Blessed Are You Poor! ?(Luke 6:20-26)

I’m reminded of the story Kierkegaard told, when his lordship, the most highly Reverend Archbishop of Copenhagen came to preach, dressed in fine robes and decked in ornaments from head to foot. He moved to the lectern and reads his text: ’God hath chosen the weak things of this world to mock the great’. And nobody laughs, says Kiekegaard.

I feel much the same - speaking of how the disciples must give away everything for the sake of the kingdom. I’m surprised that nobody has laughed (well, sort of thankful really). I’m not really poor, and neither are most of you!

I’m sure more could be said here, but I’m also not wanting to fool myself. Jesus gave us a very straightforward way of being able to tell where a person’s heart is. ’Were your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ We make the mistake all the time of thinking that the best way of working out where someone is at spiritually is to listen to what they say about themselves. Jesus gave us a much simpler test. Take a look at their treasure - not just at their cash, but at all their resources - of time, vocation and material wealth.

Have I put my ’all on the alter’ (as the old hymn said)? Have I really thrown in my lot with Jesus and his impoverished disciples, shedding myself of the trappings of this world for the sake of my commitment to the world to come? Have my resources all been handed over to Jesus, so that He might make best use of them for His purposes? Or is much of my treasure still firmly allocated to the building up of my own little empire?

Difficult questions, and they make for a difficult way to conclude a difficult week. Yes, I feel I’ve had a gutful this week of robbery, insults, sickness and pain. I come to the gospels this morning and Jesus promises me more poverty, more insults, sickness and death! And there’s a sort of knee-jerk reaction in me that says ’why did I ever get myself into this?’

I don’t think that there is any better answer to that question than the one given by the great painter Renoir. In old age the great French painter, suffered from arthritis, which twisted and cramped his hand. Henri Matise, his artist friend, watched sadly while Renoir, grasping a brush with only his fingertips, continued to paint, even though each movement caused stabbing pain. Matise asked Renoir why he persisted in painting at the expense of such torture. Renoir replied, "The pain passes, but the beauty remains."

This is a great answer. Why should we keep on pushing ahead in our commitment to the Kingdom of God even when it costs us so dearly - our money, our possessions, our health and even our good name? Because, as Renoir says, ’the pain passes, but the beauty remains’.

And it’s the beauty that Jesus really focuses on in these verses - blessed are you poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours, you will be full, you will rejoice, for great is your reward in heaven!

There is a new world coming, and things are going to change! And so we encourage one another with these words, as we would encourage our sisters and brothers suffering in Israel and around the world at this present time: ’Be patient, brethren. A new world is coming’. For the pain will pass, and only the beauty will remain!