Luke 6:17-26
17He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
20Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 24“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25“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. 26“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
General Comments:
(1) If the Epiphany season ran longer this year, our lesson would be the first of three taken from Luke's presentation of Jesus' Sermon on the Plain. As it is, we'll only encounter the opening portion of the sermon this Epiphany season, although some of it will appear later in the Church Year.
(2) Once again, I remind you of one of the most important principles for understanding a passage of Scripture: context helps explain content. In other words, where a passage falls within a particular book's narrative or argument, can tell a good deal about its meaning.
In Luke's narrative, the Sermon on the Plain happens immediately following Jesus' selection of the group of disciples called apostles. The word disciple, translating the Greek term mathetes, has the meaning of student or follower. In ancient Jewish culture, a rabbi would usually be an itinerant teacher and preacher. He would attract disciples. Some would follow him in his itinerant life. Of course, to be a follower also had the meaning of following the way laid out by the rabbi. Jesus calls all people to turn from their sin and have new life. He calls all people to be His disciples.
The word apostle literally means sent one. The apostles were entrusted with a particular ministry. They were to lead the new community that Jesus established, the Church. Their mission was to call people to faith in Christ, to eternal life in Him, and to the Kingdom of God to be lived out within the Church in this world.
After calling the apostles, an event begun with intense prayer on Jesus' part that took place on a mountaintop, the twelve follow Jesus down to the plain. While the crowd and other disciples are within earshot of Jesus, His teaching is most especially pitched to the apostles in order to prepare them for their ministry of church leadership.
(3) Luke frequently blends topography, history, and theology to make points about Jesus and His meaning for us. Harking back to Old Testament times when altars to God were built on high places, Jesus often goes to mountaintops for times of intense prayer and connection with the Father.
But as in the account of Jesus' Transfiguration and of events that follow it, narrated in Luke 9, Jesus always insists on going back to the plain to carry the Good News to others. Our encounters with God aren't for us only. Through them, God strengthens and inspires us to share the Kingdom of God with others. We must leave our mountaintops to love and serve the world.
(4) The plain is a place that allows everyone to see Jesus and the coming of His Kingdom. This equality of access to Christ is an ongoing theme in both Luke and in his second Biblical book, Acts.
You see it in Mary's song, called The Magnificat. You see it too in the road construction language taken from Isaiah to describe the ministry of John the Baptist. I hope to discuss this in more detail in the verse-by-verse comments in the next few days.
(5) Is this the same sermon as the one in Matthew, called The Sermon on the Mount. Traditionally, Bible commentators taught that these were two different sermons. Most modern scholars believe that they're the same sermon, presented in two different ways by Matthew and Luke.
There are sound arguments for both interpretations and I find no particular need to adopt either one. Both are now part of New Testament canon, deemed to be the Word of God, based on the prayer and experience of the Church over many centuries. Whatever the case may be, both sermons have important things to tell us. Their nuances of difference also tell us a great deal.
One big difference between them is that in Luke, Jesus says, "Blessed are you who are poor," while in Matthew, He says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." Both the Luke and Matthew sermons tell us that the poor are blessed because in their humility, they rely on Christ. But Luke more specifically tells us that those who are financially poor are blessed, as are those who are wealthy but share with the poor. As is seen thoughout the books of Luke and Acts, Jesus has a special concern for the poor. In Acts, we see the Church become a community in which, once infected by the love and grace of Jesus Christ, wealthy Christians provide for poor Christians:
There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. (Acts 4:34)The sermon in Luke underscores Jesus' intention that the Church is to be a taste of the Kingdom of God living in the midst of the world now.
I also hope to explore this more fully in the verse-by-verse comments.
(6) This is a rich passage. It will be tough for me to do it justice. So, I would appreciate your prayers, asking God to guide and inspire me as I prepare my message on it.
Stay safe, warm, and dry as the snow falls!
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