Dean's Letter

March 2006
From The Very Reverend David Bird, Ph.D., Dean and Rector

Revisiting the Sermon on the Mount and Saint Paul

Have you ever wondered whether you should go the extra mile? Have you considered turning the other cheek? Almost everyone has. Some Christians realize that both these instructions come from Jesus. A smaller number realize that they come from Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount.

Do you ever watch TV evangelists? Do they turn you off, or excite you or perhaps have no effect upon you at all? Whichever answer you give, much of their preaching is grounded in what many Christian thinkers now realize is a misreading of the spirit and intention of St. Paul in his writings.

In a century where Christianity and religion are often coming under question and where education in religious faith is less and less emphasized, there is a renewal going on in our understanding of what various religions teach, not least ours.

It is not by accident that I have selected to address two topics during this Lent: Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, found in chapters 5-7 of Matthew’s Gospel and aspects of the teaching of St. Paul. The Sermon on the Mount is a marvelous distillation of so much of Jesus’ teaching. Much of it has been received into our language and is an unconscious part of our thought processes. Paul, by contrast, has tended to be avoided and caricatured as a woman hater or fanatic. Both are rich areas for understanding the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

Just contrast, for example, the following sentences from Jesus, found at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount with the “negative beatitudes,” composed by the great Bible translator, J.B. Phillips, in order to show the contrast between the teachings of Jesus and certain forms of modern selfishness.

Jesus:

" Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Compare J.B. Phillips caricature of our often self-centered attitudes:

Blessed are the “pushers”: for they get on in the world.
Blessed are the “hard-boiled”: for they never let life hurt them.
Blessed are they who complain: for they get their own way in the end.
Blessed are the blasé: for they never worry over their sins.
Blessed are the slave drivers: for they get results.
Blessed are the worldly-wise: for they know their way around.
Blessed are the trouble makers: for they make people take notice of them.

Why look at Paul? Simply put, because it is time to rehabilitate him and recognize some of the ways in which he was a tremendous force for good in Christianity. We can hear from preachers of a hard-bitten, insensitive Paul. Yet the records also show him as an open-hearted and affirming leader of the early church, one who insisted that no matter what our background or race we are all one in Christ. When Paul found St. Peter, the leader of Jesus’ apostles, eating only with fellow Jews and declining to eat with non-Jewish converts to the faith, it was Paul who opposed Peter “to face, because he stood condemned.”

If you have time this Lent, I invite you to join me in reflecting upon either or both of these topics: Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, during the adult hour at Trinity on Sundays March 12, 19, 26 and April 2; and “An Exploration of St. Paul’s Teaching Today” on Thursdays, March 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 at St. John Vianney Roman Catholic Church, from 7-8:30 p.m.

The sessions on Paul will take place in the church itself at St John Vianney Roman Catholic Church, 4600 Hyland Ave San Jose CA 95127. To reach St John Vianney Church from Trinity, one drives East along Santa Clara until it becomes Alum Rock, eventually taking a left on White Road and then first right on Hyland Avenue. The church is just a few short blocks along Hyland Avenue. For all of you who live outside of Downtown San Jose or if you just want to take the freeway: Take 680 (or 280 to 680) to the Alum Rock exit, turn east (toward the hills), then taking the left on White Rd., etc.

The pastor of St. John Vianney has invited Trinity to join with his congregation for a common Lenten discovery. This is something which rarely happens in churches (we tend to be very insular or “parochial” in the worst sense of the term) and I am very grateful to Fr. Kidney for this initiative. Better still, there is plenty of available parking.

— David

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