Blessed Are…

Mike Foster over at the Deadly Viper Character Assassins blog wrote a post about the ongoing drama associated with the popular reality TV show “Jon & Kate Plus 8″. I don’t watch this show, in fact I rarely watch any TV but Mike’s post tied in to the passage in Matthew I have been ruminating over.

The show Jon & Kate Plus 8 follows this family in their daily lives. Typical reality show fare. The controversy is over allegations of infidelity and to most it appears that their marriage is imploding on national TV and in the tabloids. Not pretty. Mike puts it this way:

I watched Jon and Kate Plus 8 last night and it broke my heart. America watched last night as a marriage and family began to fall apart…Each of them seemed terribly unhappy though outwardly they had everything a person could want. Big house, fame, the love of America, book deal, Jon in a 300Z, Kate getting attention and a hit reality show, and yet all of it falls short. None of it truly satisfies.

On his Twitter post Mike called it a “train wreck”. That about sums it up.

I’ve been in Matthew 5 for the past few days. The most prominent section of Matthew 5, verses 2-12 is what is referred to as The Beatitudes.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:2-12 ESV

What I find interesting is that the characteristics Jesus says is “blessed” in each one of these is not something that most people aspire to. Being poor in spirit, mourning, meekness, etc. is not something you are likely to see folks put on their resume. None of these characteristics are going get you a reality TV show. Also, none of those things that Mike described as “everything a person could want” are listed in Jesus’ discourse.

Why is that? Why are our appetites so oriented towards these earthly things when Jesus points to the things that are the real source of happiness? The Beatitudes themselves point to a contrast between the things that are important in God’s kingdom with what we get all worked up over.

Maybe Jon and Kate would be better off if they focused more on God’s kingdom things and a little less on those other things. I know the rest of us could learn that lesson too and we wouldn’t even need a TV show to figure it out.

Shalom.