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Three whenevers that can unlock grace.


Have you ever read the Sermon on the Mount?  Let me commend it to you.  Many people refer to it as the best sermon ever.  You can find the Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew from chapters 5 to 7.  The sermon is a summation of Jesus’ moral teaching.  And, this sermon of Jesus has been the core of Christian ethics for millennia.

This sermon of Jesus begins with the beatitudes and reminders of how those who follow Jesus are blessed and that for each situation, God’s grace is enough.  The sermon then reflects on the Ten Commandments and Jesus expounds upon them in ways that call his followers to a high standard of living through having even pure intentions.  And, as I read and reflect on these passages I am often completely convicted of my own inadequacy and ways that I fall short of God’s will for my life.

But recently as I was reading through them, in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount I found the most unexpected blessing.  In the middle of the Sermon are three whenevers.    In 6:2, Jesus says “So whenever you give alms,…”. In 6:5, “And, whenever you pray,…”. And then again in 6:16, Jesus says “And whenever you fast…”.  As I read and reread, prayed, and reread again the sermon it dawned on me that Jesus expected those who had gone up the mountain with him to be engaged in these three whenevers — giving alms, praying, and fasting.

Although keenly aware of my inability to live righteously, for instance I struggle to forgive others, live without sin, or choose right over wrong consistently; it became clear to me as I reflected that I could give alms, pray, and fast.  Perhaps by doing so, God could meet me in each one of these spiritual disciplines to raise me above what I thought was possible.  Maybe through my giving alms, praying, and fasting, God could use even me to bless others through his grace.  Maybe even my questionable intentions and inner dialogue could be purified by God’s grace.

As I read the sermon on the mount with these three whenevers in mind, the divine action of God lifting us to heights of righteousness through God’s grace came into focus.  Fasting, praying, and alms giving each require us to focus on Jesus.  And, when we do, we are lifted above the temptations of our human condition and given brief glimpses of the divine.  And then I saw something more unexpected, maybe you’ll see it, maybe not?  Let me know.

When I reread all of Matthew, I couldn’t help but have these three whenevers on my mind.  When I got to the Temptation of Jesus in Chapter 4 it dawned on me that each of these spiritual practices teach us to focus on Jesus in a way that corresponds to Jesus’ temptations.  In Matthew’s account of the Temptations, Jesus must conquer his physical need through the Holy Spirit and the word by not eating.  Fasting allows us to conquer our physical needs.  The devil then tries to convince Jesus to test if he is the son of God or not.  When we pray, do we realize and trust who Jesus is?  Then Jesus’ humility is tested by the devil’s offer of great power.  Will Jesus take on the humility of being the Son of God and following the love of God to set humanity free?  We are likewise called to give alms and become instruments of grace to those in need.

The blessing of these thoughts may resonate and bless others, or not.  But for me, they helped me see that my whenever is now.  I pray that the whenevers of the Sermon on the Mount are a blessing that set you free to experience God’s grace through the spiritual practice of alms giving, prayer, and fasting.

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