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Beatitudes, Part 5

Matthew 5:10-12

March 13, 2005

Verse 10 says "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2. In this Beatitude we have one new word to define, and one old word to recollect. I’ll do them in reverse order. "Righteous" is the old word. In the oldest sense – the sense Moses might have known – it means to be "normal" as God intends "normal" to be. In other words, God created humans to always listen to God for instructions on how to be and what to do. But, as we are well aware, we don’t always listen even when we know what we hear is good for us. Because people wouldn’t listen, God sent Jesus to show the human race how to act. So to be "righteous" is to do what God has told us to do, or act the way Jesus acted [which are both really one in the same]. That’s the old word we met in the fourth Beatitude.

3. "Persecute" is the "new" word. It means to make someone run or flee, to drive that person away; and more intensely it means to harass, trouble, molest in such a way as to mistreat that person on account of something they’ve done, or simply because of who they are. If we were to paraphrase this Beatitude, it might say "Happy are those who are harassed or molested or driven out because they are trying to do what Jesus would have them do." That’s persecution!

4. Persecution. History books are full of stories about those who have been tortured and killed because they insisted on being loyal to God instead of the King. We live in a country that guarantees freedom to worship when and where we want. There is no chance at all that any of us will be met at our cars by the police who usher us to jail because we came to worship here. Thank goodness! But there are many more subtle forms of persecution. Have you ever been snubbed by a classmate or a co-worker when you refused to go along with them in something you knew was un-Christian? That was hard, wasn’t it? It takes a lot of courage to say "No" when going along with the crowd would make us more accepted; it takes a strong backbone to take a stand for good when the evil alternative seems much more fun.

5. No, we don’t face the kind of persecution early Christians know, but we often find situations in life where our faith urges us to take a stand, and we get a glimpse of the kind of happiness Jesus might have meant. One of those situations that comes to my mind is entirely fictitious. It was originally a novel, and was soon made into movie. "Snow Falling on Cedars." Are you familiar with it? It takes place on a small fictional island in the Pacific Northwest. San Piedro is on the Puget Sound and home to salmon fishermen and strawberry farmers, some of whom are Euro-Americans (white) and some of whom are Japanese Americans. It centers around the murder trial of a Japanese American (Kasuo) accused of killing a Euro-American (Carl), the son of the woman who cheated Kasuo’s family out of land they had rightfully purchased before World War II (although she didn’t think of it as cheating, because in those days the Japanese weren’t allowed to buy land). I didn’t realize it at the time, but "Snow Falling on Cedars" is a story of The Beatitudes.

6. There are four major characters in this novel-which-became-a-movie. All four of these characters have grown up together on the island, and at the time of the trial are probably thirty-something. Kasuo is the Japanese-American accused of the premeditated, first-degree murder of Carl. Their families were embroiled in a land feud that went back to WW II nine years before the trial takes place. Hatsue is Kasuo’s wife who, when she was a young girl, developed a close friendship with Ishmael, a friendship that developed into young love as they grew older. Ishmael lost his right arm during the war, but returned to the island to take over his late father’s newspaper business, and remained in love with Hatsue although he continued to be bitter about the loss of his arm. And finally there is (or was) Carl, the fellow found dead in the nets of his fishing boat. Ishmael ends up being the hero, and that is due primarily to the fact that his mother instilled in him a strong faith in God, and his father taught him to take a stand on behalf of people being persecuted. As is often the case, movie-goers have to look between the people to find the Christ-figure who saves the people, and listen to the echoes of their lines to hear the voice of God speaking to them.

7. Within the plot of this story are all the elements of the Beatitudes: They are all "poor in spirit" and must depend on God, because they cannot depend on each other. The attorney who knows when to be quiet and when to speak up is the epitome of "meek." They all mourn – the islanders mourn their personal losses as well as the mistakes they have made. They mourn the loss of loved ones and land of their own and dreams of what could have been. Ishmael mourns the loss of his only love and the loss of his arm. Kasuo is merciful, and he receives mercy. The judge who presides over the case is the one who is "pure in heart." Ishmael "hungers and thirsts for righteousness" and discovers that Kasuo did not kill Carl. Kasuo and his family have always done what was right, but were persecuted because of the hatred many Americans felt toward the Japanese around the time of WW II. And, when the judge dismisses murder charges against Kasuo and releases him to go home to his family, these people experience the happiness of being part of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Not ALL of them, of course – there are still some on the island who harbor prejudice. They are not part of the Kingdom of Heaven.

8. "Snow Falling on Cedars" is fiction – any resemblance to people living or dead is purely coincidental, as the disclaimers always read. Yet the stuff of San Piedro Island is the stuff of our lives! Life is often difficult, especially when we try so hard to be good disciples, when we want to do what is right. Events happen over which we have no control, and we are left now knowing what to do. It is at times like these that we ask "Where is God?" "Who will come and save us?" These Beatitudes are good news! God will be with us in the everyday events of our lives. God finds a home with people, and where God finds a home, the people find true happiness. These Beatitudes do not simply describe virtues to strive for; they are words of comfort for all of us who live minute by minute, day by day, week by week.

9. I doubt if any of us will ever be killed for our faith. And yet every day presents one of these situations: spiritual emptiness, grief, and a whole variety of challenges. And when these situations come, we will have a choice to make. Will we seek the momentary acceptance of those we think we should please, or will we seek the lasting happiness that Jesus promises?

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