them they are blessed before all others. What a way to get them listening!

Who are the poor in spirit in our world today? Notice Jesus doesn't just say "the poor" here. Now, I'll admit, when I first began embracing progressive Christianity, this bothered. I thought it must be a mistranslation. Wouldn't it make more sense for Jesus to just say "the poor?" I never quite understood it.

But by saying "the poor in spirit," Jesus casts a wider net in today's world. There are many people who live in poverty. There are many more who suffer not just from a lack of wealth, but from depression, or mental illness, or addiction, or loss. This is the poor in spirit in our world.

And yet, they are often the most forgotten. I wrote just today about how the mentally ill are becoming the first victims of states' refusal to accept federal dollars for Medicaid expansion, as safety net hospitals are forced to turn away patients. When it comes to living up to Jesus' first blessing, we are failing miserably.

Two-thirds of the homeless population in the United States are mentally ill. Over 90% of suicides involve a someone suffering from a mental illness. Since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan, over 100,000 veterans have been treated by the VA for mental illness. 57% of children with mental health issues come from families living under the poverty line.

And yet, our nations leaders continue with a push for brutal austerity that inevitably falls hardest on those who need help the most. When cuts happen to federal and state budgets, they don't fall on corporate subsidies and perks. They fall on Medicaid, on DHS, on CHIP, on addiction counseling. Every time we cut more and more in a effort to stop the "takers," we are leaving behind thousands of the mentally ill and needy. We are leaving behind the poor in spirit that Jesus spoke of with his first breath in the Sermon.

If the poor in spirit are so important that Jesus felt compelled to name them first, why do we make them the last in our society today?