Sermon for 3 September 2000, Evensong, St Mary Magdalen, Sheet, published on www.trikeshed.com

Bible readings: Exodus 12:21-28, Matthew 4:23-5:20

A few weeks ago the church staff attended an evening at Ramscote [local care home] on disability awareness. It was interesting and salutary to be wheeled around in a wheelchair, to enter a room where everyone else is standing up. But one comment really stuck in my mind and reminded me of something I had read in the newspaper a few days before. It was that of all the disability groups, the deaf were unusual in that deaf people are often almost proud of their disability. The newspaper story was about people in a family suing and counter-suing each other over a whether or not to give a deaf member of the family a cochlear implant that would enable them to hear. For those who could hear it was a crime to deny this gift to someone, but for others it was a crime to force someone to leave the world of deafness. There is something special about hearing and perhaps therefore also about the inability to hear, something which provokes deep emotions and passions.

This is certainly true in the Bible. Think of our first reading, the Passover. This was the climax of the plagues of Egypt, when the first born were going to be struck down, except in those houses that had the sign of the blood of the lamb on their doorframes. Why had Pharaoh allowed it to come to this? Because, as we read (11:9)

He will refuse to listen. The prophet Isaiah, in the wonderful story of the vision that brings his commission, is told (6:9-10)

Jesus quotes this when he tells the parable of the Sower, and he adds (Mt 13:16)

Which brings us to our New Testament reading, such a famous one, the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount. I wonder how many words have been written on each of those phrases, how many sermons preached. But for our remaining minutes I want to look not so much of the content of what Jesus said, but to continue our theme of hearing, to look at the effect of those amazing words on Jesus’ hearers.

Well, first of all, who were they? I tend to think of the crowds following him and Jesus going up to a high place to be heard. But (see v1) – this suggests that he was actually trying to get away from the crowds – he sat down and let his disciples come to him. And he teaches these famous Beatitudes, salt and light, the fulfilment of the law, love for enemies, giving, praying, fasting, worrying, judging, asking, seeking, knocking. And then – this is the funny thing, at the end of all that, Matthew says, when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching. So he started out with a few disciples but ended up with crowds again. Now Matthew has probably collected together a lot of teaching of Jesus from different occasions, and we might not know how it worked on any one occasion, or who really did hear him. But Jesus himself gives us a clue, when he says on several occasions, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. His message is for all those with ears to hear. A kind of interesting twist on the prophecy of Isaiah about the deafness (and blindness) of the people.

But those with ears to hear – what did they hear? How did they perceive what they heard? What did they get? Some surely were disappointed. They had seen this man display great power in healing and wanted that power used in a revolution, to overthrow the Roman oppressors. And some must have been overawed – ‘he seems to be making life even more difficult, saying we have to go beyond the demands of the law.’ And some must have been simply inspired. We know that everyone was amazed at the authority by which he spoke.

And there it might have stayed, if the Gospel writers had not chosen to record this amazing teaching. But they did, and so the Sermon on the Mount comes alive again with a new set of hearers, those early Jewish Christians for whom Matthew wrote his Gospel. And how did they hear it? Again, probably a wide range, but they had a new response – surely they were also encouraged. It was a dangerous business, following Jesus, and persecution was real. It was encouraging to be reminded of how blessed were those who were persecuted for righteousness, and to be reminded that their new faith was indeed the fulfilment of the Jewish law.

But the story goes on. Generations of people have had these words read to them, right up to now. We have been Jesus’ hearers tonight. And in an amazing, gracious way that only Jesus could contrive, we become as important and special as the words themselves. And how we take these words again depends on our readiness. Do we have ears to hear? And are we overawed at what we think we hear? We could easily be. What Jesus is portraying as this blessed state, of meekness, hunger and thirst for righteousness, mercy, could easily seem to be a picture of perfection that we cannot attain. Which is in a sense right. Except that that is not what Jesus wants us to hear. Why would he want to discourage us? If we are ready for it, what Jesus wants to do is to encourage us as he encouraged every generation – to reassure us that these wonderful attributes are possible, and the extent to which we are merciful, and peacemaking, is a reflection of God’s life in us. If we are able to hear, we will receive the message.

Now this is not a kind of fatalism – if we’ve been made ready to receive, great, if not, tough. Because as we listen, as we try to hear Jesus speaking, we are making ourselves more ready to hear. It is a matter of practice, a virtuous circle – by God’s grace we are made receptive to God’s grace. And all this was done, was said, for us. Not so that Jesus could promote himself, but out of love for us. You could say, to mix your metaphors, that "God sees everything from the point of view of the listener". So listen – in case you missed it the first time…here are some of those amazing verses. If you have ears to hear, then hear! [read 5:3-12].

© Mike Knee, 2000

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