February 13 – Luke
LUKE 6:17-26
Our Gospel lesson for this morning marks the beginning of a series of teachings referred to as the “Sermon on the Plain.” It is a shorter version of the much more familiar collection of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew’s Gospel labeled the Sermon on the Mount, a set of teachings that have long been considered central to our life and faith as disciples of Christ.
Yet, it is this very same scripture that can make us feel uneasy, and yes, even guilty at times for the fact that we are not poor. It is this sermon from Jesus that makes us realize what being a disciple of Christ really means. It describes the high standards of what a disciple of Christ should have, our very priorities, values and norms. Jesus kingdom is indeed a radical reversal for us, even in today’s world. It can easily stand our values on their head, for Jesus presents a mirror image of what most envision the world to be, which means everything is in reverse.
One thing of importance that we should notice, is that the significant words of the beatitudes, are spoken directly to the disciples and not to the crowd. In fact, Jesus’ words are a direct call to the life of discipleship for each one of us. Luke is in effect, drawing a comparison of the life of the disciples to that of Jesus. An invitation to all of us to examine our hearts and minds to see if we are measuring up to what is expected of us. In short, are we called to be the women and men that God has called us to be?
But why this emphasis on the poor? Who are the poor that Jesus is talking about? Most likely, they would include those whose worldly circumstances are constrained—but who look to God for blessings. While they include the financially impoverished, Jesus likely intends them also to include other disadvantaged people—powerless people—marginalized people.
Throughout the Old Testament, God provided for the poor. A good example comes from Deuteronomy 23, verses 24 and 25 state, “If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. 25 If you enter your neighbor’s grain field, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to their standing grain.” That is, you may take what you need to feed your hunger, but no more.
Another example, comes from Exodus 22:25, that required slave owners to set the salves free in the Sabbath Year, and Deuteronomy 15:12-18 required land owners to return ancestral lands to the original owners in the Year of Jubilee.
God’s message is clear and the beatitudes just as relevant today as they were when Jesus said them that day. Let’s listen to them in today’s language.
“Blessed are you who are poor even in a world of plenty, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, even though you work hard at your job but are not paid enough to make ends meet, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now, for those who are addicted, for the violence in the world, for the disregard for human life, for the destruction of our earth,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you for your race, sexual preference, or sins in your past, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
Jesus challenges us to stand up for those who can not stand up for themselves. To not turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the problems that surround us in our community and the world. Each of us are called to wrestle with these everyday problems, to take a stand and speak out. We are called to step forward and help find solutions rather than think someone else will do so.
When Jesus spoke, He was speaking to each of us, His disciples, calling us to a higher standard. In fact, Jesus demands a standard for human relationships that involve going beyond and more than the norm. We are all good people here today, but Jesus calls us to constantly reorder our priorities to make sure that we are the type of disciples He expects us to be. We are being reminded that those who are poor and hungry are more totally dependent on God for care and mercy, and we who have enough or more, are subject to the temptation to be satisfied with what we can do for ourselves, and to making God an afterthought, rather than placing our reliance on Him for our care.
As we leave here today, let us remember that as disciples of Christ we are called to the Great Commission. That is, to go out and make disciples, baptizing and teaching them. However, if we are to be faithful to Jesus’ example, we must also address the everyday needs of those around us. The needs for food, clothing, health care, safety, housing, and education. This congregation is a very generous one, yet we are being called to determine if we can go beyond. That is a question that only each of us must personally answer personally. Let us never forget what Jesus did for us on the cross, and that we need to remind ourselves daily that we need to rely on Christ and be led by the Holy Spirit. Amen