Dear Preachers:
There are Beatitudes for us today in the Jeremiah, Psalm and Luke
readings. They declare blessed those whose lives are focused on God and
who live dependent and trusting in God. Jeremiah puts it succinctly: if
we rely solely on our human strengths and self-sufficiency, we will only
have misery. We will be, the prophet warns, like plants in the desert
struggling to survive. These plants live, but what’s the value of their
lives? He advises that there is an immense gap between us mortals,
“flesh,” and the Lord. Our Psalm today echoes the blessing Jeremiah
proclaims: “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.” .
In contrast to the withered plant in the desert, those who acknowledge
their limitations and turn in trust to God, will flourish. They will be
like, “a tree planted near running water.” It is said that Psalm 1 is an
introduction and overview to the Book of Psalms; it sums up all of the
Psalms. Throughout the Psalms there will be contrasts between those who
are righteous and choose God and those who go their own way and perish:
“For the Lord watches over the way of the just, but the way of the
wicked vanishes.”
There is a choice offered us by the prophet Jeremiah and the Psalm
response: will we choose drought, or abundant waters — trust in
ourselves, or in God?
Today’s and next week’s gospels are from the “Sermon on the Plain,” — a
parallel to Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount.” While similar, both
evangelists are writing for different audiences and tailor their
material accordingly. Isn’t that what good preachers are supposed to do?
In Luke’s version there is a large multitude of Jesus’ disciples with
him and also “a large number of the people.” Jesus speaks to his
disciples, those who are already following him. How many of the crowd
who heard him were attracted to the good news he was sharing? Did they
become his disciples too? Did what he said affect their lives; change
their notion of God? Has the Sermon had similar affects on us?
After listing the four situations in life that make people blessed, Luke
then lists their opposites, declaring the “woes.” The word for “blessed”
is not a description of happiness as we know it; but is a gift bestowed
by God. You don’t earn the blessings; you just need them and God
notices. Those who have nothing — no material wealth, or food, who are
weeping and hated, because of Jesus, will receive God’s favor.
Luke’s church was experiencing deprivation and suffering because they
were followers of Christ. They certainly would not have felt “blessed;”
nor would others who looked on their miserable condition, consider them
“blessed.” Was Luke being “real” in his enumeration of those who are
blessed by God? The evidence didn’t seem to show any sign of God’s
favor. When we struggle through hard times it doesn’t feel like God is
on our side; it may even feel God has turned against us. Can we trust
the truth of these Beatitudes; that with God, things are not as they
seem? Those the world disfavors and considers no-accounts, are accepted
and blessed by God. While those who count themselves fortunate, may not
be. Things just aren’t what they seem to our eyes!
“Blessed are you who are poor for the kingdom of God is yours.” How can
this not be “pie-in-the-sky?” — Was Marx right when said that religion
is the opiate of the people? Many people suffer economic setbacks. This
was especially true after the recent 35-day government shutdown.
Thousands of lower-rank government employees were put in severe
financial stress because their families live from paycheck to paycheck.
When the paychecks stopped, many were forced to borrow, choose between
paying rent or medicines, missed mortgage payments, etc. When Jesus
blessed the poor he had people like these in mind — those impoverished
and marginalized, who belong to a permanent underclass, unfairly
deprived of essentials because of discrimination, poor education, lack
of medical essentials, government disarray etc.
Whose side is God on in situations when the rich get their wealth off
the backs of the poor? The Beatitudes make it quite clear: God stands
with the poor, hungry, weeping and persecuted. Jesus declares blest
those who seem out of favor with God. What a reversal of our usual world
view. By themselves, there is nothing virtuous about being poor, hungry,
weeping and persecuted. Those disciples who heard Jesus announce the
Beatitudes on the plain, amid the crowd of people, were being given a
vision and a reminder, already articulated by the Hebrew prophets, of
God’s love and concern for society’s least. In Jesus, God was fulfilling
the promise of those prophets. God came to live among the poor and
announce glad tidings to them. Woe to those who oppose God’s rule and
Jesus’ message.
Jesus warned the comfortable and content that they ignored the needs of
others at their own risk; for when God comes to pass judgment, those
with much now will find themselves with nothing. “Woe to you who are
filled now….” Even in his “woes” Jesus was implying good news to the
comfortable and satisfied. He was calling them to open their eyes and
their ears to the world around them and warning them that they didn’t
have to undergo severe judgment. There was time to change.
Is it possible that Jesus’ indictment of those who are now rich, filled,
laughing and esteemed is also an offer of grace? They are not stuck,
there is still time to wake up and accept God’s mercy, turn their lives
around and do the good things Jesus taught his disciples gathered around
him that day on the plain.
Jesus’ words today may have made us aware of changes we need to make in
our lives. We do not have to do that on our own because we gather
together in worship strengthened by the word we have heard Jesus address
to us his disciples. Soon we will stand with one another at the altar.
We, who hear the Beatitudes today and receive the meal God has prepared
for us, are given the grace to become
Beatitude people, easily recognized by the world as disciples of Jesus.