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Interposition; Interjection; intervention
By John R. Gavazzoni
To interpose; to interject; to intervene is at the heart of all divine prerogatives. For man to presume such authority lies at the heart of all contrariety (contrariness) that sets itself against God. It is at the heart of the enmity of the carnal mind, which spirit seeks to add itself, in some sense, and by some definition, to become an autonomous agent having a say in its own destiny. It, in effect, demands a place at the table of divine sovereignty having effectively the authority to require of God concessions to its existence.
But our totally sovereign God, Father, and Savior has the situation covered. He's one step ahead always on life's chess board. Do what we audaciously presume in all our glorious ineffectiveness, and the purpose, plan, and will of God marches on. Few places, as conventionally interpreted, reveal this oppositional proclivity of the mind of the flesh as what is quite generally found in explanations of what Jesus was really teaching on The Serman on the Mount, i.e., The Beatitudes.
Take, for instance, Matthew's version of the beginning beatitude: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Folks read that, and read something that's not there. They miss what the "for" indicates/what it points to. Jesus was not teaching that if one can attain to poverty of spirit, he/she will be blessed (happy) because (then) the kingdom of heaven will belong to them. How do folks reach such a conclusion in the face of what Jesus really said? In fact, how did I for so long?
He said the poor in spirit are blessed (happy) FOR/BECAUSE the kingdom of heaven belongs to them, and to hear that good news brings blessedness, for such a possession is a gift of grace ("The Kingdom is given to the saints of the Most High). The kingdom is GIVEN, not attained to, nor made a possession by right of poverty of spirit-attainment. When one realizes the absolute gift-nature of the possession, one is caught up in wonderment of the goodness of divine giftedness, with the result that all thoughts of earning the kingdom through spiritual attainment are thrown out the door.
The realization of the nature of the gift leads to the next beatitude, a mourning in the face of having gone so long under the deception that God has required of us that which we can never contribute. But that mourning is turned into comfort knowing the dark night of such deception is over. Going on to the rest of the beatitudes with understanding requires the kind of grace-giftedness to patiently and carefully ponder Jesus' words, but light will come through and our Lord will be finally rightly understood.
We are not given great reward in heaven FOR/BECAUSE/ON THE BASIS OF) being persecuted, and all manner of evil said against us. Rather, because great is our reward in heaven, therefore we are persecuted by the world that seeks to reward itself by/for its attainments. There is finally, after divine judgement has been rendered in each person's case, the result will be reward for the part God chose to allot to each of us, whether for an eonian period as a vessel of honor or dishonor.
No one in the end will fall short of the glory of God. None, as the Greek indicates, will be found lacking of that glory, for it is the passionate determination of God that, indeed, in this matter, none shall be left behind.
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