There is one thing that I want you to keep in the back of your mind as we explore the “blessings” and “woes” in this scripture: I want you to keep in the back of your mind all of those normal, everyday folk like yourselves who gather around Jesus to be healed and cured of unclean spirits. In fact, I want you to imagine that you are right there as Jesus descends the heights, stepping down the rocks, to be present with you, a normal, average person with normal struggles, illnesses, and fears in life.
Choose any normal occupation, ancient or otherwise: bread maker, mechanic, gas station attendant, seamstress, waitress, cup barer, etc. Choose one and pretend that you are that person, just trying to scrape by in life, not having the money to get the aches and pains looked at by a doctor, and you see Jesus walking toward you. And, as he walks toward you, you can literally see the healing of people right before your eyes as he walks through the crowd; like a parting of the now healed who run off in joy.
Jesus has intentionally descended the heights to bring healing to the hard working, struggling, scraping to get by, normal, everyday person such as yourself.
Keep that image in your mind and do not lose it as we study the “blessings” and “woes” that follow. This image is really, really important.
Once after worship, at another church, I talked with a man who puffed on a cigarette outside the church door with a disturbed look on his face.
“I have a question for you,” the man threw my way as I exited the church. “I think it is just fine that Jesus blesses the poor and the struggling and the excluded. I would too. But, the problem that I just can’t shake is all of the ‘woes’ that Jesus gives the people. He seems to be cursing all sorts of people: people who have money, people who are happy, and people who are well liked. I come to church to hear about our loving God, but today I heard a God who curses people and sends them to hell for being well off and happy. And, I know it’s not you pastor; you are just preaching what is right there in the Bible. But, to tell you the truth, my job does me well. I am respected. I am happy most of the time. Does that mean I’m going to hell? I ran away from a terrible church that preached a God that curses us a long time ago. I don’t need that.”
These “woes” quite honestly shook the man to the core. And, I understand where he is coming from. Countless are the times that I have heard stories of people who have fled an image of God as punisher; bringing curses to burn us into being better people.
This image of God is very real in some churches out there, and the good news of Jesus’ forgiveness and never-ending love of the sinner (which is the essence of the gospel message…which is the message of the cross) is always a welcome and freeing word to those who have only heard of a God that punishes. Jesus is always saving people from such assumptions about who God is and what God does. But, that was the very problem in this guy’s case, because the one seemingly doing the cursing was Jesus himself!
Do you know what helped this man? A little good old fashioned Bible study. That’s right; Bible study is not only a device of boredom induced torture. Sometimes, it can actually bear the good news of Jesus Christ, and through it Jesus can save.
You see, the man made a really big assumption. He assumed that “woe” means “cursed.” And, that is totally natural because when bad things befall us even today we hear people say “Woe is me!” But, in the Greek, “woe” does not mean “cursed.” And, if “woe” does not mean “cursed,” then that means that Jesus is not cursing anyone here.
What
“woe” does mean in the Greek, and this is a little hard to get at in the English,
is something like, “Watch out!” with a strong hint of grief mixed in. It is an exclamation that either something
bad is happening or, more to the point, something bad could happen. When you read these “woes” in this way in
sounds kind of like this:
“But watch out all of you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25“Watch out all of you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Watch out all of you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26“Watch out all of you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Reading the “woes” in this way just makes a lot of sense because it speaks of a deep truth: anything can happen in this world. Anything can change. You cannot rely on your wealth because the stock market could crash tomorrow and it could all be gone. You might not be hungry today, but you have no idea what will happen tomorrow. A massive famine can wipe out all of the crops and dry up your gardens. You might be laughing today, but you know that tragedy can, and probably will happen tomorrow. And, just look at the highly regarded celebrities of today. They say just one wrong thing and their career is on the rocks. Your reputation is just one self-inflicted, idiotic remark away from dissolving like a fine mist in the sun.
Remember at the start when I asked you to imagine being one of those normal, everyday, struggling people who sought to be healed by Jesus? The truth is that any one of us could be that person at any time.
“I have been that person before,” the man said as he puffed on his second cigarette. “Many times. You know what is interesting? During the times I struggled, I think that I prayed that Jesus would pull me through more than any other time in my life. I think that I trusted Jesus more in those times. I need to think on that one pastor.”
And, as Jesus wades through the crowds, healing people on all sides as he approaches you, Jesus looks at you, his disciple and says:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice 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.”
And, as you imagine yourself, a normal, struggling bread maker or gas station clerk, standing and watching Jesus come near, you are certain that Jesus can heal you too. You pray that his heavenly power will flow into you also. As he comes near, you trust that Jesus can make all things new.
The Greek word for “Blessed,” by the way, is also hard to translate into English. But, the idea behind the word is that something is made “large” or “extended.” In other words, when Jesus “blesses” he extends his care to us, or makes his concern for us larger. So I guess Jesus is saying:
“Loved and respected are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Loved and respected are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Loved and respected are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22Loved and respected are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.”
And, as Jesus approaches with his loving eyes and his healing hands, we feel not only the tingling of his healing power, but also the love and respect with which he regards us.
We are not just normal, everyday people after-all. We are the children of God and Jesus shows us the love and respect that the world cannot. The world divides, but as followers of Jesus we are a people who approach everyone in the world with love and respect, especially the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the excluded.
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