Today we are presented in our gospel with Luke’s form of the beatitudes. Matthew has nine beatitudes in his Sermon on the Mount; Luke collapses the nine to four in his sermon on the Plain, or on a level place. Luke also adds four woes, which Matthew does not have.

The beatitude is a literary form, which did not originate with the gospel writers. It is found frequently in the Old Testament, and both our first reading from Jeremiah and the psalm for today are examples of it:

From Jeremiah we heard, "Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord." And in the psalm, "Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful."

Perhaps you notice that we have two different translations of the expression of beatitude. Luke and Jeremiah are translated "Blessed" and the psalm is translated, "happy". Although Luke is in Greek and Jeremiah and the Psalm are Hebrew, the construction of the expression and the content are the same. It is a formula of "congratulation or of joyful outburst. It can be translated, "blessed" or "happy" or "how blest" or "how happy" or "how fortunate." It is not simply or solely a statement of future reward, or promise of reward, but a statement of fact – of what is true here and now of the way things are – "How fortunate is the man who trusts in the Lord." "Fortunate are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked."

In terms of biblical literary forms, the same thing holds true for Luke’s series of woes. They are the equivalent of the old testament formula of the curse, which is also present in the reading from Jeremiah: "Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord."

Jesus would have been well acquainted with these forms because he knew the Hebrew scriptures, and it would have been most natural for him to use them. Indeed, biblical exegetes are widely agreed that Matthew and Luke have here preserved memorized sayings of Jesus in the form of "sermons" which were used by early Christians to instruct converts. Both Matthew and Luke have the disciples as the primary audience and bearers of these words, but both also have a "crowd" in the background. In Luke this "crowd" is especially important because he includes not only Jewish territory – all Judea and Jerusalem, but also "foreign" territory-the coast of Tyre and Sidon which are in Syria. Therefore Luke’s audience includes the churched and the unchurched-Jews and Gentiles, which represents a particularly Lucan theme of universalism. Jesus’ message, ministry, and mission, the good news of the gospel, is intended for all people.

The context in which Jesus delivers his sermon in Luke is also instructive and illuminating. The crowds come out not only to hear Jesus, but also to be healed of diseases-physical and mental. All of them are trying to touch him because they know or trust that healing power comes out from him. They are in need of him and of what he has to give, and they are not abashed about asking from him what they need. They are aware of their dependence upon what he has to give.

The picture then, is one of a group of Jesus’ followers – disciples – and a large crowd of people who have come to him for help, especially for healing. It is in this context of those who want to learn from him, and of those who are seeking his help that he delivers this sermon:

"Blessed are you who are poor…blessed are you who are hungry…blessed are you who weep now…blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man…woe to you who are rich…woe to you who are full now…woe to you who are laughing now…woe to you when all speak well of you."

If we substitute "how fortunate" for "blessed" the paradoxical nature of these pronouncements are a bit more vivid.

"How fortunate are you who are poor…how fortunate are you who are hungry…how fortunate are you who weep…how fortunate are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man"

The categories which Jesus pronounces as fortunate are not categories which we usually think of as fortunate: the poor, the hungry, those who weep, those who are hated and excluded – this refers to social ostracization. And those who are pronounced in a woeful state are those whom we usually think of as fortunate or blessed: the rich, those who are full, those who laugh, those of whom all speak well.

Luke, unlike Matthew, does not "spiritualize" the beatitudes. Matthew calls the poor, the "poor in spirit;" and he calls those who hunger, those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness." Unlike Matthew, Luke leaves his terms simple and direct: "the poor, the hungry," are fortunate.

How can we understand, how are we to understand, this paradoxical reversal of values? It certainly contradicts all our culture tells us about what is good, and desirable and fortunate. Do not we think of and call others and ourselves blessed when financial success comes our way, and when our stomachs are full from a good meal; when our lives are free from sorrow, and when others think well of us?

Jeremiah, and the context in which Luke sets his gospel, help us to understand the heart of Jesus’ teaching here. Jeremiah contrasts the person who trusts in himself and in human power, and strength, and resources, with the person who trusts in God. This is a well known biblical theme, especially in the Psalms: "It is better to rely on the Lord than to put any trust in flesh. It is better to rely on the Lord than to put any trust in rulers" and "Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, for there is no help in them . . .Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! Whose hope is in the Lord their God."

The contrast is between those who seek wealth, possessions, power, and prestige as the end all and be all of life, as the measure of their worth and value, and those whose help is in God – those who know their own limitations, those who know their need of God, those who are aware of the transitory and illusory nature of wealth, possessions, power and prestige; those who see God as the source of all good and seek to live their lives as a reflection of his mercy and loving kindness and steadfastness.

The "crowd" who come to seek Jesus in Luke reflect this attitude of dependence upon and need for God, and openness and desire for what God has to give. We are told nothing of their moral character. WE are told that they come to hear Jesus, and therefore must be disposed to believe that he has something to say worth hearing. And, we are told that many of them are physically and mentally disabled. They have a need, a lack, and they come to Jesus for help, which presupposes that they trust his power to provide for their need.

The blessings and woes of Luke’s beatitudes point to a basic orientation in life; manely, whether one is disposed toward God or not. As one commentator points out: "This passage calls for primary commitment to God; not a loyalty that compromises by keeping an eye out for enjoying all the world has to offer while at the same time professing faith and trust in God."

The beatitudes challenge us with how we view ourselves and others. Do we think of the wealthy and full as blessed and the poor as cursed? To what degree have we uncritically accepted our culture’s definition of the "good life?" That wealth, possessions, power and prestige make us happy and worthy and respectable? What matters most to us and for us? What are the standards by which we treasure who and what are truly important?

The gospel reminds us that the "good things" of this life – wealth, possessions, power and prestige are not necessarily blessings; and that when they are pursued for their own sake, as ends in themselves, they become curses.

And the gospel also reminds us that deprivation is not necessarily a curse; indeed our need and lack of resources can be and often are a pathway to God as our refuge and our strength. The times when we have the least, the times which are most difficult, are sometimes the source of blessing because they humble us and make us aware of our own limitations; and they are the times when we are most aware of our need for God; when we most rely upon Him; when we stay closest to his mercy, and steadfastness and loving kindness.

The paradoxical reversal of values in the beatitudes leaves us with this question: Where and in whom do we put our trust – ultimately – and how is that reflected in our thinking, in our acting, and in our lives?

The Rev’d Pamela P. Snare is Curate at Christ Church, Covington.

Return to Recent Sermons