Matthew 5:10-12, the good life belongs to those who are persecuted. Because we’re going to do what’s right, which will result in us getting caught in the crossfire of a lot of angry people. Jesus’ ethic of doing what is right by God and others and if we’re going to get involved in conflict, get ready to have people not like us. We can actually see how this could create a really counterproductive mentality, people can dislike us for good reasons and actually, there reasons that someone should pay attention to, if we’re really unkind in how we’re trying to communicate and they’ll interpret a negative reaction to what we’re saying. Having good motives and doing the right thing, no matter how good one’s intentions are in trying to be faithful to Jesus in the ethic of the Kingdom, that doesn’t mean we will be well received. In fact, expect people to misunderstand us, to not care to understand us and for people to make fun of us or actually harm us. At the end, because of our ultimate reward, the reason for which we do it may not be on the temporal horizon of our life before the Kingdom comes, but we’re investing in the New Creation when we’re living by the ethic of Jesus.
There’s a way of organizing human life within creation, that’s so beyond our imaginations right now, but the religious and non-religious people, we all have this desire to see things right and there’s all these different ways that we propose to do it. Our day-to-day work is the arena where we can begin to invest in the New Creation. What is the reality of this nature? The way that we treated people as we went about this work, the kind of community that was generated by doing this work, the way someone felt honored or dishonored by how we relate to them in the course of our work. The good life means, there’s reward, it’s a life lived that ultimately gives us the good reward, the actual communities of Jesus are to become little foretastes of the Kingdom of Heaven coming on earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus is starting the nucleus he leaves behind in all these Galilean villages, a nucleus of what people could experience as a different version of reality if his followers treat each other according to the ethic of the Kingdom.
Anyone who’s socially powerless and have no influence and we long to see the world made right, here’s what the God of Israel has always been up to and we can launch this Heaven on earth. New Covenant people group right here, right now, let’s do it, but expect to be misunderstood, expect there to be conflict and arenas of tension that we’re going to get involved with and don’t let the resistance make us think that we’re barking up the wrong tree. What we’re investing in, isn’t in the current system of organizing our societies, we’re investing in a different way of thinking about human existence in human communities. In the scope of Matthew’s gospel, the death and resurrection of Jesus becomes the Exodus event, this deliverance that Jesus’ disciples look back upon as the great deliverance. That gives us hope and cause for joy even as we go out into the arenas of conflict and try to live the ethic of Jesus and get shut down and hurt and persecuted.
Genesis 3:15, throughout history, Satan repeatedly attempted to corrupt or destroy this lineage, working from within nations, influencing people to turn away from God and worship false gods. The Israelites themselves struggled with this temptation, frequently falling into idolatry under the influence of fallen spirits and demonic powers and these same forces behind false religions, the names of the god changed, but the spirits behind them did not. The region of Bashan, Mount Hermon and the gates of hell remained a spiritual stronghold, even though the dominant culture was now Roman, the heart of darkness was unchanged. When Jesus arrived there, he stepped directly into a place long associated with fallen spirits and false gods.
Humanity had been deceived by false gods for generations, following religious systems and beliefs that could not bring truth or salvation, but each person must confront the reality of death and eternity and decide who God truly is. Standing right in front of the gates of hell at Caesarea Philippi near Mount Harmon, Peter confessed, you are the Son of the living God, but Jesus affirmed that this truth was not revealed by human understanding, but by the Father in heaven. God chose this darkest of spiritual strongholds to reveal that Jesus is the true Son of God, it’s unmistakable clear that he was not merely one son of god among many, he was the Son of God. Against this backdrop, Jesus’ declaration carried immense significance, this declaration stood in direct opposition to every false god, the spiritual forces behind them.
For thousands of years, the people of Bashan believed this region was a gateway to the supernatural realm, Caesarea Philippi at the foot of Mount Hermon, it was seen as a place where heaven and earth and the underworld intersected. This belief adds even greater weight to Jesus’ choice to reveal his true identity in this very place, it reflects how deeply this location was associated with rebellion, corruption and spiritual darkness in the ancient mind. This reinforces why Caesarea Philippi near Mount Hermon was viewed as the gates of hell and Jesus intentionally chose this location to reveal his identity through the confession of Peter, by doing so, he declared that he is the true Son of God and the long-awaited Messiah, whom Israel had been expecting for centuries. This revelation was not only meant for the physical world, but also for the spiritual real, both heaven and the fallen powers were watching.
Jesus made another profound statement, he declared, you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, ultimately Jesus himself remains the true spiritual rock, but all believers who share this faith become part of this foundation. This statement was also a direct announcement to the fallen spirits and the spiritual powers associated with that region, Jesus was proclaiming that their authority was coming to an end, even the fallen spirits did not fully understand God’s plan, the message was clear, the dominion of darkness was being challenged and its end was now set in motion. Through these declarations, Jesus was effectively announcing to the spiritual powers, that their time of dominion over humanity was coming to an end, because for centuries, Satan had exercised significant influence over the ancient world.
There’s a way of organizing human life within creation, that’s so beyond our imaginations right now, but the religious and non-religious people, we all have this desire to see things right and there’s all these different ways that we propose to do it. Our day-to-day work is the arena where we can begin to invest in the New Creation. What is the reality of this nature? The way that we treated people as we went about this work, the kind of community that was generated by doing this work, the way someone felt honored or dishonored by how we relate to them in the course of our work. The good life means, there’s reward, it’s a life lived that ultimately gives us the good reward, the actual communities of Jesus are to become little foretastes of the Kingdom of Heaven coming on earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus is starting the nucleus he leaves behind in all these Galilean villages, a nucleus of what people could experience as a different version of reality if his followers treat each other according to the ethic of the Kingdom.
Anyone who’s socially powerless and have no influence and we long to see the world made right, here’s what the God of Israel has always been up to and we can launch this Heaven on earth. New Covenant people group right here, right now, let’s do it, but expect to be misunderstood, expect there to be conflict and arenas of tension that we’re going to get involved with and don’t let the resistance make us think that we’re barking up the wrong tree. What we’re investing in, isn’t in the current system of organizing our societies, we’re investing in a different way of thinking about human existence in human communities. In the scope of Matthew’s gospel, the death and resurrection of Jesus becomes the Exodus event, this deliverance that Jesus’ disciples look back upon as the great deliverance. That gives us hope and cause for joy even as we go out into the arenas of conflict and try to live the ethic of Jesus and get shut down and hurt and persecuted.
Genesis 3:15, throughout history, Satan repeatedly attempted to corrupt or destroy this lineage, working from within nations, influencing people to turn away from God and worship false gods. The Israelites themselves struggled with this temptation, frequently falling into idolatry under the influence of fallen spirits and demonic powers and these same forces behind false religions, the names of the god changed, but the spirits behind them did not. The region of Bashan, Mount Hermon and the gates of hell remained a spiritual stronghold, even though the dominant culture was now Roman, the heart of darkness was unchanged. When Jesus arrived there, he stepped directly into a place long associated with fallen spirits and false gods.
Humanity had been deceived by false gods for generations, following religious systems and beliefs that could not bring truth or salvation, but each person must confront the reality of death and eternity and decide who God truly is. Standing right in front of the gates of hell at Caesarea Philippi near Mount Harmon, Peter confessed, you are the Son of the living God, but Jesus affirmed that this truth was not revealed by human understanding, but by the Father in heaven. God chose this darkest of spiritual strongholds to reveal that Jesus is the true Son of God, it’s unmistakable clear that he was not merely one son of god among many, he was the Son of God. Against this backdrop, Jesus’ declaration carried immense significance, this declaration stood in direct opposition to every false god, the spiritual forces behind them.
For thousands of years, the people of Bashan believed this region was a gateway to the supernatural realm, Caesarea Philippi at the foot of Mount Hermon, it was seen as a place where heaven and earth and the underworld intersected. This belief adds even greater weight to Jesus’ choice to reveal his true identity in this very place, it reflects how deeply this location was associated with rebellion, corruption and spiritual darkness in the ancient mind. This reinforces why Caesarea Philippi near Mount Hermon was viewed as the gates of hell and Jesus intentionally chose this location to reveal his identity through the confession of Peter, by doing so, he declared that he is the true Son of God and the long-awaited Messiah, whom Israel had been expecting for centuries. This revelation was not only meant for the physical world, but also for the spiritual real, both heaven and the fallen powers were watching.
Jesus made another profound statement, he declared, you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, ultimately Jesus himself remains the true spiritual rock, but all believers who share this faith become part of this foundation. This statement was also a direct announcement to the fallen spirits and the spiritual powers associated with that region, Jesus was proclaiming that their authority was coming to an end, even the fallen spirits did not fully understand God’s plan, the message was clear, the dominion of darkness was being challenged and its end was now set in motion. Through these declarations, Jesus was effectively announcing to the spiritual powers, that their time of dominion over humanity was coming to an end, because for centuries, Satan had exercised significant influence over the ancient world.
