Liturgical Context.
Our continuous reading of Matthew’s account of Jesus’ earthly ministry
began two weeks ago, with the calling of the disciples (Week 3 of OT). Last week, we would have read the beginning
of the Sermon on the Mount, the famous beatitudes passage. However, the Feast of the Presentation
‘bumped’ the 4th Sunday of OT, so we read that gospel reading (from
Luke) instead. This week, we ‘continue’
with the Sermon on the Mount. As we
skipped its beginning, we’ll look at that in these notes briefly, as it grounds the whole Sermon.
Literary Context. Matthew’s gospel is
divided into five sections, corresponding to the five books of the Torah, each
consisting on Narrative and Discourse, surrounded by an Introduction (Nativity)
and Climax (Passion, Death and Resurrection).
The Sermon on the Mount was preceded by an account of Jesus’ healing and
preaching ministry and his call of the first disciples. The beatitudes begin the Sermon and proclaim
blessing for the persecuted Church. Blessing comes before demand. The beatitudes are not ethical requirements
(those will come later). The beatitudes
also reveal Jesus as the anointed bearer of the Spirit (see Isa 61:1-3). The setting reveals him as the new
law-giving, like God on Sinai (not merely the new Moses, who simply received
the Law). Today’s reading moves us from
indicative to imperative (be what you are!), but does so in very general
terms. The remainder of the Sermon will
give much more specificity.
Interpretation. I commented above on the
beatitudes as declarations of happiness for those who live self-sacrificial
lives as followers of Christ. Jesus
lived all of these. The beatitudes
declare that all who live such a life, even when it seems foolish, are blessed
for they will in the end be vindicated by God.
The passives are ‘divine passives’ throughout, and the future tense is
to be taken seriously. They are,
technically, not ‘blessings’ (benedictions, as found in Jewish and Christian
worship) but declarations of (future) happiness (beatitudes, as found in Wisdom
literature).
Salt is a polyvalent image.
One resonance I think is especially powerful is the scene in 2 Kings 2
where Elisha uses salt to miraculously purify bad water (a story which
influence the Church’s baptism rite for centuries). The pure in heart purify the world. But, there are many other resonances: salt is
a preservative, it is necessary, it adds flavor, it was a by-word for table
fellowship. Common to all these
analogies is this: salt is not salt for itself, it exists to help what
surrounds it. Salt can only lose its
saltiness by being adulterated. This is
the tension within which Matthew’s vision of Church lives: it must remain pure,
unadulterated, but it must be active in the world. Christians must live their life
Saints are “windows through which light enters” (St. John of the
Cross) and that’s the idea of being a lamp.
It’s God’s light we give the world access to. Like salt, a light gives light to those
around it. The function of light is not
to be seen, but to allow something else to be seen. This is a demanding view of the Church’s role
in the world! Cicero describes Rome as
the light of the world.
Questions
1.
The beatitudes should give both comfort (God
will vindicate us!) and worry (there’s a lot for Him to vindicate us
from!). How do they strike you? Do any in particular resonate with you?
2.
What do you think of when you think of
salt? In what ways is the Church like
salt? How could we do that more fully?
3.
Same question, but for light/lamp?
4.
How do we struggle to stay pure as a
Church? How does God help us?
5.
How do we struggle to stay present to the
world? How does God help us?
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