Luke 6:17-26 Blessings and Woes
17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
20 Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
Jesus is with us in the level places.
Now you might be thinking to yourself that you've heard something like this before but maybe just a little bit different?
There's another section in one of the gospels where Jesus pronounces is a lot of blessings like this and it's called the beatitudes. That is found in Matthews gospel and it's called the sermon on the mount.
What we have in our gospel lesson today is what is called in Luke the sermon on the plain. As opposed to the sermon on the mount in Matthew we're told that Jesus went down to a level place.
Matthew's sermon on the mount is well known and the beatitudes (the blessings) describe life in the upside down Kingdom that Jesus came to bring. It seems so positive, so blessed. So almost idealistic. But that's not where many of us live is it?
In Luke's sermon on the plain we get more of a down to earth, everyday existence. It hits us where we live.
I would like to tell you a story about a young boy, about 12 years old, in grade 8 in the early 90s. Not very popular, not very sporting, but where he felt at home was in his congregation. That year for the first time he was able to go on a Christian life week camp. Being on the South side of Brisbane this camp was in the Numinbah Valley, up in the hinterland near the border to NSW. It was a beautiful place with the natural arch and the glow worm caves in the National Park, and a nice little campsite with green grass. A peaceful place for a spiritual journey.
That young boy made some new friends some of whom would still be friends 35 years later. He felt accepted, he felt protected, and his faith was challenged. He felt perhaps more keenly than he ever had the depth of the sacrifice that God his father chose to make, in sending his only son Jesus to die for that young boy (and for everyone else) so that he might have all of these humans back with him in heaven one day. He Was deeply moved and felt powerful emotions.
The worship music was inspiring, the prayers were spirit filled, and the boy left that camp on a high.
He got home to his school life, where nothing had changed: he still wasn't very popular, and to his church life, where everyone seemed bored, and tired, and not very excited about their faith. To him it seemed like they were just going through the motions. But looking back, maybe they were just trying to live their faith in real life.
It was such an amazing let down. He had had a mountaintop experience.
Have you guessed who that young blonde bucktooth boy was yet?
Yes you may have guessed by now that that young boy was me, that was my first CLW experience. The greatest lesson that I had to learn was that life happens on the plain, in what Luke calls a level place. Much has been learned from these early days and we make sure that our young people are prepared to go back into the world, into level places, at the end of our camp experiences.
In the level places of the world, the rich seem to prosper, the strong seem to win, and those who are well fed seem to be able to take food from those who are hungry. Evil seems to win, even though we try so hard to believe that it will not. Suffering seems to be so all pervasive, and hope seems to be so rare.
But the level places are exactly where we need the Kingdom of God. This short sermon from Luke which involves these woes, these statements of “how unfortunate is for those of you who are doing well now who are rich who are will fed who laugh now”, are a warning to us.
Contrary to what some churches would preach, these things, (riches, health, wealth and happiness) are not necessarily signs that we are doing the right thing or are strong in our faith. Instead they can be signs that we've put other things in front of our faith, made other things our priorities.
Is there a disconnect between the things we make out spiritual priorities, and the things that we place importance on in everyday life? Do these show that our dedication to our spiritual priorities is not concrete, is not real? Trying to live with one foot on a mountain and one on the level place of everyday life?
Our Faith needs to be “down to earth”. There is nothing wrong with the mountain top times (Mountains in Jesus time were associated with being closer to the presence of God, they were spiritual realms, whereas the level places, the low places were where everyday life happened.)
I mean, when you think about it, down to earth is exactly where Jesus came to be. This is the wonder of the incarnation, of the word becoming flesh, I've got getting dirt under his fingernails.
Now we need to be clear: the list of woes that Jesus proclaims, is not meant to be a list of things that Christians need to avoid in order to gain access to God’s kingdom. Jesus is not asking us to become poor and hungry in order to deserve or earn a life in God’s kingdom. Rather, I believe that Jesus is saying that those whom our society regards as being successful, those who have made the grade, and have achieved success according to our society, may have a hard time realizing that in God’s kingdom, their earthly status is of no avail. They will no longer enjoy the prestige of their earthly wealth or position, for they will be on an even basis with the poor, the hungry, and those whom they have long ignored.
Simply, in Luke’s sermon on a level place, Jesus levels the playing field.
Your bank balance doesn't matter in the Kingdom of God. Your level of comfort doesn't matter in the Kingdom of God unless that is, that you can't see the need for the Kingdom of God because you are too comfortable. Your reputation doesn't matter, what humans think of you doesn't matter.
In chapter 12 verse 4 Luke records Jesus saying: ““I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.”
Every time we pray “your Kingdom come”, I hope we realise what it is we're praying for. The Kingdom that Jesus came to usher in, the Kingdom that is still coming, changes everything we know about how life works in the world. But it is not just idealistic philosophy.
Our faith dictates how we live everyday, here in the real world where God has placed us to be his church.
As we walk his way, may his blessings be ours, now and always.
Amen
댓글