The passage for this week tackles Luke's version of the Beatitudes. His version's a little different than Matthew's. Matthew offers us 9 statements concerning who is blessed while Luke offers us 4 blessings followed by 4 "woes" which contrast with the blessings. For example, Luke 6:20 quotes Jesus as saying "blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" while 6:24 says "but woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort." Jesus goes on to say the hungry are blessed but woe to the well fed. Then, those who weep are blessed but woe to those who laugh now. Finally, you are blessed when men hate you but woe to you if men speak well of you.
Initially, you might respond to this as I did. I felt convicted to say woe unto me. I don't think of myself as rich, but by the world's standards I am. Most of us in the middle class of America are much better off than an overwhelming majority of the world's population so by the world's standards, we are rich. If you know me, you know that by no means am I going hungry nor does anyone enjoy laughing and joking more than I. Finally, I am one who likes to be liked. I consider it a good thing to be well spoken of. Should I be full of woe? My second response is not "Woe unto me" but "Woe, wait a minute!" When did I become so accursed? Yet, I believe there's something deeper at work here.
I believe it's safe to say that Jesus' words here are at the least puzzling, especially if we try to view them only literally. I think we can agree that Jesus does not wish on anyone a constant state of poverty, hunger, constantly weeping and/or being hated because they are following Him. Nor is Jesus saying every rich, well fed, happy go lucky and well liked person is destined for hell. The question for Jesus is where do we find our true contentment? What in this world can truly satisfy us?
Ofcourse, when I am puzzled by scripture, I turn to my good friends like William Barclay and N.T. Wright who have already put their thoughts about these scriptures down on paper for me to study. Barclay describes these verses as "bombshells" and "challenges." He goes further to say that Luke 6:24 is key to this passage. The translation he offers reads like this: "But woe to you who are rich because you have all the comfort you are going to get." The key here is chasing after what the world values will bring instant gratification, but the rewards you will receive will end there. To the contrary, pursuing a Godly worldview may cause you to be poor, hungry, sad and hated, but the rewards will be much greater in heaven. (The Gospel of Luke by William Barclay from the The Daily Study Bible Series - p. 76)
N.T. Wright ascribes that Jesus is wanting to turn people's world view upside down, or perhaps the world's view is upside down and Jesus is merely wanting to correct it. (Luke for Eveyone by N.T. Wright - p. 71-72) Wright and Barclay are telling us similar things here. The bottom line is living a life that follows Christ should look, feel and be different than the one culture promotes. We can follow the world's pursuits, but in the end we will realize that what the world offers as a reward is temporary at best.
Two real life illustrations come to mind of how these truths have revealed themselves to me. If you know me, you are aware that I enjoy sports quite a bit. While I do admire professional athletes for their God given abilities and their drive to be the best in their given sport, I know many of them sometimes fall hard, especially in spiritual matters. We watch pro athletes pursue championships in their given sport. They work and work toward this goal, some never achieve it. A few do and for a brief period of time, once they have acquired the championship, they are able to enjoy it. But the reality is that joy lasts only for a brief time. What then? I don't pretend to know what goes through the mind and the emotions of a professional world champion, but I would imagine after it's over they realize how fleeting the glory of being a champion is. Some recommit to working hard to regaining that experience again, but I would gather that many after having experienced it ask themslves the question, "Is this all there is? There has to be more. I thought my elation in being a champion would not fade so quickly." I've heard stories such as these that have led athletes to fall and fall hard. Some, through the experience of falling so hard, came to know Christ. They had experienced all the world could offer and realized how empty the world's rewards really are. Jim Carrey of all people said "I wish everyone could experience being rich and famous, so
they'd see it wasn't the answer to anything." I bet you never thought Jim Carrey could sound so much like Jesus.
My other illustration takes a view from the other side of the perspective. I have been a part of three different mission trips to Mexico. The first one I took was in college when when a group of us from the University of Evansville helped repair a Methodist church in Nuevo Loredo. The trip changed my life and helped to confirm my call to the ministry. We slept on floors of church members and literally lived among the people for about 10 days. We would eat meals at the pastor's house. He had a modest home. It was maybe 1000 square feet. We came to the realizaton that at least ten people lived there and they were sleeping in shifts so everyone could sleep in a bed at some point during a 24 hour period. We worshiped several times with these people. They were poor, but they fed us and treated us like royalty. Their joy and their spirit was beyond compare. They were thankful. They were faithful. They were real. They were a living example of "blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God."
When it comes to our children, what are we teaching them to pursue. Is it only earthly championships that will not last? Or is it pointing them towards God's kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven? Do they pursue growing their gifts and their talents strictly for self interest or do we help them to see a greater purpose for what God has given them?
If you are rich, well fed, quick to laugh and well liked, don't be discouraed by this passage. Just know that all these things are not lasting and neither are their rewards. What truly lasts are the things of God's kingdom. May we daily seek to draw ever closer to it.
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