February 13, 2022 – Epiphany 6C

“[Jesus] came down with [the twelve] 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.They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
  Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
 “Blessed are you who are poor,
  for yours is the kingdom of God.
 “Blessed are you who are hungry now,
  for you will be filled.
 “Blessed are you who weep now,
  for you will laugh.
  “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 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.
 “But woe to you who are rich,
  for you have received your consolation.
 “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.
  “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.” Luke 6:17-26

We often find ourselves in situations where we are more open to hearing G-d’s words and promises, and in situations where we really are not so open or prepared to have our ears open completely. This is where we find ourselves today, encountering Jesus and his sermon on the plain. Something we need to take notice of are the contrasts that are playing out—contrasts between the geography, the audiences, and between the understanding of what it means to be blessed. Let’s begin by comparing the two famous sermons Jesus gave—Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, and his Sermon on the Plain which we have here in Luke. Biblical scholars suggest that there is a theological emphasis in the location of the two sermons—between Matthew’s emphasis that it happens on the mountain, and Luke’s emphasis that it happens on a level place. You see, the mountain was the place of piety and where Jesus would retreat from everyone to pray—to be in communion with G-d. In Matthew, Jesus gathers his disciples and he gives his lengthy sermon which begins with his blessings. He won’t come down off the mountain for three chapters—Matthew 5 through Matthew 8—to continue his ministry. In Luke, however, Jesus comes down from the mountain, gathers his twelve disciples, his “other” followers and people from the regions of Tyre and Sidon, Jerusalem and Judea, and delivers his sermon among the people. The significance of coming down the mountain is one of emphasis in Luke—he comes down to be among the people, the poor, the Gentiles, the rabble who have come because they have heard the rumors about Jesus. So while Matthew has Jesus delivering his sermon in the “place where G-d resides”, Luke is delivering his sermon “where the people reside”. We cannot miss this point.

But the theological emphasis goes beyond just location. Matthew’s Gospel is set within a Jewish community—therefore his beatitudes are spiritualized—they are given more of a sense that G-d is speaking law—like Moses giving the people the written and the oral law which he received upon the mountain of G-d. “Blessed are the poor IN SPIRIT…and Blessed are those who hunger for RIGHTEOUSNESS”. It is as if Matthew is making the point that Jesus is the prophet to replace Moses, the greatest prophet. Jesus is not only the replacement for Moses, he is the long awaited Messiah.

For Luke, his Gospel is set within a Gentile/Jewish community—and as such, once he receives his instructions from G-d upon the mountain, he comes down among the people to deliver G-d’s teachings. Jesus is the one to bring Good News for all people—Jesus is the Son of Man. The ways of the Kingdom of G-d are not defined by human aspirations or appearances. In other words, we must always remember Jesus’ teaching about the first being last, and the last being first. Those who have on earth cannot automatically assume that their earthly blessings will mean heavenly blessings.  Being rich, full, happy and beloved by human standards gets us very little in G-d’s Kingdom. As such, the real emphasis for us then should be on our discipleship.

Finally, we should never be deterred from faithful, active discipleship—even if it means others will hate us, or misunderstand our priorities. Doing the business of Kingdom building on this earth will often make the “Insiders” uncomfortable, if not angry, because it calls us outside of ourselves and our comfort zones. But kingdom work is good news for the “Outsiders” who are aching for someone to bring them some good news—some hope—some news that someone cares for them—and that someone is Jesus Christ and his followers.

Pastor Dave