2024/01/28 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

-Christina Oropeza, Director of New Member Engagement

“God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:28-29

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 5:3

In both New Testament readings for this weekend, we see the vision of God’s kingdom – one that turns the view of a traditional kingdom on its head. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus chose to give one of His most influential sermons to His disciples and the crowds that followed Him to rural Galilee. He chose an audience that contrasted the powerful people in Jerusalem. Keep in mind that His disciples, those He kept closest to Him, were fishermen and tax collectors (and more) – not the type of professions that were held in high esteem in that time.

I think it’s very telling that the first thing Jesus mentions in His sermon is that the Kingdom of God will be promised to the “poor in spirit.” I can imagine that many people in the crowd that day felt that this promise was uniquely created for them. Jesus offers something that is in opposition to what earthly kingdoms require (gifted only to the powerful and wealthy among us). He assures them that His eternal kingdom requires no pedigree, no amount of wealth and certainly is not something you have to earn. He tells them (and us) that all you need to do is come as you are, broken and crushed in spirit, filled with faith in Him. Do you feel poor in spirit? Take comfort knowing that Jesus is close to those brokenhearted and crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18), offering you abundance that is more than you can imagine.