Who is a Person of Heaven?
Christ Community Church and School
All Saints’ Day, 2025
Text: Matthew 5:1–12
In the name of Jesus, Amen!
Who are persons of heaven? A lot of Jews, especially Pharisees in Jesus‘ time, they thought they were, because they were proud of being the descendant of Abraham by the flesh, trusting in the good work of the law for their salvation. Some rich and powerful people think they are because they already live like in a heaven on earth. They laugh every day, have rich food, oppress the poor, and set the world on fire while they themselves enjoy peaceful times in their mansions and bunkers satisfying their perverted sexual desires, silencing and persecuting anyone who dares to speak again them. However, in today’s Gospel lesson, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus opened his mouth and taught the disciples, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” Wow! What a stark difference from what people think!
Most interpreters of the Bible think here that Jesus is talking about members of the church being the persons of heaven since He talks to His disciples, and because naturally people tend to understand the Bible from the perspective of the law (that is, human-centered interpretation). Sure, these traits do fit into the requirements that God wants us to have as a Christian. Christians should be poor in spirit, not like those who are proud, trusting in their riches or their good deeds. Christians should mourn for the reality of sin and death of ourselves and of this sinful world, not like those who are self-righteous, reluctant to admit that they are sinners before God, and therefore needing to repent. Christians should be meek and forgiving, trusting God for retribution. We should hunger and thirst for righteousness, knowing that we don’t have righteousness of our own, but the righteousness of God through Jesus. We should be merciful, knowing that we have been shown mercy in Christ Jesus. We should be pure in heart, for God is pure and Holy. We should seek peace, for God is Peace and Love. And we will be persecuted simply because we are Christians, for this sinful world boasts their own righteousness, and therefore hates Christ and all His followers who proclaim the excellence of Christ’s righteousness.
The above is all good and true. However, the only problem is, “Do you qualify” for all of these as a person of heaven? If you are honest enough, the answer will be “No.” This leads us to a real answer to the problem. Jesus is ultimately talking about Himself. He is the One who is THE person of heaven coming down to earth to bring the kingdom of heaven with Him. He is the Son of God who emptied Himself and humbly took upon Him the flesh of humanity. By dying on the cross and rising up again bodily, He becomes the first fruit of new life so that anyone who is in Christ will come to the Father and live in the new heaven and new earth forevermore. For the sake of this Good News, Jesus establishes the church as Himself being the Head, and all believers together being His mystic body, so that the Seed of eternal life can be rooted in the heart of those who are persons of heaven, and can be spread into the whole world. God will gather His people from all nations into this heavenly family by the Gospel. Therefore, Ecclesiology is Christology, Ecclesiology is Soteriology because Jesus is the Person of heaven and through Him we become heavenly persons as well.
So, where do you find persons of heaven? Where there is Jesus, THERE you find persons of heaven. The Church is where people regularly gather around the Word and Sacraments like we are doing right now. The persons of heaven receive the Word and the Body and Blood of Jesus, who is THE person of heaven. As the mission of the church is expanding around the world, wherever you bring the Name and the Word of Jesus Christ, there you can find persons who may potentially and eventually receive Christ, and come into the kingdom of heaven. Remember at the beginning of our sermon, I mentioned that a lot of Jews, especially Pharisees in Jesus’ time, thought they were persons of heaven because they were proud of being the descendant of Abraham by the flesh? It’s not necessarily so at all. John the Baptist says to them, “Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” Do you ever wonder why John the Baptist said this? Yes, it’s about faith, not flesh. Abraham is the father of faith, and of all the faithful. But there is more to it, John the Baptist points out a common misunderstanding (intentionally, or unintentionally): namely, Abraham is an Israelite, so gentiles are excluded from God’ promise of salvation to Abraham. That’s not true. The stones that John is talking about here represent the gentiles, and Abraham was NOT an Israelite, he was a Gentile. Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldeans, a land of idol and Satanic worship. So, by birth Abraham was a gentile. Furthermore, how can you say Abraham belongs to the people of Israel when Israel (also known as Jacob) is in fact a grandson of Abraham? Grandsons are the people of a grandfather, not the other way around. Therefore, the salvation belongs to all nations as God promised to Abraham in Genesis, “in your offspring (who is the Christ) shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 22:18).
Ten years ago today, during the first year when I was in Beijing as a missionary, some local Christians helped me invite some young people to go to a mountain park for hiking. On the mountaintop, I began to preach on the same text as today, of Jesus’ sermon on the mount. As I was preaching, more and more other people were drawn near and listened. The seed of the Gospel was sown in their heart. Whether it will grow into a tree and bear fruits, it’s up to God. It’s between God and that person. Some of them may resist the grace of God of opening the gate of heaven in Jesus Christ to them. But I pray for them and for all the people in China and around the world that they may come to the faith and become a person of heaven.
Though as a congregation you are searching for a pastor, by God’s grace you are still gathering on Sunday, where Jesus in His real presence is with you in His Word and Sacraments. You have Jesus. You are the persons of heaven. You also actively reach out to the children and families in your child development center. And by events, ministries, and donations you share the love and grace of Christ with people in Leesburg and beyond. We praise God for that. Indeed, there are more sinners out there in the world, who badly need to hear the Gospel, and potentially will become persons of heaven. As the Person of Heaven, Jesus will continue to bring about, regenerate and nourish any person of heaven through His Word, His baptismal Water and His Body and Blood. To God be all the glory!
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen!
