Year C Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany February 11th, 2001
Lord of the Lake Lutheran Church
Web page http://lordofthelake.org
By The Rev. Jerry Morrissey, Esq., Pastor
E-mail pastor@southshore.com
Heavenly Father thank you for blessing us when we, aware of our needs, look to you alone for help. Amen.
Title: “Blessings and Woes”
Luke 6: 17-26
Jesus delivers a sermon that is parallel in many ways to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, but here on “level ground,” in which he paints two kinds of characters: one “blessed” and the other “cursed,” depending upon a person’s present conduct and attitudes.
Luke, in all likelihood has a copy of Mark in front of him and incorporates much, about sixty percent, of Mark into his work. He also depends on a source he shares in common with Matthew, called “Q” by scholars. To these sources he adds special material unique to his work, called “L” by scholars, and blends it all into his own unique style and favorite themes, concern for the poor, the marginal, women, and outcasts. This text contains four “beatitudes” and four corresponding or more correctly, contrasting “woes.” These same beatitudes are found in modified and expanded form in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. Matthew’s sermon is more structured and longer. Luke’s is more rambling, but shorter, occurring within what is called the “little interpolation.” Luke interrupts his copying of Mark by inserting this “interpolation” now found in Luke 6:20 to Luke 8:3.
Luke’s sermon is addressed to two groups: disciples, especially those suffering because they are such; and would-be disciples. Jesus, in typical Wisdom fashion, divides the human race into two groups: the happy and the unhappy. He rejects what the world admires- wealth, popularity and comfort and praises what the world would consider pitiable- poverty, sorrow, persecution. The beatitudes and woes are not really blessings and curses so much as insights into the true human condition in the eyes of God and eternity. One’s present conduct and attitudes reveal to which group one belongs.
In verses seventeen to twenty we have the introduction to the sermon on the plain, however, in verse twenty, “blessed”: The Greek for “blessed,” is a word for divine bliss, that is, the quality of life the gods or God enjoy or enjoys.
It is a bliss unaffected by circumstances. It is attitudinal, rather than emotional or circumstantial. It is the result of right or Godlike attitudes, not pleasant surroundings or luxuries.
Poor: Jesus is not blessing economic poverty or raising one social class above another. Matthew spiritualizes the word by saying “poor in spirit” in order to make the point more clear. “Poor” was a religious term for “pious,” meaning those who depend absolutely on God, which everyone does, and know it. It is the opposite of “rich” which means, in this context, “self-sufficient.” Luke does not qualify it because he apparently considers the economically poor to be more likely to also be spiritually “poor” or “rich,” if you prefer, than the economically rich. This appears to be Jesus’ position as well.
The kingdom of God is yours: The meaning of “is” is always two-dimensional when speaking from the eternal point of view. It means “is now” and “will be” even more so in eternity. Jesus is saying that if one has this attitude now, he or she already is enjoying life in the kingdom or realm or atmosphere of God.
In verse twenty-one “hunger…full”: These terms have essentially the same meaning as “poor” verses “rich.” The emphasis is on need. Matthew adds “and thirst for righteousness” making explicit what is implicit here.
“Weep”: Even though one’s bliss is not determined by one’s circumstance, that does not mean, that there is no sorrow, in the life of a Christian disciple. The disciple is sensitive to evil both within one’s self and in the world. The disciple does grieve what is absent from the world, love, justice, peace and suffers because of it. Jesus says that, that may be the present situation but that it will change and wrongs will be righted and weeping will cease. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes…” Revelations 21:4
“Laugh”: This laughing refers to the joy of those who will laugh in eternity. The structure of these beatitudes and the woes is based on the “reversal of fortune” theme so prominent in Scripture. Matthew has no exact equivalent to this beatitude, although the merciful being shown mercy comes close.
In verses twenty-two “hate…exclude…insult…denounce”: This does not refer to suffering in general, but to persecution because of the Son of Man, because one is Christian. Not to be pitied, they are blessed, happy, because they are in such good company, the mistreated prophets of old. Being absurdly happy does not mean being out of trouble or slander-free. The presumption here, however, is that the Christian is innocent of such charges. In that case, he or she is to rejoice. As 1 Peter 3: 13-17 states in a very good commentary on this beatitude: “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.”
In verse twenty-four “woe”: It means “Alas” or “How terrible…” It is an expression of regret and compassion, not a threat or a curse. These four woes pronounce a surprising verdict upon attitudes and conduct which the world would consider desirable. To Jesus they are fatal.
“Rich”: It is well known that material wealth predisposes one to think he or she has need of no one or no thing, to feel self-sufficient and be arrogant, the opposite of “poor.” Such folks rely on their riches, not on God. Jesus says such people may get all they want, but that is all they will get. They will be deprived of real wealth, the kind that really satisfies or consoles. Worldly wealth alone cannot dispel inner emptiness and loneliness. Comfort is not the same thing as blessedness.
In verse twenty-five “filled now”: This means the same thing as “rich,” only the emphasis is not on the possessions but on the person. They shall hunger in the sense of being unfulfilled. In the Kingdom, where there is a reversal of fortunes and earthly values, they will be the ones considered as paupers and they will know it.
“laugh now”: The sense here is different from verse twenty-one. Here it refers to those who take delight in the misfortune of others, who derive pleasure by comparing themselves to the less fortunate. Jesus does not condemn laughter as such, just laughter at the expense of others, that superficial glee when others are put down. The tables will be turned in eternity.
In verse twenty-six all speak well of you: False prophets led people astray by telling them what they wanted to hear and cloaking it in religious language. They were people-pleasers. They were also wrong. If everyone is speaking well of a Christian that Christian is compromising principle. In this sinful world Christians are targets of slander. It is not a badge of honor to be popular in sinful circles. Pleasing others at the price of principle is a value this world might honor, but it dishonors Christ.
Jesus is speaking here, as he speaks in Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes, as a wisdom teacher. He is putting his entire message in nugget form, easy to memorize and recall when the occasion calls for a broader view, so that his followers can have instant access to his message of eternal life. These “principles of eternity” are not meant to be put in a notebook or handbook of pithy sayings to be glanced at from time to time, but to be lived at all times.
When Jesus speaks to us like this he can be dismissed as a mere guru, some sort of mountain recluse whom people go to listen to, to ask questions about the riddles of life and to get advice, usually advice they do not use. Yet, Jesus is more than a guru. He did not withdraw form the world, except to go on “retreat” occasionally, but entered into the world and embraced human life in all aspects but sin. He suffered. He was slandered. He was mocked. He was poor. He got hungry. He had no home of his own. Jesus spoke from experience, his own. He also spoke from a vision of eternity, a vision of reality, that was, at this point in time, unique to him. After all, he had come from there and was going back to that realm in a short while. Having the perspective and the experience of both worlds, really both dimensions of the one world, Jesus is much more than just another guru. We who are his disciples trust his vision and version of reality a whole lot more than we trust our own or anybody else’s.
What does Jesus say here? He says that we do not have the whole picture. At any point in time our emotions announce to us an interpretation of realty, both present and past reality, that may not be the really real or true one. All our experiences here on earth are temporary. The situation today is not the final one. People who live and die economically poor will not necessarily be poor for all eternity. Indeed, “poor” in eternity means something entirely different from what it means here on earth. Since there will be no money in the economy of eternity, those who are “poor,” that is, deprived of the beatific vision, may well be those who are considered economically “rich” in earth terms. No doubt, this awareness gave him the strength and courage he needed to endure what he did. He knew it was temporary. He passes that vision, that attitude, on to those of us who follow him. It does the same for us as it did for him.
It is not easy to live in this perspective of eternity. Circumstances are stubborn. They do not easily give way to our attitudes. They are visible and tangible. Attitudes are not. Yes, they can trump circumstances, but not without discipline, the moment-by-moment discipline of asking ourselves what the circumstances mean in the light of eternity. Keen insight, guru-advice is not enough. These “heavenly outlooks” need to be constantly applied to our present circumstances if they are to do what Jesus intends for them to do- for us and for others who know us and come into contact with us.
For the present we live in a mixed environment. Without the eternal perspective we would have no alternative, no way of evaluating our experiences here on earth, no way of telling what is worthwhile and what is not. It is not just a matter of knowing intellectually what is good and what is not, what needs to be done and what needs to be avoided. That is a start, but not enough. That vision, that “word,” must be enfleshed, brought into our present reality. If we adopt these attitudes, the attitudes of God- laid out by Jesus- we actually bring heaven onto earth, just like Jesus, and change the atmosphere. We rarely can affect the circumstances of life, but we can positively affect the attitudinal “air” and push the pollution away, leaving less room for the pollution of evil to “breathe” its spirit into the environment and into us. As we breathe the air, the spirit, of God we develop a sense for sniffing out bad air, not only refusing to breathe it ourselves but also purifying it so others do not have to either. Jesus exalts what this world despises- poverty, sorrow, persecution- not because they are good in themselves, but because we can use these circumstances as opportunities to bedevil the devil who causes them and to rise above them. We can do that because we trust Jesus who tells us that in a short time, the time of our death, they will not matter anyway.
The Plane: Matthew has Jesus giving the Beatitudes speech on a mountain, the gods were thought to dwell in the mountains, on high, to signify that it is divine revelation. Luke has Jesus delivering them on level ground, on a plane, to signify that they are also human, not beyond the capacity of human beings to put into practice, practical principles and not just ideals.
Poverty and Hunger: Jesus is not saying that economic poverty and hunger are good, anymore than he is saying that economic wealth and a full stomach are bad. Speaking as a Semite, Jesus puts moral matters in black and white, either or categories, not because he thinks there is no gray matter in between, but because he wants to be clear about right and wrong. His listeners automatically would think of wealth as good and poverty as bad. His reversal of that conceit would get their attention. It is clear that Jesus is neither condemning all rich people nor canonizing all poor people. He is speaking about attitudes, internal motivators. Material goods, good in and of themselves, can accumulate so much that they become clutter, impeding the vision, version, and values of eternity. Lack of material goods, not so good in and of itself, can serve a good purpose, namely, clarity of vision. Without all the clutter to distract them poor folk can see their dependence upon and need for a power greater than themselves a whole lot easier than rich folk can. However, there is a gray “in-between” where there are poor folk who are just as greedy and rich folk who are just as needy as their opposites. Matthew uses the term “poor in spirit” to clarify that Jesus means one’s attitude towards God, whereas Luke leaves out “in spirit” to avoid over spiritualizing Jesus’ message by leaving out life-in-the-flesh.
Laughter and Persecution: Jesus is neither saying that all laughter is good nor that all weeping “mourning” is the word Mathew uses, is bad. If our laughter is at the expense of others, if it is the kind of put-down humor we see on TV, if it insults whole categories of people on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, education, etc. then it is too high a price to pay for a chuckle. It also does much damage long after the laugh is over and forgotten. People become deadly serious and seriously dangerous about and because of their prejudices. These prejudices are nursed, encouraged and made socially acceptable through jokes and laughter. There is a good and right kind of humor, related to humility rather than to humiliation, that bespeaks of the eternal perspective. A sense of humor of a sense of proportion. We see things, people and ourselves in the light of eternity and many things taken so seriously by others bring a gentile, almost philosophical, smile to our faces and a tickle to our hearts. We can laugh at ourselves and even at others, without putting them down, because we see in the light of eternity and know how little, so much matters, in the long run. Jesus is saying that those who persecute, ridicule, belittle and exploit others will find that in eternity what goes around comes around. The people who will laugh in eternity will be the one who were laughed at on earth. However, they will not laugh at those weeping in hell. That would be just as wrong. The point is, and it is a major one, that we will not be adversely affected by the suffering and deprivation of others when we are in eternity. Here on earth suffering, the suffering of others, saddens us. In eternity suffering will continue or begin for those who were insufferable here. Those who are in heaven, however, will not feel any sorrow for them, not because they will become insensate, but because God has so willed it. Amen.
