(Luke 6: 17-26)
I’m currently writing my memoirs which, as of right now, will be a compilation of short stories recounting many of the experiences I had as a police officer, a prosecutor, a public defender, and a pastor. Sure, there will be stories about some of the serious crimes I either investigated, prosecuted, or defended but there will be other stories that stand out not for their violence directed towards another person, but for the impression or impact they made on me that I remember more clearly today than some of the truly serious ones that had become all but routine. One such case involved an older black male who had been charged with assaulting a police officer in Smith County, Texas. Not a jurisdiction where you wanted to be charged with a serious crime against a law enforcement officer. The District Attorney’s Office and the predominantly white citizenry took a very dim view of such crimes and went to great lengths to extract more than the appropriate punishment. No weapon was used, and the officer was not injured, but the mere fact that you assaulted a police officer was a felony offense that, upon conviction, could get you some serious time in prison, and the way the Texas Parole Board was structured a chance of early parole was slim to none at best. My client who had no money for bail was being held in the county jail awaiting trial. He did assault the officer in response to a questionable arrest so, fortunately for us, the facts weren’t particularly egregious, so we decided to risk it and go to trial. What struck me about my client was how calm he was in the face of probably spending the rest of his life in prison if convicted. In our many conversations in the jail he kept telling me how blessed he was. He was truly a happy guy and was not one of many clients I dreaded visiting who wanted only to complain about how unfair life was. At the time I was teaching a Sunday School class and also attending Bible Study Fellowship which met weekly. He was very interested in that and had several different Bibles in his cell. He liked to compare the different translations and then discuss them with me. Whenever I’d try to talk to him about the trial, he’d change the subject back to the scriptures. He was as secure in his faith and his future to the point where he wasn’t concerned with what Smith County could do to him. He had been in jail for almost a year by the time we got to trial. I was convinced that the case had been overcharged and that it was nothing more than a misdemeanor resisting arrest so that was my strategy. Not to attack the officer but to give the jury an out by showing the charge didn’t fit the facts. Ordinarily in a trial, during every break the defendant wants to know how’s the case going and when can they go home. My client was different. During the breaks he would pull out his Bible and start quizzing me on scripture which really interested the judge who also attended Bible Study Fellowship. In any event, I convinced the judge to include a lesser-included offense instruction in the jury charge which would allow the jury to consider a misdemeanor resisting rather than a felony assault. Much to my surprise, the jury came back and convicted him of the misdemeanor rejecting the State’s felony charge. As my client had already been in jail for almost a year, I asked that he be sentenced to time served. I was disappointed when the judge gave him the maximum 365 days in jail, but my client said not to worry as the jail would give him credit for good behavior and probably release him the next day. He wasn’t mad or angry or resentful. He was happy, he felt blessed because Jesus had been right there with him the whole time reassuring him of his place in the coming kingdom.
And having that internal happiness in your soul because of your secure knowledge of your eternal happiness is what the Apostle Luke is talking about in our scripture reading for today. Jesus had just picked his inner circle after spending the night in deep prayer. He called his disciples together and chose twelve of them which he designated as apostles, the ones to be sent out to do his work. We’re told that Jesus came down from the mountain with them and stood on a large area of level ground. Luke tells us that there was a great company of his disciples and a huge crowd of people from all around Judea and Jerusalem and the area around Tyre and Sidon gathered there. By now, stories of Jesus and the miracles he had performed were quite well known and people were flocking to hear him and to be healed from their diseases as were those who were bothered by unclean spirits. The whole crowd wanted to touch him and feel the power that was coming out from him as he was healing the afflicted.
You can just feel the excited anticipation in the crowd as they waited in silence for Jesus to speak or heal some poor unfortunate and tortured soul. Luke says that Jesus raised his eyes to his disciples and said: Happy are you who are poor, because God’s kingdom is yours. Happy are you who hunger now, because you will be satisfied. Happy are you who weep now, because you will laugh. This had to be pretty puzzling to the disciples and those who had traveled a great distance to see and hear Jesus. Really? That’s it? Be happy because I’m poor, and happy when I’m hungry, and happy when I’m weeping about the sad state of my life? Yes, Jesus is telling them to be happy because in spite of all their troubles and woes God’s kingdom is theirs, hunger will not be an issue, and their weeping will turn to laughter, to joy. And he tells them to be happy when people hate them, reject them, insult them, and condemn their name as evil because of their belief in the Human One. In fact, he tells them: Rejoice when that happens! Leap for joy because you have a great reward in heaven. He tells them that they have something money, power, position, and prestige cannot buy or acquire. They are blessed by God and in that, they find their happiness regardless of their earthy circumstances. And, for those in the crowd who have it pretty good and are just there to see the show he says: But how terrible for you who are rich, because you have already received your comfort. How terrible for you who have plenty now, because you will be hungry. How terrible for you who laugh now, because you will mourn and weep. He’s speaking directly to those who have gotten where they are by taking advantage of the less fortunate, those who have not shared in their abundance, those who have lived it up and not shown any empathy for the poor, the hungry, the suffering. They’ve already gotten what they wanted, and their day is coming. Everything they’ve heard from the false prophets is what they wanted to hear all along and were fooled into thinking their future was secure.
In contrast to what we know as the Beatitudes given to us in Matthew’s Gospel, Luke’s version reflects some of the theological themes important to his gospel which was written for a primarily Gentile audience. Luke’s version includes both blessings and woes. Here, Jesus considers those who lack material goods as “blessed,” and he cautions those who are rich, who have plenty, and those who don’t take the plight of the poor seriously. These four blessings and four woes reflect a divine value system in which the privileged no longer exploit their privilege for their own benefit, but instead share their privileges with those who are not privileged thereby blessing them. These blessings describe what it means to be Christ’s followers, give standards of conduct, and contrast kingdom values with worldly values, showing what Christ’s followers can expect from the world and what God will give them.
In trying to analyze these scriptures, some believe that the hunger about which Jesus spoke is a hunger for righteousness while others say it is a physical hunger. I don’t think it matters because then just like now there are people hungry for justice and people hungry for their next meal. And that’s where we come in. We do what we can as a church helping comfort the unfortunate of God’s children who are poor so that they will know they are seen and cared for. We do what we can through our food pantry and our support of two food banks to make sure people do not go hungry. And, for those hungering for the basic rights we take for granted like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we become the voice of the voiceless. For those who weep, we lend a sympathetic ear, words of comfort, and an assurance that we hear their cries and will do what we can to turn their tears into tears of joy and happiness. We realize how blessed we are and we ask the spirit to show us the ways in which we can bless others out of our abundance whether it be in money, material goods, or time.
So, if you are trying to find fulfillment only through riches, wealth may be the only reward you ever get, a reward that does not last. So be happy with your many blessings and happily share in your abundance with those who are suffering, and happy are you who will share in the Father’s love.
Let us pray.
Gracious and merciful Father, why should we feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Why should our hearts be lonely and long for heaven and home when Jesus is our portion? Our constant friend is he. Happy are we O Loving God who have submitted our lives to you in your service in which we find our happiness, our fulfillment, and our purpose. Move us to help the poor, to feed the hungry, and to comfort those who weep. Show us the ways in which we can best use the abundance we have been blessed with to bless others in your name. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.