Luke 6:17-26
The Christian life
There’s no denying that parts of Scripture can be confusing and seem even contradictory at times. There are numerous places in Scripture where God says one thing, then only a few sentences later, says the exact opposite. The nature of contradictions means that two opposing statements can’t both be true. We can’t say, “It’s bright outside” and then say “It’s a dark and gloomy day.” It’s impossible that both statements can be true since they naturally contradict one another. And when this happens in Scripture, it’s no big surprise that we all struggle with trying to understand what God is teaching us. Many people will take these apparent contradictions as evidence that God isn’t real. They’ll say that contradictions prove that Scripture is simply man-made, as if the apostles came up with all of it on their own. But lest we fall into such thinking, I want you to first realize, there are no true contradictions in Scripture. That’s not denying the difficulty of interpretation we have in some instances. Rather, it’s saying that sometimes we have to be comfortable with not always understanding everything. Secondly, we must realize that context is our biggest clue to figure out these puzzles. Not only the context of the passage itself, but the context of all of Scripture. Scripture will interpret Scripture, so we just need to see what else it says about the topic and then maybe we can find an answer. Lastly, sometimes it’s not the interpretation that’s difficult, but it’s the application to our lives. Our lives are messy and thus make us misunderstand what Scripture is saying.
In our Gospel lesson, we have one such passage that might seem straightforward, but raises many questions. Jesus teaches the crowds, pronouncing his blessings and woes. The beatitudes offer us much to learn, but we first need to understand this:
EVERY WOE OF GOD IS FOR JESUS THAT ALL THE BLESSINGS MAY BE FOR YOU!
I.
It’s no secret that we all want to be blessed by God. It’s the story of human history that man has sought after every way possible to win God’s favor and grace. It’s no different when it comes to Jesus either. The beatitudes have long been beloved by many because Jesus shows his tender heart for the ailments we suffer. The weak, the poor, the lowly, the downtrodden. Yes, just about everyone can see themselves described in the beatitudes. However, Luke gives us a different perspective on these words, because Jesus doesn’t finish with blessings. Thus, Jesus speaks, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets,” Luke 6:24-26. Now, I may not consider myself rich by American standards, however, by worldly standards, I’m pretty rich. It’s no secret either that I’ve enjoyed plenty of good meals too. And who wants to go around weepy all day? And I know what you might think, “but that’s not what it means.” And all I have to say is, are you sure? It seems to be pretty clear, doesn’t it?
This is the struggle we have with Jesus’ words here. If Jesus means exactly what he says, then I would wager most of us would find ourselves on the wrong side of Jesus’ words. So, woe to us. Woe to us who are rich, full, who laugh and are jolly while others in the world suffer. Woe to us who so often take for granted the roof over our head, the food on our table, the clothes on our back, and the comfort of people who love and care for us. Woe to us who make money and comfort our idol. Woe to us who are sinners. Yes, that’s really what this is all about. It’s not about the money, but our love of money. It’s not about the food, but our overindulgence in food. It's not about being happy and jovial, but finding enjoyment in other’s suffering. The target of Jesus’ woes is our sinful nature. As God tells Jeremiah, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord,” Jeremiah 17:5. Woe to us who are sinners when we become comfortable in our sin.
II.
But something funny happens when we’ve been struck to our core by the displeasure of our Lord. Suddenly, we’re not laughing anymore, but rather, we turn and weep over our sins. We’re not full now, but rather begin to hunger for the Word of God. No longer do we consider ourselves rich, because we know that all that we have is nothing compared to the immeasurable wealth of Christ! And then Jesus says to us, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets,” Luke 6:20-23. You see, the beatitudes are the very description of what it means to live a Christian life. Our focus isn’t on material things. Our focus isn’t on ourselves. Rather, we look for the treasures that last to eternity. We look out for our welfare of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and our very neighbors in this world.
Indeed, it seemed as though every woe Jesus spoke was meant for us. Yet, we come to learn that it was meant for another. Jesus takes our woes and curses upon himself. Our love of money, our gluttony, our idolatry, and greed. Every sin we’ve ever committed, Jesus takes from us that the displeasure of our God may be on him instead of us. So, woe to Jesus who has become the sinner for us. Woe to Jesus who must now suffer the punishment of every sin we’ve ever committed. Yes, Jesus goes to the cross that he may face the full wrath and displeasure of God. As Jesus takes our woes upon himself, he offers us in their place every blessing God gives. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord,” Jeremiah 17:7.
Blessed are you now in Christ because the riches and pleasure of God are yours. Eternity and all the treasures of God have been given to you in Christ so that we may trust in God always and be blessed! In Jesus’ name! Amen!