The Other Beatitudes
February 16, 2025
When I say Beatitudes what comes to mind? “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3) “Blessed are the meek, the merciful” These blessings come from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount which marks the beginning of Jesus ministry. “There are nine Beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew. In Luke, the Beatitudes are the preface to what is called the Sermon on the Plain. There are only four Beatitudes in the Gospel of Luke. Not only does Luke have less than half the Beatitudes that Matthew has, Luke’s Beatitudes are much more demanding. Matthew says, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ Luke says, ‘Blessed are the poor.’ Matthew says, ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.’ Luke says, ‘Blessed are those who are hungry now.’
That is a big difference. But there is more. Matthew lists the Beatitudes, then he stops, goes on to something else. Luke lists the four Beatitudes, then he continues with four ‘Woes,’ or curses. ‘Woe to you who are rich.’ ‘Woe to you who are full now.’ ‘Woe to you who laugh now’ (Sermons.com). Listen now for Luke’s account of the Other Beatitudes. READ Luke 6:17-26
“In a certain town, a man walked into a bookstore to return a purchase. ‘It’s a Bible,’ he said, handing to the clerk at the cash register.
‘Was it a gift?’ asked the clerk. ‘No, I bought it for myself,’ he said, ‘and I made a mistake.’
‘Didn’t you like the translation? Or the format?’ ‘Oh no,’ the man said, ‘the format was clear and the translation was fine. I made a mistake.’
The clerk said, ‘Well, I need to write down a reason for the return.’ ‘In that case,’ said the man, ‘write down that there is a lot in that book which is tough to swallow’” (Sermons.com. William G. Carter). Luke’s Beatitudes are tough to swallow. Well really it is the woes that follow that are hard to swallow. (Did you like the rhyme?) Let’s be honest, we strive to be rich, full, laughing, and respected. All the things Jesus is warning us about. While the blessings are for the poor, hungry, weeping and reviled. That is hard to swallow! So why does Jesus do it?
I love to watch fictional diplomacy on TV shows like The Diplomat and Madame Secretary, when evading war and smoothing over rough edges is a constant dance. Frequently they use the term we all know, the carrot and the stick method of negotiation. Dangle a carrot in front of them but follow it up with a stick or a threat if things don’t move forward. I think Luke is presenting a similar kind of persuasion. Blessings and woes. Carrots and sticks.
Let’s remember Jesus shared the famous Beatitudes while elevated on a mount. Here Jesus has just called his twelve disciples after praying up on a mountain. But then he chooses to come down to a level place, to a plain, where he is on par with everyone, and a multitude is pressing in on him. Everyone wants something and healing power is coming from Jesus. Imagine everyone on the same level. It’s hard to do. Society always places one above or below so we can look up and admire or look down and judge. An “observation of the human condition suggest that no one really wants to be on the same level. If that were the case, the rich would not be as rich as they are and the poor would not be as poor as they are” (Working Preacher, Karoline Lewis).
As rich and fed Christians, we might find it hard to hear these woes from Jesus. But let’s remember these words from Martin Luther, “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.” We know that our faith is worth everything, and that helps us to see what we can change in ourselves to address the woes Jesus raised.
I think that is Jesus’ point. The realm of God Jesus is preaching is one where the poor, hungry, sorrowful and defamed are elevated, while the rich, full, and laughing will be brought down. As we have been discussing in our Bible study on climate justice, “the ‘wealth gap,’ ‘food deserts,’ the ‘education gap,’ the ‘health gap,” and myriad other gaps and failures around the globe mark the two sides of the blessings and woes. It’s the gap we are called to address by this passage for God’s sake and our own. It’s what children of God do and what (we) repent of not having done, confident that God gives new opportunities to live with generosity and attention” (Working Preacher, Sarah Henrich).
In other words, the gospel becomes the great equalizer. The great equalizer is something that evens out disparities between people, usually in terms of wealth, status, or privilege. I know you have heard that education or death are the great equalizers. But I believe it is the gospel’s call to stand on the level playing field and rid ourselves of shame when we feel lower and pride when we feel above others in order to be one of many in God’s blessed world. Love and forgiveness erase our shame and Christ’s humble example eases our pride. That is how we start to close the gaps. That’s how we live on a level plain.
Jeremiah reminds us “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord” (v. 7). “To be ‘blessed’ does not mean an absence of struggle. To be blessed is to live through opposition aware that the struggle is temporary and that “your reward is great in heaven,’ that is, that God will gather the faithful into (God’s) Realm” (Working Preacher, Ronald J Allen). To be blessed is to be grateful even in the face of struggle. I had an experience of that this week when I called Ilene Teeters. She is recovering from a broken leg, and an infection, while her husband, Warren, is now wheelchair bound. Yet when I made the pastoral call to check on her, she said I had been on her heart. She wanted to thank me for being her pastor. Even when she is facing a challenging time, regaining her mobility, her heart was counting her blessings. Her trust is the Lord, and that relationship has sustained her as an amazing blessing.
All of this depends upon our attitude in life. Do we see the world half empty or abundantly full. Faith and trust in the Lord help us to reframe everything – even baseball.
“Leith Anderson, a pastor, shared an experience: As a boy, he grew up outside of New York City and was an avid fan of the old Brooklyn Dodgers. One day his father took him to a World Series game between the Dodgers and the Yankees. He was so excited, and he just knew the Dodgers would trounce the Yankees. Unfortunately, the Dodgers never got on base, and his excitement was shattered. Years later he was engrossed in a conversation with a man who was a walking sports almanac. Leith told him about the first major league game he attended and added, ‘It was such a disappointment. I was a Dodger fan’ and the Dodgers never got on base.’ The man said, ‘You were There? You were at the game when Don Larsen pitched the first perfect game in all of World Series history’ Leith replied, ‘Yeah, but uh, we lost.’ He then realized that he had been so caught up in his team’s defeat that he missed out on the fact that he was a witness to a far greater page of history” (Sermons.com, Brett Blair). We have witnessed the far greater page in history. The page of the incarnation of God’s love within humanity and the abundant love and grace that we know in Jesus.
Soon we will taste that love by sharing communion with our Lord. Rich or poor, hungry or fed we stand before our God at the table Christ has prepared to know the abundance of God’s many blessings and to be confronted by how we can work to be on a level plain with Jesus and all of humanity. Amen.
