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May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Our text for this morning comes from the Gospel lesson from Matthew chapter 5, as well as these words from Revelation 14. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.” This is our text.
These passages from Matthew that make up today’s gospel lesson are probably very familiar to you. They’re very familiar to people in many Christian denominations, and I would dare say even familiar to many outside of the church. We often refer to them as the Beatitudes. The title comes from Latin and simply means blessed. I’ve heard these verses referred to as the B-E-space attitudes. That is, that these verses describe the attitudes, the state of mind that we should aspire to. They’re a mindset to strive for, a set of attitudes that we are trying to put on display to others.
Perhaps there is some truth to that. But are these words from Jesus really a table of rules that we are supposed to follow? Are they prescriptive? That is, are they telling us that if we act in a certain good way, certain good things will happen to us as a direct result, prescribing a certain way of living? Is this a good works reward system that Jesus is setting up for us? Is Jesus saying, if you are meek, then you will inherit the earth? If you are merciful, only then will you receive mercy? Is this some sort of if-then list of laws and rewards for us to follow?
I want you to listen very closely to how Jesus phrases these statements. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” “Blessed are the meek.” “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Jesus is describing a certain kind of people. The meek are blessed; those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed. Jesus’ words are more descriptive than prescriptive. Jesus isn’t telling us that if and only if we act a certain way, he will bless us in a certain way. He is describing the qualities of a certain kind of people, describing people that have already been made a certain way, telling us that this kind of people is truly blessed by God.
Now, if we were to consider ourselves as these people that Jesus is speaking of, then probably we should ask ourselves a few questions. Are we always meek? Are we always the peacemakers? Perhaps not. Are we always pure in heart? Are we always concerned about the righteousness in our own lives and in the world? Truth be told, as we look down this list of descriptions, we have to admit that they are not always very descriptive of us and our attitudes.
These words do perfectly describe one person. Each item in this list describes Christ. He was poor in both terms of human wealth and poor in spirit in that he cast aside the majesty and the power that was his in heaven to be born in a lowly stable, to lowly parents, to live a lowly life, to die a criminal’s death. He mourned for those who rejected him. He was meek as he allowed himself to be arrested, tortured, and executed. He hungered and thirsted for the righteousness of his people. He was merciful to all. He was pure in thought, word, and deed. He was persecuted and reviled for claiming to be God. And on the cross, his sacrifice made him the peacemaker between us and God.
Really, these words of Jesus most closely describe Jesus himself. The joy then in these words is that because they describe Jesus, they also describe his people. For you see, according to our own sinful nature, we are not meek, nor merciful, nor pure in heart. But by virtue of our baptisms, our lives have been connected, have been intertwined with the life of Christ. Those times when we are peacemakers, we point to him. Amen. The final and true peacemaker. When we are pure in heart, we’re reflecting the purity of Jesus. When we suffer for doing what we should, when we are mistreated because we are Christians, this is because Jesus was reviled and because he suffered.
But equally, the promises that Jesus makes are the promises that he makes to you. Yours is the kingdom of heaven. You mourn and you repent. And that brings us to the somewhat similar sounding words from Revelation 14:13. “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”
Instead of “blessed are the poor in spirit,” “blessed are the meek,” we now hear, “blessed are the dead.” In our gospel lesson today, Jesus is describing his people both now in this life and finally what will ultimately be fully realized for us in heaven. Yes, we are comforted now. Yes, we are shown mercy now. Yes, we are called children of God now. But because of our baptisms, those promises will reach their fulfillment when we die or when Christ returns in glory.
With these words and the other words we heard from Revelation 7 in our second lesson this morning, John is describing the culmination of our being blessed by God. Not because of our mercy, not because of our meekness, not because of our suffering and peacemaking, but because of Christ. Those who die in the Lord are blessed eternally, resting from their burdens and labors. The saints in heaven are perfectly pure in heart. They know true mercy. They see mercy face to face. They are fully at peace. The hunger and the thirst for righteousness that God fed them in his body and blood during their earthly life is now perfectly satisfied in heaven. The rebuke and the reviling they suffered for the name of Christ in this life of the great tribulation is replaced with eternal life in the presence of their Lord and Savior.
And on the last day, when God’s people receive exalted, glorified bodies, we will all together see God with our own eyes. So what is this day? What is this All Saints Sunday all about? Of course, the day invokes some sadness as we remember those loved ones who have died in the Lord. It is also a day of comfort. It is a day to be reminded that the dead in Christ live in glory with him.
Amen. They are truly blessed. For them, there is no suffering or pain. They wear the white robes of their baptism forever in the presence of God. There’s also a day when we thank God for their lives among us. What a blessing all those saints have been in our lives. Pastor Knuckles reminded us last week of all those who have handed down the true faith from generation to generation and in our lives have given us the holy word of God. No doubt, we are Christians because of these very saints who have now gone on and died in the Lord.
May we likewise be a blessing to others in our lifetimes, faithfully handing down the truth that has been given to us before our Lord calls us home. This day serves as a reminder that we, like those who have gone before us, will also one day die. And we too will receive all the blessings that God has promised us in Christ Jesus.
And so we pray that God would use us, would use us to show his mercy, to bring forth his peace, that we would not grow weary of seeking righteousness, that we would stand up to the assaults of Satan and this world who would try to tear us away from the love and mercy of God. And we pray that God would keep us in that faith, which will deliver us into the eternal arms of God our Father, reunited with those who have gone before.
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”
In the name of Jesus, amen. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.