In Luke's
Gospel this passage is called The Sermon on the Plain.
In Matthew it's The Sermon on the Mount. Today
we might call it The Sermon in the City. The Beatitudes
- the same message told from three different points of view.
What
does it mean to be satisfied? The answer would
probably depend on what it is that you were hungry
for. If you lived on the mountain you might hunger for level
ground on which to plant and build. If you lived on the
plain you might hunger for crisp mountain air and cold,
clear trout streams. But for what might you hunger if you
lived in the city?
Well,
sanitation workers might hunger for safe working conditions.
Healthcare workers might hunger for less paperwork. Teachers
might hunger for art supplies and computer labs. Airline
employees might hunger for increased airport security. Police
might hunger for safer neighborhoods. Attorneys might hunger
for an equitable criminal justice system. Sellers might
hunger for buyers. Buyers might hunger for sellers. Employees
might hunger for fair employers. Employers might hunger
for honest employees. Different people, different points
of view, different hungers - each looking for the assurance
that their work has meaning and that what they do matters.
Perhaps
it would help if we looked at things from God's
point of view. Sanitation workers eliminate the spread of
disease; healthcare workers heal the sick. Teachers prepare
children to become responsible citizens of the world; airline
personnel provide safe transportation in a global community.
Police officers keep our communities safe; attorneys defend
the rights of their clients. Sellers provide necessary goods
and services; buyers provide work for manufacturers. Employees
support their families and themselves; employers provide
them with the means to do so. Will they weep? Probably.
Will people hate them? Perhaps. Will they make tons of money?
Not likely. But will they be satisfied? Yes, and
their “…reward will be great in heaven.” They will rejoice
because - whether on the mountain, on the plain, or in the
city - they have done good work.
For
what do you hunger? What will it take for you to
be satisfied?
