Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Saturday Easter II - Luke 6:20-26

Saturday Easter II

Daily Lectionary Readings: Exodus 32:1-14; Luke 6:20-38; (Sirach 44)

Luke 6:20–26

[20] And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

[21] “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

[22] “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!

[23] Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

[24] “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

[25] “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

[26] “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. (ESV)

Some commentators have called the Beatitudes of Matthew "the spiritual Beatitudes" and those of Luke "the earthly Beatitudes" solely on the basis of Matthew using words such as "in spirit." In His commentary on Luke, Dr. Just points out that they should be taken both ways, spiritual and temporal.1 I have always thought of the Beatitudes like this: Blessed are those who suffer now because of their faith, for their reward is great both now in this life, which is but a shadow of their blessings that are theirs in the not-yet of the life of the world to come.

When we hear Jesus' Sermon on the Plain, who are we to think of?2 Who is blessed because of their poverty, hunger, and tears? Who receives a blessing for being on the receiving end of hate, insult, derision, and alienation? Yes, we see ourselves, but we also bring to mind the saints who have gone before us as martyrs. Ultimately, we are to see Christ. Jesus is the suffering servant who had no place to lay His head. By participating in His death and resurrection through our baptism into His family, we receive the blessings His blood purchased for us. Jesus was poor for us. He hungered in the wilderness for us and was tempted as we are but without sin. Jesus wept for Jerusalem as He entered the city to suffer and die. Jesus was the recipient of hate, insult, and abuse.

One of the major themes of Luke is “the great reversal.” We see it plainly here in Jesus’ sermon. Those who suffer bad things will have their fortunes reversed by faith in Christ on the last day. All blessings come from His humility in the face of persecution. When we read this Sermon on the Plain with eyes on Jesus, we see three things:

• The woes that show life without Christ (v.24-26).

• The teachings that point the way to life in Christ (v.27-38).

• The purpose of this teaching: The revealing of Christ, the fruit of faith, and our foundation for life in Christ (v.39-49).

The first two beatitudes show Jesus' concern for the poor and hungry. Jesus, earlier in His sermon at Nazareth, promised that He would proclaim good news to the poor. The poor and the object of His forgiveness and receivers of the kingdom of God. They now possess the Kingdom by hearing of this good news "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."3 All who enter the kingdom of God in their baptism feast in that kingdom at the Lord’s Table now and at the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb in the not yet. Their hunger is satisfied now and in the age to come.

The rich will go away empty. They have received their reward. It is not that having lots of money is necessarily a bad thing. Jesus is talking about the rich in the stuff of this world, for whom the stuff has become their god. It is easy to make our stuff too important, whether it is the pursuit of tangible things or striving to have the best of the intangible – successful jobs at the cost of the pursuit of the spiritual, children with a well-padded list of extra-curricular activities necessitating Sunday activities which keep the family from the Divine Service. You get the point. None of those things are sinful in themselves, but making them the cornerstones of your life is sinful. Taken to the extreme, your life will be one rewarded only in this world with no thought of the consequences in the world to come. It is better to be poor and hungry yet rich in faith than comfortable in this life and suffer eternally.

1Just, Arthur. Concordia Commentary Luke 1:1-9:50. p.286.

2Luke 6:20-49.

3Luke 4:21.