Matthew 5:1-12
The Beatitudes
1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them saying:
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 sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Jesus intentionally blurred the lines of society by including the disabled, the poor, the broken, the needy, the outcast, and the sick...Jesus included them when He ate, when He taught, in His ministry, and most importantly in His life...Jesus was friendly and kind to these groups, and He personally showed this, and He personally taught this...The Sermon on the Mount is a Sermon for the Outcast...
And these boundaries and these lines in society, which existed in Jesus' time still exist today...We may do it because it makes us feel uncomfortable...But by intentionally allowing these people to be with Him -and if you believe that He was sent from God, then we too, must include the disabled, the poor, the broken, the needy, the outcast, and the sick in our groups...This is what Jesus did, and yet I think society thinks this is a hard and difficult thing to do to include those who are not like ourselves...