Sermon Based on : Luke 6. 17-26; Jeremiah 17. 5-10; 1 Corinthians 15. 12-20
Preached on: – 3rd Sunday before Lent 17.02.19
The Gospel passage which has been read to us this morning is known as “the sermon on the plain” or “Sermon on a level place” because Jesus “came down with them, and stood on a level place”.Much of this material is also found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, 6 &7. Luke’s version (3 introductory verses + 30 teaching verses) is much shorter than the Matthew’s (4 introductory/concluding verses + 107 teaching verses), but includes some distinctive material, such as the Woes (6:24-26).
We notice here; Luke’s version of the beatitudes differs from Matthew 5:1-12:
• Matthew has nine beatitudes and no woes, while Luke has four beatitudes and four matching woes.
• Matthew speaks in the third person (“they shall be filled”), whereas Luke speaks in the second person (“you will be filled”).
• Matthew spiritualizes the beatitudes by saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). Luke says simply, “Blessed are you who are poor” (v. 20). Matthew says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). Luke says, “Blessed are you who hunger now” (v. 21).
Some modern translations use the word “happy” instead of “blessed”. The blessing here is the security of knowing that one is right with God.
Here in Luke, Jesus begins explaining to His Apostles and to us the radical difference between Kingdom Life and secular life. His point is that if we are going to be God’s children we must be properly instructed as to what God desires from each one of us. Our value system used to be that of the secular world around us but now it has to change. To be a part of God’s Kingdom means that His subjects live differently than the secular world around them. We must have a God centered worldview. God has different priorities than does the world system around us. God has different purposes than the world has.
Jesus does not tell us that we should sell all that we have and give it to the poor so that we might attain the kingdom of God—although he will, in fact, require that of a wealthy man interested in gaining eternal life (18:22). However, in these beatitudes, he tells the poor that theirs is (present tense) the kingdom of God (v. 20). In the woes, he tells the rich that they have already received their consolation (v. 24).
• Nor does he tell us to meter our intake of food to prevent hunger. Instead, he promises that those who are hungry now will be filled and those who are full now will be hungry.
There is no mention of reward and punishment here. Instead, Jesus describes a reversal that is simply a fact of life. What you see is not what you get! He describes a mirror-image world where everything is backwards—where the rules are the opposite of what we expect. The kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God are very different. We know how things work in the kingdom of this world. Now Jesus tells us how they work in the kingdom of God.
Most of us live here in the Czech Republic as expats and we try to learn the Czech language and Czech customs and traditions in order to live a happy life. Or Imagine visiting a foreign country with customs and traditions very different from yours. Imagine that your visit has an important purpose—a business deal or treaty negotiation. You want to prepare yourself to make the best impression possible—learning a bit of the language and local customs. You want to avoid giving offense by violating cultural norms. To prepare, you would read a travel guide or take a class in the customs and traditions of that country. Jesus came to prepare us for life in the kingdom of God. He is telling us what to expect. Listen carefully!
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven” (v. 20). This corresponds to “Blessed are the poor in spirit”in Matthew 5:3.
Who are the poor? From the world’s standards those are the very people who are not blessed. Our culture and traditions would say that the rich, full, happy and liked are the folks who have been blessed.
Jesus says something else; to make sure we understand that He’s not mistaken, He says the same thing in a negative way. What He does is declare woes, which is the opposite of blessed, on the ones who are rich, full, happy, and liked.
Ultimately, the question is…Will you be happy with the world’s riches or will you hold out for a greater treasure, namely, Jesus Christ?
We wonder why Jesus should bless the poor and pronounce woes on the rich. We can offer only tentative answers. Perhaps the rich are tempted to trust in their wealth, while the poor are more likely to trust in God. As we have read from Jeremiah where the prophet says:-
” Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength.” Here Jeremiah is describing the cursed life as one which trusts in himself or herself. You have to trust someone or something and the people who do not trust in the Lord find themselves trusting in themselves alone. Jeremiah further describes the cursed life as one which “…turns his heart from the Lord.” The word of God says in Matthew For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt. 6.21)
why Jesus should bless the poor and pronounce woes on the rich?
Perhaps the rich used improper methods to attain their wealth. Perhaps they are inclined to take advantage of more vulnerable people. However, we know well-to-do people who lead lives of faith and less-well-to-do people who do not. We know well-to-do people who are generous and less-well-to-do people who are not.
Luke presents a strong emphasis throughout this Gospel on the great reversal that the kingdom of God brings. This emphasis on reversal encourages disciples, who might be suffering but who know that they belong, not to the kingdom of this world, but to the kingdom of God. Jesus blessing of the poor is good news for the first disciples, who had “left everything and followed him” (5:11).
Wealth can be either a blessing or a woe. It can bring us joy or it can bring us conflict. The thing it cannot bring us is eternal life. And yet we seek financial security as if it can really make us secure. And Jesus says it can’t, but he can.
I don’t know if all of this is what Jesus had in mind when he delivered that Sermon on the Plain 2000 years ago. What I do know and understand is that he has come to this place, to enter the lives of the humble and the proud, to touch the lives of the weeping and the laughing…he has come to bring us a single message, and it is this: you are blessed, because the Saviour loves you.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen