Who will be among the blessed? This is a question which has most likely come into the thoughts of every human being since the beginning of time. Many of us in our modern society are still dealing with this same question. There are those who are all too willing to tell us the truth, if we can pay them the right price. Our society also has a few answers. Blessed are those who have the most money, for they can buy anything made in this world. Blessed are those who have great beauty and talent, for they will be rich, famous, and envied by all. Blessed are those with great political power, for they shall make the rules by which all others must live. And on and on goes the list. But the reality is that most of these blessings are fleeting. We have discovered that over time beauty fades, talent is lost, power is taken away by others, and as for money and other treasures of wealth … you can’t take any of it with you into the after-life! The best we can hope for is to be able to leave it behind for our loved ones or for others.
And so we are still left facing the basic question: “Who will be among the blessed?
Today’s scripture readings contain words of hope and celebration, as well as an implicit warning. In the Revelation reading (7:9-17) we heard an elder asking, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?”[1] What a golden opportunity for this author to announce to everyone who would read this text that these are the chosen ones: the ones who were blessed by God from the very beginning of time to live a life of rich blessings in great comfort without any struggles of any kind. But that is not what the elder declared. The elder tells the author (and all of us who would read these words) that, “These are they who have came out of the great ordeal … They will hunger no more, and thirst no more …”[2]
In case you missed these very important implications; the ones who are among the blessed are the ones who have faced “the great ordeal,” and they have hungered and been thirsty. God has never promised any of us that every second of our lives here on earth would be kind, gentle, or easy. What God has promised us is that even in our times of trouble and our moments of deepest despair, we will not be alone.
In our reading from Matthew’s Gospel (5:1-12) we hear Jesus speaking to the crowds of people … and yes – even to us today.
His message is about how we should really understand what it means to be among the “Blessed.” Jesus is not using a “worldly” standard in his listing of who are among the blessed. He is using a standard which has been given by the Creator.
Some of those who are listed as being among the blessed are very obvious: the pure of heart, the merciful, and the peacemakers. Of course even though these may seem to be obvious to us, we should also remember that each of these individuals will be judged by God; for it is God that will be able to see the true motivation of each heart.
The others may not at first seem as obvious: the meek, the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and those whom other people revile and persecute. But it is again important for us to remember that Jesus is helping all of us to understand that God will not be judging us by our worldly standards; rather it is the Creator who will be looking into the very depths of our true motivations for all of our actions.
In closing I will share with you that these scripture readings are listed for November 1st of each year. This day is known in the Christian calendar as “All Saints Day.” It is a time for each one of us to pause and remember those who have gone before us.
Is it possible that God will find value in the life of each of those who have gone before us? Is it possible that we have known and lived with “saints” in days past?
A friend of mine, from many years ago, was an artist who loved to paint and sculpt. One day while we were both at an old Boy Scout Camp helping to clean up the grounds, we came across a piece of drift wood. It was misshapen and half rotted, but he decided that he wanted to take it home rather than just add it to the pile of firewood. That following spring we were again helping to get the camp ready for a new gathering of summer campers, and he asked me come with him to the craft shed. When we got there, I saw the most beautiful piece of carved and polished wood that I have seen in many years. It was hanging over the door, inviting everyone to come into this place of creation. Jack smiled when he saw my reaction, and told me that this was the piece of wood that I was ready to toss “just as useless trash” into the fire. He was a very creative man who was able to find value in every object.
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