Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today we hear from the Sermon on the Plain. The Sermon on the Plain is Luke version of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. Much of the content between the two versions of the Sermon is very similar, but there are some key differences. I would like focus on just one of them. Unlike Matthew’s Beatitudes which focus on the “Blessed are…”, Luke’s Beatitudes are divided into two sections. The first four Beatitudes promise ‘blessedness’ and the second four declare ‘woes.’ The “blessed” are contrasted from those, against whom, Jesus proclaims “woes”. The contrast is between the ‘poor’ and the ‘rich’, between the ‘hungry’ and those who are ‘filled’, between those who ‘weep’ now and those who ‘laugh’ now, and finally, between those who are ‘hated for the sake of the Son of Man’, and those about whom ‘people speak well’.
What are we to make of the Lukan Beatitudes? Let me offer three points for reflection and three practical implications.
Divine Reversal - The World on its Head
The Beatitudes, both in Matthew and in Luke, but especially in Luke, turns the world on its head. The irony lies in this – that the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and the hated, in other words, those whom the world considers unfortunate, are the “blessed’ in the kingdom of God. Meanwhile, those who might consider themselves rich, or satisfied, or happy in the present age are the disadvantaged in the kingdom of God. There is a biblical term for this reality. It is called the ‘great divine reversal’. We find many instances of the divine reversal in the gospel of Luke. Remember the miserable Lazarus who lived at the gates of the rich man? When they both died, their fate was reversed (Lk 16:19-31). This was also true of the religious authorities and the tax-collectors and sinners of Jesus’ time. Jesus said about them, “The first will be last and the last will be first” (Mt 20:16).
What implications does this have for us? I think it means that we should live with the divine reversal constantly at the back of our minds. Perhaps there are both who consider themselves fortunate and those who find themselves unfortunate hearing this homily. If we find ourselves to be rich, filled, and laughing now, then we have a certain role in the kingdom of God. If we are the poor, hungry, and weep, then we have our place in the kingdom of God. The point I am trying to make is that we need to live not from the perspective of our present reality but from the perspective of the divine reversal. Living with this perspective has eternal implications.
The Divine Reversal Here and Now
As followers of Jesus, we are invited not merely to be conscious of the divine reversal but also to live the divine reversal in the here-and-now. Here is the deal. There both who consider themselves fortunate and those who consider themselves unfortunate amidst us. However, fortunes change. One day we may find ourselves to be fortunate but our fortunes may change the very next day. The best things we can do is to remember that no matter what the reality of our lives, we are in it together.
Before I go any further, let me reflect a little of Jesus’ sayings regarding riches and the rich. I am not going to say that Jesus is anti-wealth. But Jesus strongly cautions us against the dangers of wealth and riches. They can blind us. Wealth and riches can make us trust our possessions more than God, focus primarily on increasing our wealth, make us exploit others, make us self-sufficient, and lose sight of others.
The implication is this – that rich or poor, we cannot forget that we that we are in it together. However, the temptation to forget this gospel call is greater for the rich. Jesus cautions especially those who are rich to not forget or ignore the real-life struggles of people. We cannot be ignorant of the desperate needs of others, and particularly, be insensitive to the gut-wrenching cries of the poor. Rich or poor, we must live in such a way that we bring hope to the hopeless, laughter to those who weep, comfort to those who are afflicted, and faith to those who seeking meaning.
The Blessedness of the Poor
Ask any poor person, or the hungry, or those who weep, or are hated, and they will tell you that it is awful to feel that way. You will never hear a starving person happy at starving. So, what is the blessedness of the poverty? The blessedness of the poor lies in the promise Jesus makes to them. Jesus tells in a real and tangible way that God is on their side; that whereas the rich may forget them, God does not forget them. The blessedness of the poor lies in the reality that God belongs to them, and they belong to God. This promise was fulfilled in Jesus’ lifetime. In the gospels, Jesus belonged to the poor, the outcast, those who were rejected by society. In fact, scripture tells us that he who was rich became poor, so that the poor could become rich (2 Cor 8:9). In reality, then, Jesus shows us the way.
The implications is this - If everybody tries to be rich there will not be enough for everybody. We will finally exhaust the resources of the world and end up destroying everything that comes our way. But, like Jesus, if everybody tries to live simpler lives, if everyone tries to share, if everybody tries to look out for the other, if everyone tries to be poor, then not only will there be enough for everybody, but there will not be the scandalous gap that exists between the rich and poor, between the hungry and those who are filled, between those who weep and those who laugh. If everyone lives in the way that Jesus invites us to live, there will not be the need for blessedness and woe, because everyone will be blessed. If everyone lives in the way that Jesus invites us to live, something even greater happens - the kingdom of God begins to become a reality among us.
Let me conclude with this. The Lukan Beatitudes put things in contrast because the implications of not hearing the call of the kingdom leads to woes and hearing the call of the kingdom leads to blessedness. Blessedness or woes, the choice is in our hands.
- Fr. Satish Joseph