Why Too Many Christians Ignore The Beatitudes

Recently, I came across a quote from an essay in 2004 by the late Kurt Vonnegut that resonated with me, so I thought I would share it and reflect on it a bit: 

For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.  “Blessed are the merciful” in a courtroom? ​“Blessed are the peacemakers” in the Pentagon? Give me a break!

Twenty years ago, Vonnegut spotlighted a severe problem of American Christianity, which has since become a tragedy.  

What constitutes mainstream Christianity in America right now seems absolutely devoid of Jesus' teachings, and even when Jesus is mentioned, the Jesus that is depicted, described, and lifted up doesn't resemble the Jesus of the Gospels in the least.  

The Jesus that far too many Christians seem to imagine is not only white but is absolutely jacked and wearing jeans, ready to take down anyone who disagrees with him.  Kind of like this: 

Or maybe negotiating a business transaction like this: 

The above painting has always intrigued me. What is the businessman on the right saying? "I'd like you to meet my COO, Jesus. He'll take over the nuts and bolts of this multi-million dollar acquisition from here."  

Look, I'm not trying to say that I believe Jesus was a kind of hippie guru, creating a cult following full of people with flowers in their hair and folk songs on their lips.  

But he probably would have had more in common with Pete Seeger than Kid Rock. 

Kurt Vonnegut nailed it perfectly. The Beatitudes from Matthew chapter 5 begin what is known as the Sermon on the Mount and are some of Jesus's most daring and radical teachings during his three-year ministry. 

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I'm with Vonnegut.  Can you imagine having these words on display in public places?  Can you imagine Christians doing their best to place these words in government buildings to remind those who walk the hallowed halls of justice, power, etc., of what true religion is really all about? 

These are the forgotten, glossed-over, and explained-away words of the One whom so many Christians claim to follow. The seemingly pervasive belief in mainstream American Christianity is that the Beatitudes belong on Hallmark cards or tiny motivational signs in the kitchen.  

Because it's not cool to be poor in spirit. 
It's not strong to be meek.  
It's better to hunger and thirst for power than righteousness (justice).   

Mercy is for the weak. 

Peacemakers never win.  

This highlights a startling truth about Christianity: Following Jesus is not easy.  

It's not easy to resist the prevailing winds of triumphalism and Christian nationalism in our current culture and embrace Jesus' teachings about losing yourself to discover the kingdom of God. It's difficult to wade into conflict to make peace instead of a point. It's not easy to be merciful when mercy seems to take a back seat to retribution.  

But if we are to be followers of Jesus and adherents to his teaching, we must engage in the difficult task of actually believing what he taught and doing what he would have us do.  

May it be so.  And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, now and forever. Amen.