Date: February 10th &13th
Preacher: Pastor Ashley Rosa-Ruggieri
First Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-10
Psalmody: Psalm 1
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Gospel: Luke 6:17-26
To start today I would like to take a quick poll of the room, the question is, Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi? Raise hands for Coke, and now raise hands for Pepsi. Announce results.
Hopefully that did not start too much tension among us, but I ask this question because these two things: Coke and Pepsi, each have their own qualities that people enjoy. They are distinct enough to hold their own, but are inherently linked by what they are. A similar phenomenon happens in the Bible when we look at specific passages. Because of how our scriptures were written, we have four Gospels that tell us about Jesus. And although each one has distinct stories that only that Gospel tells, there are some stories that overlap between Gospels. These overlapping stories are never exactly the same, because they are being told from a different perspective, a different writer, but they are clearly the same story being told. Today's Gospel reading is one really great example of this happening.
Our reading today is often referred to as “The Beatitudes” or “The Blessings” and it occurs in both the Gospel of Matthew and in our reading for today from Luke. I find this important to recognize because although the two stories are very similar, there are some parts that are inherently different because of the message that Luke wants readers to understand about what Jesus is proclaiming and how he proclaims it. The emphasis we are focusing on today in Luke's passage is how Jesus teaches among the people, and when he teaches, he leaves no one out. Sometimes even to the discomfort of those he is teaching. Luke's Beatitudes are distinct because the passage shows Jesus coming down to the people, adding in statements of “woe” to go along with the blessings, and making these blessing and woe statements by using “YOU who are” to describe the people.
Starting with the beginning of the passage, Jesus and his disciples “come down to a level place” in order for Jesus to teach. In contrast to Matthew, where Jesus teaches The Beatitudes from a mountain. Luke sets the scene for us as Jesus descends to be among the people, so that the teaching to take place might be done in a more relational way. Instead of teaching from above, Jesus comes down to where the people are. This is the first sign from Luke that his version of The Beatitudes will be about messages proclaimed among and directly to the people.
Next we look at the passage as a whole and find that it does not stop at the statements of blessing, it then transitions into the corresponding statements of woe. Matthew does not include these statements of woe, these are only found in this Luke passage. The blessings and the woes in this passage are mirrors of one another—the poor and the rich, the hungry and the filled, the weeping and the laughing, and the ridiculed and the praised. These statements are meant to be heard and understood by all in attendance on this level ground, and it would be impossible for every person there to only be those who are blessed in this passage. Luke wants both of these statement groups included because he wants to make sure there is no second guessing what Jesus says about the actions of those who are comfortable, overly filled, ignorantly blissful, and honored in their society while others around them struggle, starve, weep, and are ostracized.
This brings us to the final key point that differentiates Luke's Beatitudes from Matthew's. Luke is very specific that Jesus is saying “YOU” who are these things. Matthew opts for sayings like “Blessed are the poor in Spirit...the meek...those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...” Each of Matthews statements are for a detached idea of a group of people, “the poor,” or “the meek.” Luke explains Jesus's teaching instead as, “Blessed are YOU who are poor” and so on and then when he gets to the statements of woe he does it again, “Woe to YOU who are rich” and so on. By adding in this direct statement to those Jesus is teaching, Luke highlights how Jesus is speaking to those he is among right now, not an abstract idea or group of people. Jesus proclaims blessings to YOU, the one mourning a loved one, to YOU, the one exiled for who you are, and then he proclaims the woe in the same way, to YOU, the rich, to YOU, the one who others speak well of. Jesus's statements are so direct for the people he was teaching then and to us here today that we cannot ignore them. Jesus wants YOU to know where you stand.
When we put all of these distinctions of Luke's Beatitudes together, we come away with an understanding that Jesus is not afraid to stand among the people and teach in a way that is direct, specific, and powerful.
So what does that mean for us today? It means that we get to proclaim this Good News for those who are pronounced as blessed in this passage. That for every person who is poor, hungry, weeping, or hated, they are claimed and blessed by the Lord. So that they might not lose hope in the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaims. One where every person has a safe lodging place, a supportive community, a seat at the table and something to eat. A place where the systems that harm people here on Earth no longer exist. And that is Good News for those who are proclaimed as blessed in this chapter but in reality are not considered blessed in their current lives.
For those who are given the statements of woe, this passage gets a bit more uncomfortable. And that is the point. The point is that Jesus's message here and throughout the Gospels often finds ways to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Because although we look forward to and pray for the Kingdom of God, our world is far from the mercy, love, justice, equity, and peace that will be found in the Kingdom of God. The statements of woe in this passage are meant to remind us that when we as followers of Christ ignore our neighbor who is suffering in exchange for our own extravagance, we are not striving for the Kingdom of God. Jesus's message today is not an easy one, in fact, it can be extremely convicting, but Jesus never promised it would be easy to strive for the reign of Christ in the world. Luke's version of The Beatitudes has its own distinct characteristics, so that when we read or hear these words, we might remember that Jesus comes to teach us by standing among us on level ground, and proclaiming a message that encompasses all, even when that message is hard. Blessed are YOU who are poor, hungry, weeping, and exiled. Woe to YOU who are rich, filled, laughing, and honored. These are the words of Jesus offered to us today in Luke's Gospel. Distinct, direct, and declared among the people, so that even us here today at Trinity in 2022 might find ourselves in his words of blessing and woe, and pay attention.