Perspective

As I have been reading Matthew I have also been reading What The Gospels Meant by Garry Wills. Well, reading the chapters that cover Matthew that is. It has been an interesting and an easy read. There have been new thoughts to consider, a few things to disagree with, and reason to rethink ideas I had seen before. All together a satisfactory read.

He opens his section on The Beatitudes (5:3-10)with this statement: "Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with messages of comfort, what was called in antiquity a consolatio, an address to those afflicted, neglected, or persecuted."(p. 77) I have been turning this over in my mind since I read it. I can't even begin to count how many times I have read, or listened to someone read The Beatitudes. I don't think I have ever experienced them as being comforting. Early on I grasp that Jesus was talking about people who were "afflicted, neglected, or persecuted" , somehow I missed that he was talking TO people who were "afflicted, neglected, or persecuted". I do believe this explains my reaction.

While I grew up in significantly less afluence than we now have I never knew serious want as a child. Our days of student poverty were definately days of poverty, but we expected them to be short lived and they were. When I started becoming a more outspoken advocate for the full aceptance of lgbt persons in the church and in our society I wondered what I was going to be in for. The truth is I have been glared at a couple of times and once had 2 truly awful hours during a vigil with Soulforce. Even if these had not come with the many good friends I have made and countless positive experiences it would not qualify as persecuted. In short I have not resonated with words of comfort for the "afflicted, neglected, or persecuted" because I have been none of those things.

Once I would have only thought in terms of what the passage meant for me. That is an important perspective -- deciding what a passage means for someone else is of very limited value. But that is not what I have been pondering recently. No I have been wondering just what to do with this insight. What difference does this make as I look at deepening how I live out my faith?