{"id":25914,"date":"2026-01-27T11:30:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T10:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/?p=25914"},"modified":"2026-01-27T15:55:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T14:55:01","slug":"matthew-51-12-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/matthew-51-12-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Matthew 5:1-12"},"content":{"rendered":"

Epiphany 4 A<\/strong> | 01. Februar 2026 | Matthew 5:1-12<\/strong> | Luther H. Thoresen<\/strong> |<\/h3>\n
\n

5<\/strong>\u00a01<\/sup>When Jesus\u00a0saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.\u00a02<\/sup>And he began to speak and taught them, saying:
\n3<\/sup>\u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
\n4<\/sup>\u201cBlessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
\n5<\/sup>\u201cBlessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
\n6<\/sup>\u201cBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
\n7<\/sup>\u201cBlessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
\n8<\/sup>\u201cBlessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
\n9<\/sup>\u201cBlessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
\n10<\/sup>\u201cBlessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
\n11<\/sup>\u201cBlessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely\u00a0on my account.\u00a012<\/sup>Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Scripture quotations from: New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright \u00a9 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.<\/p>\n

Note: <\/strong>The initial paragraphs in italics<\/em> of this sermon might be used as the basis for a Children\u2019s message. The preacher could substitute anecdotes from their youth that would be similar to the current author\u2019s; or share what is below in the third person. If not used that way, one might adapt it as the beginning of the \u201cusual\u201d sermon or insert part of it later in the sermon\u2026or elsewhere in the service.<\/p>\n

Good morning. I have a pair of binoculars here. Would you like to look through them? [Allow time for 2-3 children to look through them, maybe asking something like \u201cWhat do you see?\u201d] Things look different with them than with our eyes alone, right? Also, have you ever looked at something with a magnifying glass or through a telescope or microscope? [Allow time for 2-3 children to describe their experiences] Have you ever hung upside down on the playground? [Allow time for 2-3 children to describe their experiences]. I also watch birds, and one of the birds in our area is the white-breasted nuthatch. These birds can climb up a tree trunk, and down the same tree trunk headfirst. That\u2019s upside down, right? I wonder if the world looks different when they are climbing down compared to climbing up. <\/em><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s gospel reading includes a series of 9 statements by Jesus we call the \u201cBeatitudes.\u201d That\u2019s because that English word is based on the Latin word \u201cBeate\u201d. Latin was the language used in the Roman churches for many years. That Latin word, \u201cBeate\u201d means \u201cBlessed are\u201d. With each of the 9 Beatitudes Jesus says something like \u201cBlessed are the poor, those who mourn, and so forth. That is something like \u201cGod blesses\u201d those people. I\u2019ll talk more about Jesus\u2019 words in the regular sermon. <\/em><\/p>\n

This week you might look through some binoculars or a magnifying glass. You might hang upside down or stand on your head. You might just watch a nuthatch. With any of these you might remember that Jesus looks at the world differently; and as those who follow Jesus, we might look at the world differently, too. I\u2019ll talk about this more in the regular sermon. But for now, would you pray with me? God, thank you for binoculars to see up close parts of your world that are far away. Thank you for magnifying glasses to see small things better. Thank you for the fun of hanging upside down, and for the chance to watch some bird like a nuthatch. Thank you for Jesus who looked at your people with great love, and that he looks at us with great love. In Jesus\u2019 name, Amen<\/em><\/p>\n

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.<\/p>\n

Have you seen the bracelets with the letters WWJD on them? You might recall that this is an acronym for \u201cWhat would Jesus do?\u201d Over the years these have been created as craft projects at many Bible camps and during congregational events like Vacation Bible School\u2026and of course these have also been mass produced and marketed by various companies in the last 25 or more years. You can now see WWJD on mugs, plaques, jewelry, bumper stickers and more. The intent is for people to ask themselves the moral or ethical question, \u201cWhat would Jesus do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone suggested an alternative, WWJHMD\u2026which seems a little long, but it stands for \u201cWhat would Jesus have me do?\u201d That\u2019s a good question. Let\u2019s keep this question in the background as we move to today\u2019s scripture.<\/p>\n

With today\u2019s Gospel text, we might note \u201cwhen Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain.\u201d How we look at people matters. How we see the world matters. A simple example. You might see a bird with a broken wing. You might say to yourself, \u201cI see supper for my cat,\u201d or \u201cI see a candidate for the wildlife rehabilitation center,\u201d Or \u201cI see a helpless bird and nature will take it\u2019s course.\u201d The way we look at the bird determines how we act \u2013 bring my cat outside, or take the bird to the rehab, or leave it and go inside. I\u2019m not saying here that any particular action is right or wrong. But it does illustrate that how we see is connected to how we act. We\u2019ll come back to this a bit later.<\/p>\n

As the text continues, the people are not gone but probably follow Jesus up the mountain. We are told that Jesus sat down and taught the disciples. However, I think Jesus was looking beyond the disciples to the crowd. It seems as if Jesus teaches the disciples looking at the crowd. Jesus speaks to the disciples, but what he says is not immediately about the disciples.<\/p>\n

We hear that Jesus begins with \u201cThe Beatitudes,\u201d but these are not a \u201cto do list\u201d so that the disciples can be blessed. These are not even a list of attitudes or virtues so that the disciples can be blessed. It is almost as if Jesus looks at the crowd and invites the disciples to look at the crowd and the world as Jesus does. Is that a bit upside down? With the beatitudes we hear that Jesus values things, values people differently than was common. We hear that Jesus values things, values people differently than the dominant culture.<\/p>\n

I would note some quick notes about the beatitudes as a whole. The beatitudes are structured as poetry. There are 2 stanzas of 4 lines or 4 beatitudes each, plus a 9th<\/sup> beatitude. In the first stanza we hear \u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit\u2026those who mourn\u2026the meek\u2026(and) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.\u201d In the second stanza we hear \u201cBlessed are the merciful\u2026the pure in heart\u2026the peacemakers\u2026(and) those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.\u201d Each of these stanzas has 36 words in Greek \u2013 the language in which all of the New Testament was written. I think it is awesome that Matthew (or someone) took whatever Jesus said in his Aramaic language and formed it into such tight Greek poetry.<\/p>\n

Then, after the two stanzas of 4 lines in the 3rd<\/sup> person (\u201cBlessed are those\u201d), Jesus adds a single beatitude in the 2nd<\/sup> person \u2013 \u201cBlessed are you.\u201d It seems to me that Jesus had been looking at the crowd and says those two stanzas to the disciples and then adds the last one looking at the disciples and speaking to them. Today, we will focus on the 2 stanzas, each with 4 beatitudes. I\u2019ll not speak at length about any of them, but I will note each briefly.<\/p>\n

The first stanza begins with \u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit.\u201d The word for spirit is also used for breath or wind in Greek and in Hebrew (the language of the Older Testament). To be poor in spirit is to be without spirit, without breath. It is to be breathless or to have the wind knocked out of you, to have the wind taken from your sails. Next, \u201cThose who mourn\u201d have had their joy taken because of some loss. \u201cThe meek\u201d have had their power or influence taken away. They are powerless. \u201cThose who hunger and thirst for righteousness\u201d may feel empty. They desire or need what is righteous or what is just.<\/p>\n

We could say that all the people described in the first four beatitudes are in situations that are NOT to be desired. These are people with their backs against the wall. Someone said that these are people who have lost hope. These are people with no reason for hope in this world, yet Jesus says, \u201cGod blesses them.\u201d That is to say that God is present and at work in these dark places. God is present and at work in these difficult places.<\/p>\n

Once we look at the world in this way, we can ask, \u201cWhat would Jesus have me do?\u201d Will I watch at a distance or step in to assist? Maybe Jesus calls disciples to \u201cBe where the action is.\u201d Maybe Jesus calls us to be where God\u2019s action is, to be where God is active, blessing those that the world casts aside.<\/p>\n

So now, what about the 2nd<\/sup> stanza? It is similar, yet different from the 1st<\/sup>. Before we turn directly to them\u2026someone asked, \u201cWhere was God on 9\/11?\u201d Many of us remember that day when 2 planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, 1 plane crashed into the Pentagon in D.C., and 1 plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field. Where was God? The answer many people give is \u201cLook at the people headed into the twin towers\u201d or \u201cLook at the people going up the steps when everyone else was running down. There God was at work.<\/p>\n

Maybe you have heard the quote from Fred Rogers of the children\u2019s TV show, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. He is quoted as saying, \u201cWhen I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, \u2018Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is similar with the second stanza of 4 beatitudes, \u201cBlessed are the merciful\u2026the pure in heart\u2026the peacemakers\u2026those persecuted for the sake of righteousness.\u201d These are among the helpers. I would say that God is at wok among and through the merciful \u2013 those who show mercy to others in need. God is at work among and through the pure in heart \u2013 those who act and live with integrity for the sake of others and a primary goal. God is at work among and through the peacemakers, bringing understanding or listening in tense relationships. God is at work among and through those persecuted for the sake of righteousness; persecuted because they are at work on behalf of justice for all people.<\/p>\n

We might say that the 1st<\/sup> stanza is about God\u2019s activity among and on behalf of people who are without hope. We might say that the 2nd<\/sup> stanza is about God\u2019s activity through helpers. I think it is possible to agree with what Julian of Norwich said almost 700 years ago. She said, \u201cThe fullness of joy is to behold God in everything.\u201d Let me repeat that, \u201cThe fullness of joy is to behold God in everything.\u201d Is she right? God is present in beauty and good events. God is also present in places unexpected. We can look at the darkness in this world and see God\u2019s light. Why? In and through his life, death and<\/p>\n

resurrection Jesus brought light \u2013 God\u2019s light- into a dark world.<\/p>\n

You may know that Mother Teresa spent much of her life in Calcutta, India. You may know that Mother Theresa spent much of her life serving among the poorest of the poor on earth; often tending those dying on the streets of Calcutta. Of course, no one except Jesus was perfect, so of course Teresa wasn\u2019t perfect. However, she was an inspiration to many. Once Rev Dr David Vestal[1]<\/a>\u00a0went to visit India and happened to meet Mother Teresa. They had a brief conversation, then she handed him her business card. On it were these words,<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe fruit of silence is prayer
\nThe fruit of prayer is faith
\nThe fruit of faith is love
\nThe fruit of love is service
\nThe fruit of service is peace\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

(Let me read that again)<\/p>\n

Mother Teresa had learned from Jesus to look at the world in a different way. Mother Teresa had learned to ask, \u201cWhat would Jesus have me do?\u201d<\/p>\n

As we answer that question, we do so knowing that however we answer, however we act, whether we are one of the hopeless or one of helpers, what we do does not make God love us more or love us less. For indeed, God in Christ is the one who acts in response to the hopeless and the helpers. In Christ, God speaks about the presence of the Kingdom now for those who have had the wind knocked out of them. In Christ God is active to offer comfort to those who mourn, a place on earth for the meek, and things put right for those who hunger and thirst for it. Likewise, in Christ God is active to bring mercy to the merciful, a face-to-face vision for the pure, and the words \u201cmy child\u201d spoken to peacemakers. In Christ God is active to bring the presence of the Kingdom now for those who are persecuted. For the hopeless and the helper God is active now.<\/p>\n

The action of God now on behalf of the hopeless and the helpers is rooted in Jesus\u2019 life, death and resurrection. God is active in our lives when the life, death and resurrection of Jesus become present to you. God is active as the scriptures are read and heard at home and in worship together. You are connected to this Jesus in the water and word of Holy Baptism and in the Bread, Wine and word of Holy Communion. You are embraced by this Jesus in the mutual conversation among God\u2019s people. You are served by this Jesus as you with others serve those in need in this world. God acts now for each of us as we answer the question, \u201cWhat would Jesus have me do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Have you ever seen or had a bookmark with The Beatitudes on it? Things like that are nice to have, but sometimes these may only remain words on paper. We want the beatitudes to come off the page, off the bookmark. As someone put it, \u201cWe want to turn ink into flesh and blood.\u201d We want the words of Jesus to mark our lives and not just mark a page in a book.<\/p>\n

So, I have a challenge for you. You could read Matthew 5:1-12 each day this week. Remember that everything looks different through a pair of binoculars or through a magnifying glass or upside down? So also, through the words of Jesus, you might see people and the world differently\u2026at a distance, up close or upside down. Then you might ask yourself, Today, \u201cWhat would Jesus have me do?\u201d Amen<\/p>\n

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a9Pr. Luther H. Thoresen, ELCA, STS, retired; thoresenluther54@gmail.com<\/a>; Grundy Center, IA, USA<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>\u00a0Vestal related this encounter with Mother Teresa in an online sermon connected to Micah 6:8. That sermon can be accessed at\u00a0https:\/\/day1.org\/weekly-broadcast\/5d9b820ef71918cdf200242c\/a_rediscovery_of_biblical_religion<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Epiphany 4 A | 01. Februar 2026 | Matthew 5:1-12 | Luther H. Thoresen | 5\u00a01When Jesus\u00a0saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.\u00a02And he began to speak and taught them, saying: 3\u201cBlessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25903,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,727,157,853,108,110,150,349,1132,3,109],"tags":[],"beitragende":[],"predigtform":[],"predigtreihe":[],"bibelstelle":[],"class_list":["post-25914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-matthaeus","category-archiv","category-beitragende","category-bibel","category-current","category-engl","category-kapitel-5-chapter-5","category-kasus","category-luther-h-thoresen","category-nt","category-predigten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25914"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25917,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25914\/revisions\/25917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25914"},{"taxonomy":"beitragende","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/beitragende?post=25914"},{"taxonomy":"predigtform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtform?post=25914"},{"taxonomy":"predigtreihe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtreihe?post=25914"},{"taxonomy":"bibelstelle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bibelstelle?post=25914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}