The Audacity of Jesus

Woe to all of you. (because of your own sinfulness)

Woe to none of you. (because of Christs forgiveness)

Woe to those of you. (who refuse to believe this)

We begin with Jesus’ teaching and healing in Vs. 16-19. But notice here. The preaching isn’t really mentioned beyond that it did indeed happen. See the emphasis hereis upon the healings, upon the exorcisms, and upon the miracles. Now let me say, these few verses of context, make what Jesus says next,into a world shattering, life crushing, religion destroyingcondemnation of everything that the people had looked towards from the Messiah up until this point. The people had cometo receive physical healing, they wanted to be freed from their current circumstance of suffering. But Jesus comes forward with a radically different gospel. Blessed are the healed? Blessed are thefed? Blessed are the liberated? Nope– listen to this:

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

The audacity!

Can you believe it?! That this Jesus, this healer, this miracle worker, has the nerve the gall the audacity to say to these people, (those coming to Him for healing), that its those people, who are sick, who are suffering, starving, and needing to be saved thatare blessed! ButJesus goes further,

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.

It almost sounds like Jesus is cursingpeople by healing them. How can that be? Andwhat can that mean?

Well, let’s try and see if we can figure this out.

Is the distinction between blessingsand woesone of time? Ofnow and later? It’s bad to laugh now, but good to laugh later? It’s good to mourn now, but bad to mourn later? What sense would that have? No. That can’t be it. Isit about material suffering and lowliness being good, and temporal well-being and comfort being bad? No, that can’t be it either.What virtue is there in being poor? At best; it means you fell victim to misfortune, oppression, or theft. At worst; it implies laziness, helplessness, useless, or carelessness. Is there virtue in any of those things? Ultimately that is the question before us today. Is Jesus simply saying that there is virtue in suffering or lowliness? No.

Then the blessedness of the poor must come from outside of them.

Let me help you out by rephrasing this a little bit;

Hear not, “blessed are THE poor, or woe to THE rich,” as if to separate people into groups of blessed ones and cursed ones based upon their circumstance, their behaviour, their skill, success, or the life that they lived, hoping that you’re on the right side – but hear it this way; Woe to all of you (because of your own sinfulness)

Woe to YOU, for gluttony, greed, and thankless opulence continue to reign in your hearts regardless of your financial status. You lord over your belongings and personal reputation like a fat king locked in his golden palace. Like a dragon hoarding its treasure you protect whatever self-justificationsyou think that you still have before God, at least in comparison to others. The heart; like an accountant at the first sign of this text begins to take inventory; am I poor enough to be blessed? And I truly rich? Where is the line? What is the standard? Believe you me – whatever it was, you didn’t make it either way. Our first point; Woe to all of you. (because of your own sinfulness)

Now; having not made it, whichever way, having come to the foot of the cross as a poor beggar, hear this good news; “blessed are YOU, even though you are poor; for while you have nothing, you will be given everything.”

The blessings and woes represent to us the great reversal of all things. And that is only good news to the small, the weak, the poor, the sinful, and the hurting. Because it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

Recall with me if you will, the story of the pharisee and the tax collector. They both go to the temple to pray. The pharisee goes first, saying;“God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week andI give a tenth of all my income.” Obviously we know from the text that this is bad, but if we didn’t have this text would we even think twice about it? Not only is this man pious, and devoted to the Lord; but he even recognizes that all that he is, and all that he has; his faith, his piety, and his being kept from sin is all a blessing from the Lord. I even hear this prayer from Christians today; “Lord Igive you thanks that you have saved me and brought me out of that life of sin, addiction, and anger, and put me on a path of righteousness, virtue, and holiness.” Whether you add the part about other people the implication remains.

The tax collector on the other hand prays this way; God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ What?! No thanksgiving? No recognition that all he had was from God? Truly a worse prayer. Yet only the tax collector went home justified, so what gives? Jesus answers with the same theme of reversal; all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted. Let me break it down even further. It is this simple; one of these men asked for mercy and forgiveness; the other gave thanks to God for bringing himto a point where he had “made it” beyond needing mercy and forgiveness.

And here is the great truth; no matter how “far you come” in the Christian life, how “mature” you think you may be, you need grace and mercy and forgiveness just as much as you did before you believed – though now, if you truly are as mature as you may think; you will have realized how much more you needed it than you originally thought.

And that brings us to our second point. Woe to none of you (because of Christs’ forgiveness)

This is the great great exchange. The only one who was ever really rich, really well, really healthy, and strong, it is He who becomes sin itself for the sake of the wicked that they might become the very righteousness of God in Him. I am talking about none other than Christ Himself. You want me to dish out woes to someone? I know some of you do. So let me do so; Woe to Christ. Woe to Christ, because for our sake He will become poor. Woe to Christ because for our sake He will suffer hunger. Woe to Christ, because for our sake He will suffer even death on the cross. It is He who bore our infirmitiesand healed our diseases by taking them himself, that we might become whole and well because of Him. It is He who takes our scorn, and bears our insult, that for His sake God might speak His praise and pleasure over us, as His beloved, as the source of His pleasure, andthe recipients of His love.

In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ sermon on the mount – Jesus goes UP the mountain. And so then He teaches of what we must do to be blessed, of the ethical and virtuous ascent toward holiness, towards God that we will never reach. Not stopping at being poor in spirit, but also being meek, being peacemakers, desiring righteousness, being pure in heart, and not just that but also being salt and light, exceeding the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, never lusting, coveting, or feeling angry, cutting off the limbs that cause you to sin, forgiving everyone, doing good in secret, never worrying, never judging, bearing fruit, entering the narrow gate, obeying the Law, and being perfect. But in Luke’s account of the sermon on the plain, Jesus comes DOWNtowards us who are lowly. DO you see? The ascent of the Law, which is unattainableshows us not how to get to God, but that we simply cannot get to Godby our own efforts and works. But the gracious condescension of God toward us in Christ; the lowering of the divine majesty, not only into human flesh, but intobeing mocked, scorned, humiliated, and painfully executed as a sinner for sinners, by sinners comes to us regardless of what or who we are. Slave or free, rich or poor, sick or healed, none of you are worthy to be saved, but all of you are given the good news of God’s saving grace, and perfecting forgiveness. The good news; whatever woes were owed to you; have been born by Christ upon His cross.

Woe to none of you (Because of Christ’s forgiveness)

Do you see now where all of this is headed?

Hear it this way; blessed are you who are blessed, whether poor or rich, for Christ has died each and every single one of you.

Blessed are the rich who are blessed by God. For He alone can show them that even if they were the richest man or woman to ever live, they will die just the same as the poorest. For though you gain and gather all that you can, it will all be taken from you in the end, either by another, or by your own mortality. You cannot take your gold with you beyond the grave. The cost of coffins aside; every corpse is as poor as the next.

But hear this also for the poor. Those who have nothing, can make nothing, can do nothing, who are nothing, by grace, because of Christ, will be given everything. Inheritors not only of the whole earth, but the entire cosmos.

Jesus does not preach this sermon to keep the poor poor, or to get the rich to give away their possessions for the greater good, He preaches this to proclaim that whether rich or poor, sick or healed, by flesh shall no man be saved, andBy worksshall nonebe justified.Neitherby poverty, or suffering, or wealth, but by grace only, which looks not at you, or your worth, or your works, or your circumstance but looks only to Christ and gives regardless, NO, in spite of who we are and whateverlife we’ve lived.

The poor are by Christ made rich, andin comparison to Christ, - that is all of you. Before God you are all without means, utterly helpless, hopeless, useless, and needing to be saved. To which we can then say; but blessed ARE YOU THAT NEED to be saved – for the good news is that you havebeen.

And that brings us to our third point

Woe to those of you (who refuse to believe this)

Jer 17; Cursed are those who trust in mortals, and those who make flesh their strength. Why? Because in doing so they turn away form the Lord. The Lord, in whom we are to trust alone. The Lord, whose strength is perfected in our weakness.

Woe to you who don't find God and His grace sufficient for your every need. Woe to you who refuse to be saved by God. Woe to you who demand that He require something of you. Woe to you who demand a part to play in your salvation, a role to cooperate in for the grace of the good news in Christ Jesus. Woe to you who try to help God’s promises along by doing “your part.” For God’s salvation comes to sinners only, His healing; to the sick, His riches; to the poor.

Woe to thoseof you (who refuse to believe this)

Don’t you see, brothers and sisters? This sermon was not preached in order to call you to action, to demand that you do something, or be something that you aren’t – but to realize what you already are before God; poor, sick, needy, and yet blessed. Because while you can never become poor enough to be worthy of God’s blessing, or rich enough to buy it from Him; He has given it away freely, taken your woes, AND your poverty, and left you only with His grace.

That is the blessed hope that we have in Christ. That is the audacity of Jesus. Hear it now; Blessed are you, however you are, whatever you are, whoever you are, for though you deserved to bear them, Christ has taken all of your woes and all your poverty, and given you all of His blessings. Believe this.

Amen.