Blessings and warnings!

Luke 6:17-26

It’s such an old phrase: “Oh, woe is me!” It’s an expression of self-pity. It may be deserved, or it may be an exaggeration. I once rode in a car for half an hour with a woman complaining about her bowel problems. Now, she had a right to complain, to say “Oh, woe is me!”, but so did I and our travelling companions by the time we arrived!

This is not quite what Jesus means in today’s gospel reading when he talks about the blessings and woes of following God – or not following God.

… Scholars have discovered a place along the lakeshore where Jesus probably spoke. It’s called Cove of the Sower, where someone standing on the shore can be heard by thousands of people. This text is the closing portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, Luke’s version of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount.

If we pay attention, we note some differences between Luke’s Beatitudes and Matthew’s. Luke’s phrasing is blunt, earthy, not at all spiritual.

Jesus says, Blessed are the poor, not Blessed are the poor in spirit.

Jesus says, Blessed are the hungry, not Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness.

And so forth. This is so much in keeping with Luke’s theme of social reversal expressed in Isaiah, in Jesus’ first sermon, and in Mary’s Magnificat. Those who are in need hear good news. And those who have plenty, and refuse to share their wealth, hear a warning.

It’s interesting that Jesus has been preaching on the level plain near the sea. Moses spoke from the mountain. In Matthew, Jesus preaches from the side of a tall hill, called the mount. When Jesus speaks on the plain, he indicates he is equal to the people he is speaking to, not above them. Jesus speaks with his listeners, as one of them. And as one of us, today. Jesus hears us when we speak.

… And we feel heard, and comforted, assured that all will be well. But then, Jesus has to add this:  “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 on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.”  

What are you talking about, Jesus? I don’t think it’s so great to be put in jail or prison or worse for speaking the truth, for speaking out against injustice. That seems like a punishment, not a blessing. But for Jesus, it’s a high honor. It pleases God that our faith is so strong we put our livelihood and freedom and life itself at risk for the sake of the poor, hungry, and oppressed.

This is what Jesus did, and others have followed. We know that Jesus died because he spoke up against the leaders and rulers of the day. He spoke against injustice and cruelty. He was arrested, tried, crucified by the Romans, at the instigation of some Jewish leaders. But then he was raised from death to rejoin God. It’s this resurrection that Jesus tells us is the reward for trusting in him, for being excluded, and reviled, and defamed in our time on earth. 

It’s pleasing  to God when we live as God calls us to live … loving all, reviling none, helping to ensure the hungry are fed, the poor have what they need, and the oppressed are set free.

… The earliest disciples were passionate about following Jesus, learning what it meant that God was stronger than death, teaching the compassion Jesus showed them to all who would listen. Their message was just as offensive to some as Jesus’ message. And the result was anticipated. According to Scripture and legend, all but one of the apostles died for speaking up for the oppressed as Jesus had. Only John is believed to have died of old age, after surviving the torture of boiling water.

As persecution arose in various places over the next 250 years, many chose to be martyred as proof of their faith. Stephen was the first known Christian martyr. He was stoned to death for his belief in Jesus. Perpetua gave up her infant child to her father so she could be martyred for her faith in Jesus.
It’s hard for us to imagine getting killed for our faith in Jesus, but it still happens today. And those who choose this risk are joy-filled at the opportunity to express their strong faith in Jesus.

… February is African American History Month.

I’ve always been fascinated by Harriet Tubman. She not only escaped slavery and made it successfully to Pennsylvania, a “free state” but she kept returning to free more slaves. She made 13 trips into Maryland, which was a “slave state” and rescued 70 enslaved people.

Attached to the Union Army, her intelligence-gathering missions provided crucial information about Confederate troop movements, ammunition depots, and supply lines, which led to strategic Union victories. Notably, Tubman led armed raids which resulted in freedom for over 750 enslaved people and disrupted Confederate resources. Last November, Maryland Governor Wes Moore honored her by giving her the rank of One Star Brigadier General.

Harriet was a woman of strong faith, led by God to risk her life again and again for the sake of her family and others who wanted freedom from slavery. Here is one of her quotes: “I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now I was free. There was such glory over everything. The sun came up like gold through the trees and I felt like I was in heaven.”

… When we return to consider the blessings and woes or warnings of Jesus, and how we do or don’t live them out, we can feel challenged. There is no way I want to be a martyr for my belief in Jesus. Or even go to jail overnight. I appreciate creature comforts too much.

The good news is that though Jesus issues these blessings and warnings, he understands that we are not only blessed or only warned. We are, as Luther said, both/and. We are both sinful and forgiven. We give God joy in the way we take care of the needy – note the assumption that we are those who have – and seek justice for all. We cause God pain in the way we ignore those who are in need, and refuse to share what we have, and don’t seek justice for the oppressed.

This week, I hope we all pay attention to the way we pay attention to the needy and oppressed. Does Jesus see us as blessed, or is he warning us? Amen