A Beatitude for New Creation

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A beautiful spring day in Upstate, NY.
Enjoying the new creation of the season.


Scripture:


Luke 11:27   While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”


Observation:


Luke includes the stories and feelings of women more than any other gospel writer. Here he refers to a woman in the crowd who has watched Jesus at work. Her response was beautiful, for as a woman she imagined what it must have been like to be the mother of this incredible young man. She envied Jesus’ mother. 


Jesus’ response helps us see the conventional boundaries which he was bringing down. He didn’t disavow the feelings of this woman who believed that Mary was blessed to have given birth to Jesus. At the same time, his response let her know that it was more important for his mother to accept who he truly was by faith, and not just rejoice in having given him birth. Augustine says that Mary had to bear him in her heart, not just in her flesh (Holy Virginity, 3).


The existing world placed value on birthright and position. Jesus’ beatitude is for new creation, a place where the world’s values and practices are torn down and replaced. It becomes an invitation for all to hear and obey the Word of God. 


Application:


Often, when we meet people we look for connections, and try to find out who it is that we may have in common. Sometimes this begins to sound a bit like a pedigree, referring to parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles who, in my case, may have served in the Church. While we would not want to seriously think that this makes a difference, at times, we act like it does. 


I remember, as a teenager, feeling called by the word of the Lord. I had gone to a teen camp, and after the service one evening, I felt the Lord speaking to me. Very clearly I remember a tug of war within my own heart. Was I going to be a “Christian” in name only, because this was my parents’ religion, or was I going to make this mine. I knelt at an altar to pray and to tell Jesus that I was ready to follow him, not because of a family into which I was born, but because I wanted him in my heart. 


Jesus speaks a blessing over those who will hear the word and obey it. It’s not good enough to be the daughter of a pastor, or the grandson of a church leader. There may even be people in the crowd who envy you because of your family lineage, but this is not new creation. The old order means nothing in the kingdom of God. Each one of us needs to have our own encounter with Jesus Christ and make a choice as to whether we will walk in obedience to God’s word. Then, we have the privilege of living in the beatitude of new creation.


Prayer:


Lord, thank you for being patient with me, reaching out to me in grace, and welcoming me into new creation. Amen. 

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