If we imagine the opposite of what Jesus teaches, it may help us gain a little more clarity and insight into his teachings. As we ponder the culture’s “anti-Beatitudes,” we realize how profoundly we have bought into the culture of violence, how deeply its false teachings have penetrated our minds and hearts, and how strongly we resist what Jesus has to say. - John Dear
Years ago, one of my Bible study leaders encouraged us to read passages in the opposite to try to hear a deeper truth within the passage. For example, reading Psalm 23 in the negative is a pretty frightening experience. The Lord is not my shepherd…You aren't with me in the valley of the shadow…goodness and love will not follow me all the days of my life…Yikes. Priest and peace activist John Dear does the same with the Beatitudes (take a moment and do it yourself - its not a pretty read) and then challenges us with this conclusion. He's absolutely right about what we have bought into and how anti-Jesus so much of culture is. Jesus didn't say blessed are the warmakers, but blessed are the peacemakers. It isn't blessed are the ones who show no mercy but instead blessed are those who are full of mercy. If there's a place that the church needs to be counter-cultural, maybe it is here.