taught His disciples on the mount, He looked out over the crowd, acknowledging thepotential for blessedness in all humanity, but got very here and now when, inverse 11, He looked them directly in the eyes and said,11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds ofevil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward isgreat in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were beforeyou. 13“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can itssaltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out andtrampled under foot. 14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hillcannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, buton the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, letyour light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and giveglory to your Father in heaven.”I believe the Kingdom of God is here and now, and I believe Jesus got intimate andimmediate with His disciples that day to show them, and us, that for the here andnow brokenness in another’s life to be cared for and healed, it would require anintimate, immediate approach on their part. We might have to sit with people intheir darkness long enough for them to taste our salt and see our light. Afterall, Jesus was willing to do so, as referenced in Matthew 9:9-26:“9As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the taxbooth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. 10And ashe sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and weresitting with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said tohis disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12Butwhen he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, butthose who are sick. 13Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, notsacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” 10And as hesat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sittingwith him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to hisdisciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12But whenhe heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but thosewho are sick. 13Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ ForI have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”14Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Phariseesfast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15And Jesus said to them, “Thewedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? Thedays will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they willfast. 16No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pullsaway from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. 17Neither is new wine put into oldwineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins aredestroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”18While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagoguecame in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and layyour hand on her, and she will live.” 19And Jesus got up and followed him, withhis disciples. 20Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages fortwelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, 21for shesaid to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” 22Jesus turned,and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” Andinstantly the woman was made well. 23When Jesus came to the leader’s house and sawthe flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24he said, “Go away; for thegirl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25But when the crowd hadbeen put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26Andthe report of this spread throughout that district.”Jesus spent a here and now night of ministry amongst the lost, the confused, the
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