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Matthew 5:1-12

¹ Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

² And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³   “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴   “Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

⁵   “Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶   “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

⁷   “Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall receive mercy.

⁸   “Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.

⁹   “Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In his vision (from our first lesson: Rev. 7:2-17), John sees what Jesus describes on the mountain. John sees those who are blessed. A great multitude that no one could number is there, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They are clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. John sees the poor in spirit who are made rich in the grace of Jesus which has given them the kingdom of heaven. John sees the comfort of those who mourn. He sees the satisfaction of those who hungered and thirsted for righteousness. He sees the pure in heart who now are before the throne and before the Lamb, the Son of God.

This great multitude has left behind all poverty, all mourning, all meekness, all hunger and thirst. Now, they are before the throne of God serving Him day and night. God shelters them with His presence. Nothing can touch them except the grace, love, and mercy of God. They are satisfied because the Lamb has freed them for eternity.

In his vision, John does not identify any one, particular person –  no apostle, no martyr, no prophet, no reformer, no faithful king or celebrity is named. They are all there, absolutely they are, but John does not notice them. The only individual who stands out is the Lamb. All John sees are saints, honored and loved by God. They are not all identical. John notices that they are from every nation, tribe, people, and language. But John’s attention, and the attention of the whole multitude is on the Lamb.

To the Lamb, and to the Lamb alone, belongs blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might forever and ever. Salvation belongs to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and He freely gives it to this blessed multitude beyond number. Even though every last one from this multitude had sinned against Jesus and rebelled against Him, He has purchased them all with His blood. He has brought each and every last one of them out of the great tribulation that is this world ever since the Fall into sin. He has made their robes white in His blood, and they suffer no more.

No one sins against them any more. But even greater than that no one in this multitude sins. They are all free. Jesus has cleansed their hearts and consciences. They are free of gossip, jealousy, anger, and fear. They are blessed; they are with their Savior.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t it be nice to be like them? To be with them? You know what? You are.

The only difference between you and this multitude is that they have already passed through death. You and I still live in it. Our day will come. Our sins will end, and our toil will flee. One day.

But now you too are blessed. Jesus, your Lamb, is with you here in your midst. The kingdom of heaven is within you – even now it is yours (Lk. 17:21). You are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). God commands His angels to watch over and protect you. You have been and are sealed for God in the water of your Baptism. God has placed His name upon you. In the waters of your baptism, your old sinful nature was killed and brought to nothing (Ro. 6:6). You were raised to everlasting life. And here you are today to receive the forgiveness of sins, to be absolved, to hear the Word, to pray and praise your God, and to join in the most intimate communion with Jesus – to eat His body and drink His blood. Jesus is here to come inside of you and join you to Himself.

Jesus says to you, present tense, here and now, “Blessed are you.” In his vision, John was transported out of time. John didn’t see only the Old Testament faithful. He didn’t see only those who had died before him. They were there of course, but there was more. John saw the culmination of creation. He saw the what comes after the resurrection on the Last Day. John saw people who weren’t even born yet. John saw his friends, the disciples. He saw Mary and Paul. He saw Augustine, Chrysostom, Luther, and he saw you, believer.

What John saw and what we read about from Revelation 7 is your future, and it is also your present. Jesus says, “Blessed are you, now.” So it doesn’t matter what happens a week from Tuesday. It doesn’t matter what others say about you. It doesn’t matter if this country and your life completely falls apart. The only thing that matters is what endures – the Lamb who was slain lives. You are His, and He is yours. He will bring you to Himself. Amen.[1]

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] I am thankful for a sermon by Rev. David Petersen as inspiration for this sermon.