The Path to Joy Jesus Ethical Teaching
The New Age Christ A sort of customized Jesus is increasingly popular in our time Some portray Jesus as just an historical figure, social reformer, or spiritual teacher Many New Age gurus and spiritual teachers attempt to remake Jesus along non-christian lines Christians, too, have difficulty fighting the temptation to soften or deny the uniqueness of Jesus To think of Jesus as just one guide among many possible and equally viable guides when it comes to knowing God is in profound conflict with the Christian faith
Jesus as teacher Jesus is not another ethical guide, spiritual teacher, or personal guru Jesus cannot be known by picking whatever facts, actions, or words might be appealing while ignoring everything else Jesus is the incarnate Word of God Jesus often referred to himself and accepted the titles: prophet, teacher, and Rabbi Jesus is the ultimate teacher, but not just another teacher Jesus speaks and acts in the person of God
Christianity is about who Jesus is Christianity is about who Jesus is not what he said The great Creeds don t mention the teachings of Jesus, but instead articulate who he is with exactness e.g. I believe in Jesus Christ, [God s] only Son, our Lord Of course, this doesn t mean that Jesus teachings are a matter of indifference to Christians Scholars suggest that his sayings were remembered and passed around even during Jesus lifetime Once they realized that Jesus was Yahweh moving among his people, the first Christians became keenly interested in remembering, understanding and propagating his teaching
The Beatitudes There are two versions of the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospels: Matthew 5-7, Luke 6:17-49 The Beatitudes lay out the form of life for the gathered people, Israel The Beatitudes reveals the fullness of the Old Law (take it to a new level) The Beatitudes express the heart of the New Law Jesus is the new Moses The mountaintop is the new Mt. Sinai The Sermon is the new Law Given to the new people of God, the Church
Happy or Blessed = Joyful How do we relate Joy to the Law/Rules Freedom, to us, usually means we can do what we want, finding joy in determining our own life In the Bible freedom is the disciplining of desire, to make joy first possible and then effortless The Beatitudes are the rules that will place within our bodies, minds, spirits the capacity for Joy Beatitudo means joy in Latin
Mercy Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy Mercy or tender compassion is God s most distinctive characteristic St. John writes God is love This is about becoming love Receiving and giving love increasing the divine life in us
Pure in Heart Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God This means being single-minded about our love for God You will be happy if there is no ambiguity in your heart about what is most important Philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard: The Saint is someone whose life is about one thing A holy person has ordered her life to pleasing God alone
Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled We want many things, but what most fundamentally, do we want? What is your ultimate concern? If it s anything other than the will and purpose of God (i.e. righteousness, the good) then you will be unfulfilled
Peacemakers Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God Since God is the creator, he is the power through which all creatures are connected to each other God is a gathering force, the unifier of all that he has made Those who direct their lives to God are children of God who channel his metaphysical energy to reconcile, create peace, unify
Four Classical Substitutes for God We know that we need God but we try to fill the void with something less than God: St. Thomas Aquinas names four classical substitutes for God: 1. Wealth 2. Pleasure 3. Power 4. Honour Classical tradition refers to errant desire as concupiscence but today we call it addiction When we try to substitute God with finite goods we become frustrated, leading to a spiritual panic
Poor in Spirit Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven This is not a romanticizing of poverty nor a demonization of wealth It is a formula for detachment We are happy if we are not attached to material things, if we don t place the goods the wealth can buy at the center of our concern When the Kingdom of God is your ultimate concern, you will not be attached to material things, but instead use wealth for God s purposes
Blessed are those who mourn Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted Not a form of masochism This means how happy you are if you are not addicted to good feelings and pleasant sensations Physical, emotional, psychological sensations are wonderful but they are not God and quickly become an addiction (drugs, sex, consumption) Addiction is not spiritual freedom
Blessed are the meek Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth Jesus is not passing judgement on institutions of power How happy your are if you are not attached to the worldly good of finite power When we are detached from worldly power then you can follow the will of God even if it means walking a path of extreme powerlessness Un-addicted to worldly power you become a conduit or channel of divine power
Those persecuted for righteousness Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven This about not being addicted to honour (fame, popularity) When we are detached from worldly honour we unleash the divine life in powerful ways
The Sermon in light of the Crucifixion St. Thomas Aquinas says to be a Christian one must hate what Christ hated on the cross, and love what Christ loved on the cross. On the cross Christ hated: 1. Wealth Christ has nothing, he is stripped naked 2. Pleasure Christ is at the limit of psychological, physical suffering 3. Power Christ is powerless, nailed to a cross, unable to move 4. Honour Christ is publicly humiliated and disgraced
The Sermon in light of the Crucifixion On the cross Christ loved: 1. Purity of heart Christ is about one thing on the cross the will of God 2. Mercy Christ s tender compassion, loving forgiveness on display 3. Hungers and thirsts for righteousness Christ is love, truth 4. Peacemaking Christ s sacrifice ends sin, gives us peace Christ crucified loved the will of the Father The paradox of the crucifixion Christ crucified is the happiest man, a joyous man, a free man
The Path of Non-violence Love is the willing the good of the other as other Love your enemies is the rhetorical climax of the Sermon on the Mount Non-violence is not passivity but a provocative form of resistance Archbishop Tutu, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.