Renewing the Spirit | The Almost Forgotten Beatitude
Article by Reverend RB Moore
Let’s put our thinking caps on for just a moment. As you know, many of us are familiar with “The Beatitudes” (The Blessings) in Matthew 5. In several beatitudes we notice there exists a “reversal of fortunes.” a
We see this reversal of fortunes even more clearly when we realize, in the New Testament Greek language, the word for “blessed” may also be translated, “happy.” We can then interpret Christ as saying,
“Happy are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted” …
As we take a deep dive we also see some of the beatitudes contain a contradiction as they begin. To focus on just the start of some of Matthew’s beatitudes, we read:
“Happy are the poor” …
“Happy are those who mourn” …
“Happy are those who hunger and thirst” …
“Happy are those who are persecuted” …
We find this same kind of ironic twist in what could be called, “The Almost Forgotten Beatitude of Jesus,” in Acts 20:35. It’s not grouped with the others in Matthew, or in Luke’s Beatitudes either. It can almost be overlooked in the Book of Acts. This hard-to-find beatitude says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It may be translated as,
“Happy are those who give rather than receive.”
Of course, many of us thought exactly the opposite as children. Christmas and birthdays often implied, “‘Tis best to receive!” Yet here Christ sheds an unexpected light on giving and receiving. He invites us to go beyond the way we thought when we were children. Christ intends to stretch our spiritual muscles of generosity.
Let me also stretch our spiritual muscles with a modern-day parable. One night a billionaire had a dream. In his dream an angel appeared to him and said, “Tonight, the most generous person you know will die and the happiest person you know will die.”
The billionaire awoke with a start and wondered and worried about the dream. He wondered if two of his wealthy friends might receive a visit from the Grim Reaper that night. He worried if two members of his own family might receive the kiss of death during the dark hours.
At the crack of dawn, he went downstairs to eat his breakfast. Before he finished eating, his cell phone rang. The voice on the other end said, “Hans died during the night.” As he hung up, he realized half of his dream had come true. Hans was the happiest person he knew. Hans was the gardener for the billionaire. He was always whistling, humming, or singing a happy tune.
The billionaire then worried which one of his generous, wealthy friends, or generous family members, may have died during the night. As the day proceeded though, there was no other unexpected news. The Angel of Death had only taken Hans, the happy gardener, during the hours of sleep. As the billionaire retired for the evening, he wondered how his dream could only be halfway true.
A few days later, he was given the final piece to the puzzle. The billionaire went to the funeral for Hans. He noticed over three dozen children were seated close to the front of the chapel. Some of the children even sang a special song during the funeral service.
As the service continued, he listened to the eulogy and was struck by what the speaker shared. The eulogist told how Hans lived on just a small portion of his income. He gave the rest away. Since he did not have a family, he gave most of his income to a Children’s Home.
He visited the Children’s Home often and they became his family. He loved them and they loved him in return. That’s when the billionaire realized his dream was not about two people, but only one. Hans was both the most generous person he knew, AND Hans was the happiest person he knew.
Do you see the point of this parable? Simply stated, often, generosity and happiness go hand in hand. For truly, “Happy are those who give rather than receive.” Thanks be to God. Amen.
