A Sermon to Remember—Lectionary Reflection for Epiphany 6C (Luke 6)

 


Luke 6:17-26 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

17 He 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. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

20 Then 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. 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated 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 how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

                **********************

                It has been reported that preachers are being asked where they got the liberal ideas they were sharing in their sermons about caring for the poor and the marginalized while critiquing the rich. When preachers point to Jesus, the questioners express disbelief. Among the Gospel readings that trigger such responses are the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and the so-called “Sermon on the Plain,” the latter being found here in Luke 6. This sermon, which takes place on a “level place” after Jesus came down from the mountain where he had been praying, mirrors in many ways the Sermon on the Mount. What we have here is a portion of this “Sermon on the Plain,” which offers a set of blessings (similar to the Beatitudes) and words of woe (judgment). They may not go over well in many churches this coming Sunday. So, preachers, beware!

                Our reading begins with Luke setting the context. Jesus had been up on a mountain praying, which is something he did on occasion. When he descended to the plain below (the exact location is difficult to discern), a crowd gathered around him. While we might assume that Jesus was in Galilee (the last reported location was Capernaum—Luke 4:31), Luke tells us that a “great multitude” gathered from all over Judea, Jerusalem, as well as the coastal regions around Tyre and Sidon. If this takes place in Galilee, people seem willing to travel a long way to see Jesus! Some came to hear him teach, and others sought healing of their diseases as well as relief from unclean spirits. Everyone tried to touch him, hoping that by doing so, they might be healed. That is the setting for the sermon that follows.

                As I noted above, this passage includes two sets of declarations. The first offers blessings, and the second issues woes/warnings. Both sets remind us of Jesus’ commitment to care for the poor and marginalized. As Mary did in the Magnificat, Jesus lets the rich and powerful know that the time is coming when they will lose their status. As is true today, in the ancient world, there was a vast chasm between rich and poor. Jesus let the people know on whose side he stood. It wasn’t on the side of the rich and powerful.  

                We begin with the blessings. There are four of them, the first being “Blessed are you who are poor.” Now, it’s likely that the majority of Jesus’ audience fit this category. Jesus promises them the kingdom of God. This is not just a promise that is fulfilled in the afterlife. For Jesus, the kingdom was already being inaugurated. The second blessing covers those who are hungry because they will be filled. How this will take place isn’t spelled out, but might we imagine the disciples pondering the implications for their ministry with Jesus? Later on in Luke, Jesus will feed the 5000-plus people gathered by the lakeshore (Luke 9:10-17). In addition, Jesus offers a blessing on those who weep because they will laugh. As Ecclesiastes reminds us, there is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Eccl. 3:4).

                The next word of blessing covers those who are hated, excluded, reviled, and defamed because of their allegiance to Jesus (the Son of Man). Rather than claim to be a victim, as many Christians do today in the United States because they were required to wear masks during a pandemic, Jesus tells the crowd to “Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.” Not too long before that, Jesus himself had faced a hostile crowd in his hometown that almost threw him off a cliff (Luke 4:16-30). We might not think of something like this as a cause for rejoicing, but the point is that we should rejoice that we too are treated as Jesus has been treated. This word is eschatological in nature because Jesus speaks of the blessing to come in heaven. This word also echoes the words of Jeremiah, who, in the first reading for this Sunday, warns against trusting mere mortals and turning away from God. They will be like a shrub in the desert that fails to see relief. On the other hand, those who trust in the Lord “shall be like a tree planted by water, . . . in the year of drought is not anxious and it does not cease to bear fruit” (Jer. 17:5-10).

                Jesus isn’t finished yet. He’s offered blessings, but he also offers a series of woes, words of judgment. While the first blessing applies to those who are poor, the first woe applies to the rich. Jesus tells the crowd, “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” In other words, enjoy your wealth now because there will come a day when you won’t have access to it. As I read this word, I’m reminded of Jesus’ story of Lazarus and the Rich Man. In that parable, we see a reversal of fortunes, with Lazarus, who had once been a beggar at the doorstep of the rich man, now experiencing the blessings of Abraham’s bosom, while the rich man experiences a hellish existence (Luke 16:19-31). The second woe applies to hunger. Jesus tells the ones who are full and satisfied that they will eventually be hungry. There is a parallel here as well to the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man.

                The third woe reverses the third blessing. Those who laugh now will eventually mourn and weep. Perhaps that will be due to their loss of status and power. In today’s world, many Christians seek power over others. They give allegiance to politicians who promise to make them powerful and will attack their opponents. It’s called Christian Nationalism. It is a movement that runs counter to everything Jesus stands for. That leads to the fourth woe, where Jesus warns those who are spoken well of, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. So be careful if you’re seeking fame and fortune. It is a temptation we all face. I know I do. I enjoy it when people of influence say nice things about me. I do have a good reputation in my local community. Thus, this stands as a warning not to get too heady with a sense of importance.

                The Sermon on the Mount is a challenging word, though the Beatitudes often get spiritualized. That’s less likely here, but even here, there is the potential to spiritualize the words, robbing them of their power for our lives in the present. Therefore, this message from Jesus is radical in nature. It challenges the way many of us live, especially those of us in relatively affluent suburbs. In other words, it comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. As such, it calls on us to give our attention to those who live on the margins, whether they are nearby neighbors or far away. As Pope Francis wrote recently in response to Vice President J.D. Vance’s use of Augustine and Aquinas’ idea of the ordo amoris to justify new policies on immigration and aid to those less fortunate: "The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the 'Good Samaritan,' that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception(National Catholic Reporter).

                Jesus didn’t pull any punches. He challenges us to live our faith with boldness and without fear, loving one another as God loves us. As Pope Francis reminds us, there are no boundaries to this love. Overall, we may prefer a more spiritualized version of the sermon that focuses on material blessings in this life and a heavenly reward in the next, but without requiring much of us in return. When we hear a difficult word, it is good to remember that we live in the context of God’s grace. However, it is important to remember as well that cheap grace is not what Jesus offers.    

 Image Attribution: Bruegel, Jan, 1568-1625. Sermon on the Mount, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55346 [retrieved February 11, 2025]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Sermon_on_the_Mount_by_Jan_Brueghel_the_Elder,_Getty_Center.jpg.

Comments

Popular Posts