January 31, 2011 - Epiphany 4

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These past few weeks we have noted that during the season of Epiphany our texts offer us every week a revelation of Jesus our Lord. They give us an epiphany, an “Aha” as we come to realize that Jesus the man is the Christ, the Son of God. We began Epiphany with His baptism and saw we heard the voice of the Father speak from heaven that this Jesus was his beloved Son. We heard the Baptist say that he was the Lamb of God, who came to take away the sins of the world. Last week, the Vicar pointed out for us that Jesus is the Light of the World who came to overcome the darkness of sin, as Jesus set about calling to himself disciples. Today our Gospel text offers us another revelation of Jesus; who he is and what he does and how he does it.
In our Gospel text today we see Jesus revealed to us as a preacher. In the time line of Jesus' ministry, following his baptism and then his 40 days in the wilderness, the first work that Jesus does as the Christ the Lords anointed is to preach. Jesus climbs a hill with his disciples, sits down in the customary posture of a teacher and he begins a sermon. Jesus, the Messiah and the Son of God is a preacher. And so that is our Epiphany today. Do you want to see Jesus? Do you want to know him and who he is and what he does? Then listen to his preaching.
Now Jesus came to wage war on sin and death. He came in to the territories over run by evil, by the Devil. He came as the conquering hero to overthrown the enemy and free the captives. And usually, when we think of a warrior, of a soldier or a hero our minds and imaginations move toward the weapons of war. In Jesus day Roman soldiers fought with steal, with swords and spears. They were outfitted with the best that ancient technology had to offer. Today modern day soldiers are equipped with rifles and side arms, they are aided by satellites and laser guided air support and gps and computer guidance systems. All these gadgets have made our military even more efficient and deadly to our enemies.
But Jesus, the Son of God who has come into the world, Jesus who will claim to have all power in heaven and on earth, has no use for laser guidance systems and gps units. He doesn't use a gun, missiles or bombs. There are no heavy artillery or machine guns. Jesus doesn't carry a sword or even a knife. Jesus has come to wage war. There is no mistaking that. But for Jesus, his war is a war fought with words. With The WORD. The Word of God. Jesus is a preacher. His weapons are his words. And the Words of Jesus, the preaching of Jesus cuts straight to the heart.
This idea of a battle fought with words is not entirely new to us. We have seen it from time to time. After all, consider our political system. When one side has an agenda they want to accomplish they pile up the rhetoric around them and spin their agenda with words that create a perception favorable toward getting that job done. When the other side is not in favor of that agenda, they arm themselves with competing rhetoric, they criticize and tear down. Construct words that are designed to undermine and even sabotage their opponents. Today in our political system, when one side doesn't like the agenda of the other they attack the ideas with their words and when that doesn't work or isn't as effective as they would like, they attack each other. The war of words is fought out in the world on a daily basis and we are witness to it.
Yes, but there are times that we are even participants in it. How often do we wage war on one another with our words. The Epistle of James reminds us that the tongue is a restless evil, that it is the spark that can set an entire forest ablaze. Our tongues can just as easily become weapons in a war of words. Sometimes it is a full frontal assault fought in direct confrontation. Sometimes we are more subtle with our words, firing them from a distance and behind someone's back like a sniper hiding out of sight. But the words are weapons. They hurt and they destroy. We are only all to familiar with a war fought with words.
But this is not how Jesus fights. His words are not harsh or cruel. His words are not designed to diminish your reputation or you good name, rather his words restore your reputation. His words change your standing and your station in life, not just before men, but actually before God. The words of Jesus are truth and they are life. They are like that double edged sword of Hebrews that pierce to the division of soul and spirit, that discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) Jesus words are God's Word. His is the Word made flesh. And Jesus preaches that word that delivers to us life and salvation.
And so, in our text, Jesus the preacher sat down and began to preach. He took his disciples up on a hill and he began his famous sermon on the mount. His sermon begins with the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The sermon continues beyond this first beatitude, this first blessing, but this one is important because it reveals to us just what Jesus is here to do, what he is all about and why he has come. Jesus has come and he has come to preach because it is his intention to deliver the Kingdom of Heaven.
The words of Jesus, the actions of Jesus, the intentions of Jesus are all related, they are all aimed at the same thing. They all point to the kingdom of heaven, and specifically, the kingdom of heaven for you. The words of Jesus came to proclaim to you and to deliver to you God's Kingdom, God's reign on heaven and earth in glory where your sins are forgiven and where you live with him in blessing and glory. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
I guess a question to be answered, then, is what does it mean to be poor in spirit. We are all well aware of the contrast between being rich and being poor. The rich have the advantage of wealth, but often with that wealth comes power and influence. It seems that people who have money also have the ability to construct the world around them in a way that is favorable to their own agenda. The poor, on the other hand, lack wealth, but they often also lack power and influence. They are often subject to the will and the influence of the rich.
But we are not talking about worldly wealth and wordly power, we are not talking about being cash poor but spirit poor. Poor not toward man, but toward God. The spiritually poor, those who have no righteousness of their own, those who are weak and who need, who depend on the Lord for his spiritual gifts and blessings. The spiritual beggars, those who come to God with nothing and ask from him everything. The sinners, the spiritually destitute. These are the one who inherit God's kingdom. It isn't the ones who seem to have it all figured out, the spiritual know it all's, the spiritual power brokers of the world, our religious elites and the spiritual ruling class. After all, it turns out they have no use for God. They have no use for Jesus, because they have no use for his forgiveness.
And this is why it is so necessary for us to watch out for and be careful of our words. Certainly they can be weapons that kill and destroy and sometimes we do these things intentionally. But there are times when our words are even just carelessly spoken.
James calls the tongue and spark, a flame that is fueled by hell.
I once knew a pastor of a small country church who lived in the parsonage beside the church. This pastor had a young son and since they were far removed from any town or village the church would often remain open. This pastors son once, while he was out playing happened to venture into the sacristy and found the matches that we used to light the candles for worship. He got them out, began to play with them and then threw them in the trash. The fire from the matches began to smolder and burn and soon enough the entire church went up in flames.
Again, the tongue is a flame, a fire fueled by hell. Careless words spoken behind closed doors can light fires that you are not able to put out. Once the flames begin to burn often there is no stopping them and before you know it the whole place has gone up in flames.
But Jesus' words are different. His Words are far from incendiary. They don't incite fear or anger or gossip or any of our other vices. The words of Jesus put out the flames. They douse the fire. They cool the burning.
The words of Jesus are like a fire hose sprayed on the flames of our sin. We become drenched in the Spirit, soaked through to the bone – first in Baptism that washes us clean but then squelches the smoldering embers. And then continuously this spring wells up in us and flows from us in love toward our neighbor as the spring is fed by the aquifer of the Spirit found in those Words and preaching of Jesus. We go to church. We eat the body and drink the Lord's blood and we swim in his grace and forgiveness.
Words. Words are indeed powerful. They can bind and condemn, but they can also set free. The words of Jesus are Gospel words. Forgiveness words. Life words. And those words are given today to you from Jesus himself, who takes the poor in spirit, the mourners, meek, the hungry and thirsty and he gives them the Kingdom of Heaven.
Amen.