A New Code of Honour

"What is the opposite of shame?
     Being touched by the right person."

This is how Welch begins this next chapter and then goes on to explain how Scripture teaches that   Jesus touches us and teaches us how to live in a new Kingdom.  Our old culture was one of shame, with all the manners, rules, and prohibitions that every culture has.  Welch now gives us the task to live in a new culture, which could be very awkward at first, as we still carry our old shame-culture with us.

This new Kingdom has Jesus as King, gathering His subjects around Him as He teaches them on the side of a hill.  In this chapter Welch shows how the Sermon on the Mount of Matthew 5-7 applies to us.  Jesus uses this Sermon to show how the 10 commandments have been added to through Jesus' work.  With the 8 beatitudes, divided into 2 parts: first 4 applying to how we relate to God and the last 4, how we relate to people, Jesus unloads all the old thoughts about shame and honour.

"Blessed" is a loaded word showing honour, recipients getting divine approval and favour.  Welch encourages us to replace Blessed are with How honourable are to get a better sense.

How honourable are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven - The poor were the original people Jesus spoke to, but by adding poor in spirit to describing nothing.  Welch uses Martin Lloyd-Jones description to show that NOTHING includes the consciousness that we are nothing in the presence of God.  When I read this part I just sat there, crying in relief that this nothingness is a relief!! God requires NOTHING from me!!  Please sit with that for a moment.....

Welch encourages us now, and he repeats this a number of times - think the opposite of the way you normally do.  Depending on the King instead of ourselves, makes us share in what is His.  That means we have EVERYTHING, and it will all LAST.

How honourable are those who mourn, for they will be comforted - Book of Job shows the old system's view of mourning, that they must have done something bad to be under God's judgment, which Welch comments that this is actually quite ironic considering that Job was one of God's favourites, showing that suffering was actually a badge of honour (p. 144).  Shame also thinks that we have to have done something bad to suffer and mourn but Welch reminds us to look at those who cry - they are the compassionate ones.   In fact crying tears of sadness is a way to get rid of toxins in our body.  Science has proven that when the tears of sadness have be chemically measured, they are toxic enough to kill a rodent.  Crying is important for our healing!  Welch tells us that they are badges of honour in God's Kingdom.

How honourable are the meek, for they will inherit the earth - Jesus is quoting Psalm 37:11 but Welch encourages us to read the whole Psalm to see the lies around victimization.  If people acting as enemies add to our shame, the psalmist encourages the path of meekness, "Trust in the Lord"  "Be still before the Lord", "Refrain from anger".  Even when we don't understand why or what is happening it does not help to fight against it, but it's more important to trust God, that He knows what is going on, and will lead us on the path of humble obedience.  This is very tough for us because we are not naturally meek, we want to know why, be able to "fixit" so here is another one of those times when we have to learn to think the opposite of our natural ways.

How honourable are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled - Anyone who is hungry or thirsty is poor, and the poor include those who live with shame, Welch tells us.  Jesus takes this point to make us think more deeply about what it means to be hungry and thirsty -- it means we are dependent on something, food and drink, in order to live, which leads us to realize that to truly LIVE we are dependent on God/Jesus.  When Jesus was obedient to God, even dying on the cross, He made us RIGHTEOUS before God.  That is what we need to live, we need to follow Jesus and therefore know true honour.

These first four beatitudes point to our relationship with God and that has to come first for us to be healed from our shame.  Shame seems to be about our relationship with others - what others think of us, where we fit in so thinking that our relationship with God has to come first is hard to recognize. The thing is that, we know we are accepted by the King-God and we know how to live before Him, the power of shame before others is actually BROKEN.  You may think that other people's voices may still hurt but they really don't reach as deep or last as long when we are firmly connected to God.  PLEASE BELIEVE IT!!!

How honourable are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy - Welch tells us that mercy is for the miserable and therefore this beatitude assumes we have suffered, and that we have also tasted mercy.  The reality is that only when we receive mercy can we offer it.  The great thing is that the more we receive/understand God's mercy, the more we can offer mercy, receive mercy, give mercy, receive mercy, give mercy ......  Even when we're afraid that our shame will contaminate someone if we show mercy, the truth is that the way of the Kingdom is that those who need mercy are uniquely qualified to show mercy (p. 149).

How honourable are the pure in heart, for they will see God - the idea of being pure may seem a bit foreign to us, especially when we feel shame, but Welch reminds us to remember where we have been!  Pure is possible for the poor in spirit because we have been PURIFIED by Jesus.  Being pure is NOT something we do ourselves but it is something DONE to us.  We receive it by faith which is the gentle yet powerful touch of Jesus!!  Remember faith is calling to God to help us, and He makes us pure = sanctification, Christians under Construction.  Purity comes from being purified and our Christ-purified hearts will show Christ-like behaviour --> genuine love and mercy, pursuing peace more than personal rights.

How honourable are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God - when we realize the power of God in that He accepted me, an outcast, we will want to invite others to peace with God and peace with other people (p. 151).  Sometimes its hard to figure out how to be a peacemaker but Welch tells us that "shamed people feel powerless, and what could be more powerful than being an agent of peace in the midst of war?  What could be more powerful than disarming someone with love?  Peacemaking is, indeed, an honourable profession." (p. 151)  But peacemaking doesn't always work, Welch warns, and the way of honour is still the more important point of being connected to the King, than being an expert peacemaker.

How honourable are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven - the disciples had to learn that even though they followed Jesus, it didn't mean that their social standing got better.  In fact many times their social status became less.  We also can't expect that because we follow Jesus our health, wealth and prosperity will be great, warns Welch. Instead he tells us to expect comfort and hope during trouble, strength during persecution.

Knowing the beatitudes is the reality that our old reality has to change.  We have to truly understand and believe that our relationship with the King changes everything, honour is found only in knowing the King and saying "I am with Him." (p. 153)  But this new reality will not be easy, we will NOT be placed in a higher social status.  We have to think the opposite of what we would normally think!  Power and prestige in this world is NOT what we're looking for, it won't heal us from shame!  Instead we have to become like little children (Mt 18:1-4), hanging onto God with a simple child-like faith!