Working through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount has been a little slower going than first expected. There are the obvious hang ups (the business of life, moving nearly one thousand miles, starting a new job, etc). Then, there’s also the not so obvious hang up of definition (i.e. translating from English back to Greek for a more inclusive understanding of what I’m reading when I read it).

There’s been a lot of good in taking the time for definition, however, as it has reminded me of how I do take words for granted rather than dwelling on their inherent and implicit meanings. In addition, it reminds me of how some words (maybe in their over usage or flippant understandings?) have lost the significance, breadth, and depth on me (i.e., reading over a text and glossing over what it’s really saying all for the sake of “just reading”).

In the very act of translation, we may lose some of the force of what was originally said. Being the case, I will put out the caveat that we are not to mistrust a translation simply because it is a translation. In the vein of Christianity, we can believe that though we may not (at first) understand the intricacies of meanings behind the words we are reading, we can still yet trust that the Holy Spirit is real and that He will enlighten, penetrate, and correct our hearts and misguidance to the end that Christ is made more beautiful in and through our lives.

A little sharing regarding three verses in the Beatitudes (and hopefully, a reprieve from my “How To’s”).

Matthew 5:6 – Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Generally speaking, I would have seen this as “Blessed are those who really desire holiness because God will give them satisfaction.” Honestly, in breaking apart these words I was kind of blown away. Spiros (the main resource I use in my translation as I can’t yet understand or read Greek) gives some great insight. First, “Those who hunger” is altogether one phrase and is more correctly identified as “Those who starve, are famished; to metaphorically hunger for something other than literal food.

As a middle class American, it is hard to understand the impetus that starvation is for action to someone who is starving. The implication is that Christ is not speaking of mere desire, but of a deeply seated and desperate desire (hunger) for righteousness. The implication is that when one is starving for something, there’s not a whole lot that can avert the pains of starvation apart from satisfaction.

So the Holy Spirit reminds me, “You aren’t starving for righteousness, but you should.”

Matthew 5:7 – Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Matthew 5:7 is the only verse that uses this sense of merciful (eleēmōn) to reference believers in the New Testament of the Bible (according to Spiros). It means compassionate, benevolently merciful involving thought and action and is generally relegated in speaking of God’s mercy to us. As such, mercy is much more than giving a sandwich to the homeless person who asks you for extra change. Mercy, as defined, is a planned and intentional action for the benefit and well being of others when there is a recognized need (i.e. compassion). Therein, it is much more than “I forgive you.”

Matthew 5:12 – Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus tells us that we are blessed when we are persecuted for his sake (see the preceding verse 11). If (or when) we are persecuted for His sake, the translation of verse 12 could be elaborated upon by saying “Joy to you! Be glad in an exuberant and absurd way!”

I don’t think that it is something that I can quite understand, because when I feel wronged I am not prone to turn the other cheek and rest in quiet faith. Instead, my actions will more often dictate that I simply don’t trust that God has a plan for the situations I am placed in and that there is more truth in chaos rather than in a God who has a perfect and exacting plan for my life. In essence, it’s easier to know what the truth is than it is to believe the truth.

Sometimes hope comes with the knowledge that I’m wrong, however.

I can hope in a Christ that speaks the Beatitudes so that I might be drawn to Him and changed through His power rather than a Christ that speaks and says, “Now do this, or else.” The same grace that opens my heart to see this Jesus is the same grace that allows me to accept the broken world around me and to not expect the very thing that it is unable to produce apart from God’s grace: righteousness. When I drive through the streets of my broken city, I can lament with those who are not part of my family in the knowledge that in and of myself, I am lacking too. In the vein of that knowledge, I can also (from the depths of my own iniquity) point to one who is better than us, but who became like us so that we could be better than ourselves.

In short, the Beatitudes remind us that we suck. But they also remind us that there is a God who came to us to save us, that there is a transcendent hope beyond what we consider as tangible, and that there is a completion to be fulfilled by a God who sacrificed Himself and was resurrected to give us real life. They remind us that Jesus is about the building of His kingdom and that we have the privilege and unspeakable joy (rejoicing in persecution…) to be a part of that work.

North Korea.

A friend asked me to comment on this - I have to mention that because if you don't know me [personally] it might seem a strange topic to you. Part of the reason [I suppose] is the fact that I have family who live in South Korea. In fact, I have far more extended family members who are in S. Korea than I do in the U.S.

First off, a primer. There are actually two Korean states [when I say state, I mean self governed entities]. They are North Korea [officially the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea - DPRK] and South Korea [Republic of Korea]. Don't let the names fool you, however - North Korea is governed by Kim Jong Il, is a communist state, and has an awful human rights track record. The Korean War [of which General George Casey Patton derived fame] began in 1950 and ended in 1953. I had a great uncle who actually fought in that war - he said that they would set machine guns on the back of jeeps and eventually bodies would be so high that their placed guns would become essentially worthless. During the Korean conflict, the Western world generally sided with South Korea, bringing forth a democratic political paradigm while China sided with North Korea bringing about a Stalinist mindset. In 1953 the war "ended" [the war, in fact, has never officially ended although there has been an ongoing ceasefire for the past half century] with the two sides coming together and splitting the Korean Peninsula at the 38th Parallel [known as the DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone].

South Korea has met some hard times [with corruption in the government and what not], but is currently flourishing with the worlds 13th largest economy [depending on your source, it's actually somewhere between 11 and 14]. Most people aren't itching to travel in to North Korea, however [ranked 92 on world economies on the CIA's World Factbook]. A recent article written by a South Korean author states that an estimated 10,000 will find some way to leave North Korea to live in South Korea this year and that the number should double in 5 years. Take a look the difference between N Korea and S Korea at googlemaps and you'll notice something interesting as well - most of North Korea's Streets are empty while South Korea's streets are full of activity. It's fairly well known that large buildings and streets were made in North Korea to intimate a sense of grandeur and opulence to both those who reside in the nation and outsiders.

I put this information out to communicate that the two Korea's are together geographically, but so different politically, socially, and economically [and also, because I've had people ask me with some regularity whether I visited North Korea or South Korea in September - most people don't visit North Korea].

When most of think of North Korea, they think of its dictator rather than the people who live there. One of the unfortunate effects of the Korean War was the fact that families were separated for half a century [recently, some families have been allowed to reunite at the DMZ]. In essence, you have two countries on a small peninsula in Asia whose lives have been defined by which side of the 38th parallel in which they reside - whose cultures are so disparate and yet still so familial.

If you believe the gospel, I would think [and I may be putting a very large foot in a very large mouth here] that you should never think that an entire nation should be punished because of the evil of one man [say...by economic sanctions]. If you synthesize the situation with a right mind you might well say that the people who are there are living in utter fear for their mortal lives. I think where Americans so often fail in foreign policy is the fact that so much of what guides us is an innate and ungodly fear. If you don't believe the gospel, then I think it's right to leave in that assumed fear, but as believers we have to trust that Jesus has something better for a people whose lives are lived under the hand and rule of oppressive dictators.

I'm tired now - it's 11PM here - but I'll try to add another installment soon. Feel free to comment on the post...