Luke 6:17-26 [Luke 6:17-38]
He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples. A multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon, had come to hear him and to be healed.
Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
"Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on my account.
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
“Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Most of us are familiar with the Beatitudes as they appear in Matthew’s gospel, but this is the same story as it is told in Luke’s gospel. The two versions are very similar, as we might expect, but there are some distinct differences.
This is actually a very long reading. I’ve only read from the first part this morning but later on in this message I will be referring to parts from the second half. If you would like to read the entire thing for yourself, it is from Luke, Chapter 6, verses 17-38.
This takes place early in Jesus’ public life. After his time in the wilderness in Luke’s version of things, Jesus spent a goodly while traveling around and teaching and healing. There have been several significant healings before today’s event, as well as a number of teachings. He also gathered followers to himself as he moved around – specifically calling those who would be his closest disciples, the Twelve, as well as attracting crowds who heard of him and came out to see and hear him wherever he went.
Today’s reading begins with one small but oddly specific difference from Matthew’s version. Matthew’s is, of course, referred to as the Sermon on the Mount and tells of Jesus climbing a hill so everyone could see and hear him. Luke makes a point of saying that “he came down with them and stood on a level place.” This one is often called the Sermon on the Plain in direct contrast to Matthew’s ‘Mount’. Certainly not an important point – just odd.
A more pertinent difference lies in the fact that Matthew’s list is all about blessings, while Luke’s is a mixture of four blessings and four woes.
The most important point to keep in mind when we read this list of blessings and woes is that Jesus here is being descriptive rather than prescriptive. This is an important difference. If Jesus was being prescriptive he would be saying, in effect, that God is going to do these things to you (or for you in the case of blessings). In other words, that the result is going to come from outside yourself, in the form of either a gift or a punishment.
But Jesus is being descriptive here. He is simply describing how it is, rather like Scrooge’s Ghost-of-Christmas-Yet-to-Come, who doesn’t say “this will be done to you by some outside agency because of the selfish things you do”, but “this is the way of your future looks because of who you already are.”
This all goes back to last week’s message on trusting God. Those who are blessed are those who know that everything they are, everything they have is from God and not because they themselves are rich or brilliant or clever or somehow especially deserving. Yes, we work for what we want and need, but it is God who provides our abilities.
These are the people who know that weeping and struggling come to all people – but they also know that God will be with them and see them through their struggles. These are the people who can be filled and content with enough of the world’s goods because they are also filled with God’s love and care. They don’t need excess of anything. They are blessed, and trust in the blessing.
Those who are rich and comfortable and well fed now – especially the rich who can waft through life seemingly never noticing the hunger and despair all around them -- these believe their “good luck” is all the result of their own special-ness. They have got grief ahead of them when the source of their worldly goods dries up and the glamorous friends drift away. When illness and loss happen to them as they do to all people and they find their money cannot do anything to stop it, and, never having bothered to trust God, preferring to trust their own strengths, they find themselves with no resources to see them through.
These blessings and woes could take two or three sermons to do them justice, but I’m going to leave them here because I want to at least touch on some points from the second part of this long reading – parts I didn’t read out loud earlier. These are small sayings – tossed in almost casually by the writer of Luke – and yet they are pivotal points of belief for those who call themselves followers of Jesus. It’s hard to imagine calling ourselves Christians without an awareness of these sayings.
Some of them are very uncomfortable, such as:
Luke, Chapter Six, where all this is found, is one very busy chapter. For all that I’ve crammed in here today, there’s so much more that I left out. So much of what shapes and forms us as believers is found right here in this one chapter.
I’ll close with one more quote, one more exhortation to live the life that God lays out for us. This is from the same chapter:
Amen.
This is actually a very long reading. I’ve only read from the first part this morning but later on in this message I will be referring to parts from the second half. If you would like to read the entire thing for yourself, it is from Luke, Chapter 6, verses 17-38.
This takes place early in Jesus’ public life. After his time in the wilderness in Luke’s version of things, Jesus spent a goodly while traveling around and teaching and healing. There have been several significant healings before today’s event, as well as a number of teachings. He also gathered followers to himself as he moved around – specifically calling those who would be his closest disciples, the Twelve, as well as attracting crowds who heard of him and came out to see and hear him wherever he went.
Today’s reading begins with one small but oddly specific difference from Matthew’s version. Matthew’s is, of course, referred to as the Sermon on the Mount and tells of Jesus climbing a hill so everyone could see and hear him. Luke makes a point of saying that “he came down with them and stood on a level place.” This one is often called the Sermon on the Plain in direct contrast to Matthew’s ‘Mount’. Certainly not an important point – just odd.
A more pertinent difference lies in the fact that Matthew’s list is all about blessings, while Luke’s is a mixture of four blessings and four woes.
The most important point to keep in mind when we read this list of blessings and woes is that Jesus here is being descriptive rather than prescriptive. This is an important difference. If Jesus was being prescriptive he would be saying, in effect, that God is going to do these things to you (or for you in the case of blessings). In other words, that the result is going to come from outside yourself, in the form of either a gift or a punishment.
But Jesus is being descriptive here. He is simply describing how it is, rather like Scrooge’s Ghost-of-Christmas-Yet-to-Come, who doesn’t say “this will be done to you by some outside agency because of the selfish things you do”, but “this is the way of your future looks because of who you already are.”
This all goes back to last week’s message on trusting God. Those who are blessed are those who know that everything they are, everything they have is from God and not because they themselves are rich or brilliant or clever or somehow especially deserving. Yes, we work for what we want and need, but it is God who provides our abilities.
These are the people who know that weeping and struggling come to all people – but they also know that God will be with them and see them through their struggles. These are the people who can be filled and content with enough of the world’s goods because they are also filled with God’s love and care. They don’t need excess of anything. They are blessed, and trust in the blessing.
Those who are rich and comfortable and well fed now – especially the rich who can waft through life seemingly never noticing the hunger and despair all around them -- these believe their “good luck” is all the result of their own special-ness. They have got grief ahead of them when the source of their worldly goods dries up and the glamorous friends drift away. When illness and loss happen to them as they do to all people and they find their money cannot do anything to stop it, and, never having bothered to trust God, preferring to trust their own strengths, they find themselves with no resources to see them through.
These blessings and woes could take two or three sermons to do them justice, but I’m going to leave them here because I want to at least touch on some points from the second part of this long reading – parts I didn’t read out loud earlier. These are small sayings – tossed in almost casually by the writer of Luke – and yet they are pivotal points of belief for those who call themselves followers of Jesus. It’s hard to imagine calling ourselves Christians without an awareness of these sayings.
Some of them are very uncomfortable, such as:
- Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
- If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.
- Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.
- Do to others as you would have them do to you.
- Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.
Luke, Chapter Six, where all this is found, is one very busy chapter. For all that I’ve crammed in here today, there’s so much more that I left out. So much of what shapes and forms us as believers is found right here in this one chapter.
I’ll close with one more quote, one more exhortation to live the life that God lays out for us. This is from the same chapter:
- “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High.”
Amen.
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