Luke 6:17-26 | Göttinger Predigten im Internet

Epiphany 6 | February 13, 2022 | Luke 6:17-26 | by Judson F Merrell |

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 all in the crowd were 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 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. (Luk 6:17-26 NRSV)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Last week we heard Luke’s account of Jesus calling his first disciples. Today our Gospel lesson is the story of Jesus teaching these disciples. This lesson from Luke is part of what’s called Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, and it closely mirrors Matthew 5-7, which is known as the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew’s account, Jesus has been ministering to large crowds of people. But when he saw the crowd staying with him, Jesus retreats to the top of a mountain. The disciples join him and he taught them, beginning with the nine beatitudes. In our Gospel lesson today, Luke has things happening slightly different. In this lesson, Jesus and his disciples come down and stand on a level place, with his disciples being behind him and slightly higher than him, and the crowds of people gathered below. But the crowds are still pressing in on Jesus, and Luke even tells us that they were trying to touch him because they knew power would come out of them and heal them. It’s surprising to me that Jesus doesn’t walk away from them like he does in Matthew. He stays, but turns and looks up at the disciples and begins his teaching to them. It’s interesting that Luke portrays this differently than Matthew. But it’s not only the scene that is portrayed different. Even the message, which mirrors the Beatitudes in Matthew, is different. Here we have 4 beatitudes and 4 woe statements, spoken directly to the disciples, but within ear shot of the crowd that has gathered around Jesus to be healed.

As we move through this lesson, we have to keep in mind our lesson from last week as well as what has happened between it and this lesson. We heard the calling of the first disciples last week, and since then Jesus has called the rest of the 12 to follow him. We have to be mindful of how the disciples literally left everything…jobs, family, a way of life; all in order to join Jesus as his disciples. But it is to those disciples that Jesus turns and speaks directly: Blessed are you. Blessed are you that are poor. Blessed are you who are hungry. Blessed are you who weep. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you, revile you, or call you evil. As Jesus says all this to his disciples, he does so in the context of what has happened already in the life of Israel. “For that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.” We have to keep in mind the Israelites didn’t always like their prophets. Prophets told them to repent. Prophets told them to turn back to God. Remember even the folks of Jesus’ hometown wanted to throw him off a cliff. By recalling what the ancestors did to the prophets of old, Jesus reminds the disciples and all those that hear that if they don’t learn from history they will be doomed to repeat it.

As if to drive home the point, Luke records Jesus as having four woes in addition to the beatitudes. Woe to you who are rich. Woe to you who are full. Woe to you who are laughing. Woe to you when all speak well of you. And again, we have recollection of Israel’s past: “for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.” The false prophets told the people what they wanted to hear, rather than the Word of God. They made people feel good about their life and their decisions. They wrongly prophesied that everything was ok when in fact the people were not living within the covenant made with them by God. The people loved it anyway. They could do whatever they want. And honestly, who wouldn’t? It’s much easier to be a sinner than a follower of God. Billy Joel sums up that thought in his song “Only the Good Die Young.” He sings: “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun.” False Prophets meant living in sin. The people could cheat others out of their possessions and livelihood. They could seek power and fortune over helping the needy. They did not need to repent for any sins. The false prophets told them everything was ok. And the people loved it. For them, they didn’t have to live in the kingdom, because being a member of the kingdom was a status they had already achieved. I can’t help but wonder if Jesus is talking specifically to Peter here, who will enjoy being a disciple until that moment he is accused of being a disciple, and then he will deny Jesus.

4 Beatitudes, and 4 woes…but one man, Jesus, who is on a mission to heal the sick, cure the lame, proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and to set the oppressed free. He, like a prophet, will call the people to repent. Like a prophet, he will be rejected. But unlike a prophet, he will die so that the world may live. His story doesn’t end there though. He sent the Holy Spirit so that the church can continue the very ministry he started, a ministry we continue today. We are reminded of the blessings, we are warned of the curses, and we do all we can to live as the people God has called us to be. In the name of the Father, and the +Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Rev. Dr. Judson F. Merrell, STS