The Gospel of the Kingdom begins with the good news: blessed are the poor in spirit (Matt 5:2).

In other words,

We are to be envied and congratulated if we see our spiritual need of the King who teaches us how to:

1. Admit our spiritual bankruptcy
2. Mourn our wrongs rather than defending ourselves.
3. Inherit the earth rather than trying to conquer it.
4. Hunger for the kind of rightness that makes us merciful.
5. See God with our hearts rather than with our eyes.
6. Be peacemakers rather than warmongers.
7. Be punished for trying to help others rather than hurt them (5:3-12).

In the process, Jesus makes it clear that if we  think we are good enough to live up to God’s standards on our own, we are fooling ourselves. (5:20-48; 6-7).

But here’s how we can turn the good news into bad news: Use the high standards of our Lord’s  Sermon on the Mount to criticize or condemn either ourselves, or others who, in the awareness of our/their failure,  have already run to him for help.

In other words, use words that are meant to humble the proud to further beat down those who are already broken.

For example, what if we selectively reach into the list of the sins Jesus mentions and use his words to create a class of “divorced” and “remarried” persons, while not creating a category for persons who have been angry without a cause, lusted in their hearts, used oaths for credibility, only loved their friends rather than their enemies etc?

PS This is an attempt to clarify a longer post which readers found confusing. If I’m making matters worse, don’t be afraid to tell me :-)…

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