4th Sunday after Epiphany
Micah 6:1-8; Psalm 15; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 5:1-12
The readings for this Sunday come to us as the nation watched another unarmed black man being murdered on national television. Not long ago, I heard the expression, “culture will have you for lunch.” It does seem that human beings can not help themselves but to reengage in the same cycles of violence that lead to death. This is the effect of the daily doses of the poison still leading humanity to believe that power can come from the ability to throw one’s weight around and inflict harm on those who are vulnerable and can not help themselves.
Jesus’ beatitudes in Matthew dismantle such understanding and presents us with a confronting yet better reality. There is good news reserved for the poor in spirit, the mourner, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who hunger and thirst both to give and receive righteousness in the form of justice.
This hunger and this thirst are embodied by the prophet Amos who spoke in God’s name in a time of relative prosperity for God’s people. Through Amos, God warns us that external piety means nothing if social justice, mercy, kindness, and trust in God are absent from the land.
The deadly poison of superiority seems to be contaminating the church in Corinth. Paul reminds them that things human beings deem as weak and foolish are, in fact, the revelation of the power and wisdom of God through the witness of Jesus Christ.
Bridging Faith 