For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”  (I Corinthians 1:18, 23-25)

No matter which way you look at it, the Beatitudes run counter to what conventional wisdom would dictate.

Even in Jesus’ day, they would have struck the listeners as being counter-cultural.

Who in their right mind would consider it a blessing to:

• be poor in spirit to possess the kingdom of heaven, when it would be more preferable to be rich in goods instead?
• mourn and be comforted, while you could pursue pleasure and be doing things that make you happy?
• be meek and inherit the earth, when you have the chutzpah to be arrogant and simply take over anything you want, including the earth?
• hunger and thirst for righteousness, when you could live a full life, without ever having to worry about being right in God’s sight ?
• be merciful, when you could have your way by being ruthless, win through intimidation and rule by retaliation?
• be pure in heart just so you could see God, while it would be way more convenient to allow impurity to creep in so that you can feel like you are God?
• be a peacemaker, when you have the ability to bulldoze the enemy and establish your supremacy?
• be persecuted, when you could choose to compromise and be popular instead?

Yet, Jesus makes it clear right from the get-go, that he was not interested in winning a popularity contest.

He was not concerned about recruiting disciples in large numbers by making the entrance requirements easy.

He would state without a hint of compromise: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35)

Once again Jesus is being counter-cultural, even counter-intuitive, wouldn’t you say?

Yet, as the apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians and us, this is part of God’s strategy.

“God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (I Corinthians 1:27-29)

It is upside down thinking that leads to right side up living!

No wonder that outsiders described Paul, Silas and other Christians as “these who have turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6)

Would you and I be accused of the same offence today?

If we were to live our lives by the Beatitudes, the answer would be an unqualified YES!