“Woe to you who are
rich, for you have already received your comfort.” – Luke 6:24
Have you
ever felt like you didn’t belong? Have you ever felt that in this crowded world
of ours you stand out like a sore thumb? Well, if you stand out like a sore
thumb because you’re following Jesus, that’s a good thing. If you follow Christ
well, you will stand out in a crowd, because in this fallen and sinful world we
live in, Jesus stands out in a crowd. Jesus always stood out, because the life
he lived and the truth he taught were countercultural. Jesus’ values and his
priorities and his teachings were out of place in the kingdom of this world.
In Luke 6:17, Jesus headed down the
mountain with his 12 apostles to preach a sermon that’s usually called “The
Sermon on the Plain,” because Luke tells us Jesus was standing “on a level
place.” Due to its striking similarities to the Sermon on the Mount recounted
in Matthew, some believe it may be the same message. In any case, Jesus’
teaching in The Sermon on the Plain was revolutionary then, and it’s still
revolutionary today—2,000 years later.
The first seven verses of Jesus’
sermon (vs. 20-26) contain what we call “The Beatitudes.” “Beatitude” is just a
fancy word for “a state of blessedness.” So, in other words, in vs. 20-26 Jesus
reveals whom God blesses and whom God curses. And surprise, surprise! What
Jesus reveals about the blessed and the cursed in these seven verses is 180
degrees from conventional wisdom.
Jesus lays down four “Blessed are
you” teachings in vs. 20-22. I’ll list them one by one, but first, bear in
mind: The word “blessed” means much more than just “happy.” It means “congratulations.”
See if that fits the verses below by this world’s standards.
#1: “Congratulations to you who are poor” (v. 20a). How countercultural is
that! When someone plays Super Lotto, picks all the winning numbers and wins
100 million dollars, what one word does everyone say to the winner?
CONGRATULATIONS! But how many people go up to the millions of losers who picked
the wrong numbers & tell them, “Congratulations! You picked all the wrong
numbers. You were broke before buying those 20 tickets, and now you’re more
broke! Way to go! You did it!”
But Jesus finishes the verse: “for yours is the kingdom of God
#2: “Congratulations to you who
hunger now” (v.
21a). How upside down is that! As we
were stuffing our faces last week on Thanksgiving, we felt really blessed,
didn’t we? Did any of you drive up to a homeless person on the street, roll
down your window and say, “Congratulations! You don’t get to eat half the stuff
that I get to eat today. You lucky duck!”
But Jesus
goes on to say: “for you will be
satisfied.” For his followers who go without eating in the course of doing
ministry, Jesus will give food that is so much more satisfying than a
Double-Double or a venti Mocha Frappuccino.
#3: “Congratulations to you who weep
now” (v. 21c). We
say “congratulations” to the bride and groom on their wedding day and to
graduates on their graduation day. But when’s the last time you congratulated a
widow at her husband’s funeral? Or a young man receiving divorce papers from
his wife? But Jesus adds, “for you will
laugh.” For his followers whose hearts weep over the things that break
Jesus’ heart, true joy will come in the morning.
#4: “Congratulations to you when men
hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil
because of the Son of Man” (v. 22a). I just love being a social outcast, don’t you? But Jesus
completes the verse: “Rejoice in that day
and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.” He
congratulates his followers who are hated, excluded, insulted and rejected for
standing firm in the faith, because our heavenly reward will be great.
By contrast, Jesus’ “Woe to you”
statements in verses 24-26 refer to the rich, the well-fed, those who laugh
now, and those whom men speak well of. Just like his “Blessed are you”
teachings, every single one of Jesus’ “Woe to you” teachings is
counterintuitive. In our culture we say congratulations to the rich and woe to
the poor. But Jesus says congratulations to the poor and woe to the rich.
How can
this be? It can be because Jesus’ values and priorities and morals are 180
degrees from the values, priorities and morals of the world. Jesus is on a
completely different plane than we are. What we call “blessings” he calls
“woes” because his thoughts are higher than our thoughts and his ways are
higher than our ways. His priorities are higher than our priorities. And we as
Christ-followers living in this fallen, sin-cursed world desperately need to
adopt Jesus’ higher perspective.
You and I
need to wash our brains with the pure water of Christ’s upside down,
topsy-turvy teaching. And each of us has to make a clear and conscious
decision: When it comes to my priorities and my morals, will I follow the
world’s way, or will I follow Christ’s way?
Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of
First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,
visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com and join us for church Sundays at
10 a.m.
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