The legacy of the beatitudes
James Cathcart
November 05, 2022
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Luke 6: 20-31 (NRSVA)
20 Then he looked up at 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 will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.22 ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors 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 will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.26 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
27 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
These words are bittersweet, strange, uncanny. Blessed are the poor, the hungry…? But then think about the opposite. Imagine if Jesus had said blessed are you who are rich, for the kingdom of God is yours. It wouldn’t be a gospel worth spreading would it?
God’s blessing, God’s kingdom — is not about status, or resources, or demeanour. You don’t have to be rich, hearty, and outgoing to take part.
We have to be wary of the ‘prosperity gospel’, the idea that somebody’s material success is a sign of God’s favour — if somebody’s rich it’s because God blessed them and if they’re poor it’s because they’ve upset God. This kind of thinking is warped and not of God! Jesus doesn’t give a ‘signing on bonus’ to Christians.
The ‘Kingdom' is this wonderful mysterious phrase that Jesus uses a lot in the gospels, and it isn’t just something off in the distance, it is God’s vision emerging here and now of how things should be. It blossoms where there is genuine love, compassion and generosity, hospitality and kindness.
In the Beatitudes Jesus shows that poverty, hunger, disadvantage and hardship are not barriers to God’s blessing. In fact he indicates the opposite: that money, advantage and means are more likely to get in the way.
You can’t be too poor for God. It’s impossible. Can you be too rich for God? There’s a question. It’s hard to be too anything for God, but too much money can skew our priorities, make us miss what’s right in front of us.
You can’t be too hungry for God. But can you be too full for God? Maybe, if we fill ourselves up and don’t leave room for others.
You can’t be too sad for God. Never. God cares for and mourns with all who weep. Can you be too happy for God? Nope! But there might be times when we’re too distracted to notice God, dulling ourselves to the needs of others.
Jesus says to the poor, the hungry, the weeping — you matter! This ongoing vision of restoration, of life as it can be — is all about you. You’re not insignificant or worthless. You are blessed, now! Because God doesn’t hold back on blessings as some kind of incentive scheme. You are already blessed and the blessings will keep coming. It’s a mystery, we don’t have all the answers, but we live in hope caring for one another with dignity and grace.
PRAYER:
Help us to be the
vibrant
electric
honest
people
you called us to be,
who don’t use wealth and power
to insulate ourselves from one another and the world
and instead care for all your people and all your creation.
Amen.
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