Sermon on the Plain: Blessings and Woes

Last week we looked at Jesus’ choosing of his Apostles and the formation of a new community united by devotion to Jesus.

In this formation of a new community Jesus needs to teach and train his disciples and apostles what following him is all about.

I want you to think back to a time when you got your first job.

What’s the first thing that the employer wants to ensure?

For most good employers, They want to make sure that you are trained well so that you can do the job well.

They want to instill in you their values, commitments, and expectations for you as their employee.

This is very similar to what Jesus is doing here for his disciples.

He is wanting to train and teach them what it means and what it looks like to follow him.

And he does that primarily by preaching and teaching.

Over the course of the next few weeks we are going to look at what is called the “Sermon on the Plain” by biblical scholars.

This is really an introduction to the ministry and teachings of Jesus for his disciples.

Jesus uses this teaching to help establish what it will look like for someone to live and thrive in the kingdom of God.

How are Jesus’ followers supposed to act in the world.

What does it mean to follow Jesus.

Jesus knows that his time on earth to teach and train these disciples is finite so he pours into them every chance he gets.

However, I don’t want us to just believe that these instructions were for the original disciples and apostles.

No, they are for all who have been saved and called by God to follow after Jesus.

So this training is important for all of us to hear.

Just to kind of understand where we are going to go this morning we will begin with a simple overview of Jesus’ ministry in v. 17-19.

Then we will go into what is called the Blessings and Woes section of Jesus’ teaching.

I’m going to do it a little differently when we get there so be prepared.

The way that Luke teaches this section is that there are 4 blessings and 4 woes.

He lists all the blessings first.

Then lists all the woes.

The beautiful thing about these blessings and woes is that they are parallel to one another.

Each blessing has a parallel woe.

So the way I’m going to preach the sermon this morning is that we are going to couple the blessing and woe together.

If you aren’t following right now, you will understand when we get there.

Before we jump in let’s go to the Lord with a word of prayer.

Luke 6:17–19 CSB

17 After coming down with them, he stood on a level place with a large crowd of his disciples and a great number of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those tormented by unclean spirits were made well. 19 The whole crowd was trying to touch him, because power was coming out from him and healing them all.

Teaching and Healing

Jesus comes down off the hill where he met with the Father to pray and discern who his apostles would be.

And when he comes down it’s as if the crowds have grown.

On the plain where he will be teaching, we see that there are three groups of people listed.

First, the newly chosen apostles are with him.

Then, there is a large crowd of his disciples.

And finally, “a great number of other people”.

These people haven’t become disciples of Jesus.

Some probably will follow Jesus, some won’t but nevertheless they are interested in what Jesus has been doing.

And we see here that there are people from all over that have come to see Jesus.

Luke makes sure to include the fact that both Jews and gentiles have come to hear Jesus.

He does this by mentioning that people from all of Judea and Jerusalem have come. Those would be the Jewish people.

And that people from Tyre and Sidon have come which is where some gentiles would have lived.

This reminds us as the reader that Jesus came to save all kinds of people.

People from all different types of backgrounds and ancestries.

Jesus came to save the Jew and the Gentile.

Luke also places this sermon here to starkly contrast the difference between the regular people of the area and the religious elites.

Here’s what I mean: up to the choosing of the 12 Jesus went 5 rounds with the Pharisees.

Their hardheartedness toward him was apparent in the fact that they wanted to trap him and his disciples.

However, the numbers in the crowd and the disciples of Jesus reveals to us that Jesus’ popularity among the non-religious elites has soared.

Jesus’ ministry is summed up in these three verses.

He taught and he healed.

Primarily he proclaimed the word of God.

Preaching about the Kingdom of God and the new life that is found in his teaching.

Again here, Luke doesn’t give us any specifics on what he is teaching, but we can surmise from the rest of the recorded messages, just what he wanted to convey.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

Through Him something new is coming.

A new covenant, a new life, and a newly restored relationship with God.

The people came first and foremost to hear Jesus’ teaching.

The teaching of the Word of God isn’t an afterthought for Jesus.

It’s the primary purpose he was sent.

To teach and proclaim the good news of salvation.

The healings were simply a supplement to the message.

Without the message the healings were only temporary.

But with the message, the healings had eternal impact.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry demons were conquered, the sick were made well, the lost were found and the blind could see.

And through the proclamation of Jesus’ message enemies of God were made sons and daughters.

Enemies were called friends.

The dead were made alive.

This is the good news of the gospel.

It’s awesome when miracles happen.

It’s awesomer when sinners are forgiven.

Now, I’m sure that there were those that simply came to have Jesus heal their infirmities.

There were those who simply wanted to be made well.

They witnessed the power of God flowing out from the person of Jesus.

They tried just to touch him so that they could be made well.

So that they could be healed.

But let me tell you.

If all they wanted from Jesus was to be healed that’s what they got.

But that healing.

That release from a demon.

That restoration of the body was only going to be temporary.

It wouldn’t last forever

Whereas those who accepted the word that was proclaimed and recieved the healing offered by Jesus recieved one million times more.

They recieved eternal life.

Relationship with the eternal, majestic savior of the world.

Which is so much better than a temporary healing.

One of the things that’s so amazing about Jesus’ ministry is that he is gracious and compassionate to all.

He demonstrates love and compassion to those who listen and to those who don’t want anything except for what Jesus can do for them.

His grace and mercy is on display throughout his ministry.

That doesn’t mean that those who simply want a healing today are going to receive forgiveness for their sin tomorrow.

What it does demonstrate is that Jesus is gracious to all people.

That he does truly care about the suffering in this world.

So he provides healing for the broken.

Jesus has common grace for all people.

And if they have ears they will hear the truth of his message.

yet if they reject or neglect his message, they will receive the condemnation they have earned.

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After Luke, gives us an overview of what Jesus’ ministry looks like, he gives us a subsequent view of his teaching ministry.

We’ve only read one sermon from Jesus up to know in Luke’s gospel.

It’s the sermon he preached in Nazareth that angered the crowd so much they wanted to kill him.

He has taught through parables since that point, but he hasn’t preached a message in Luke’s gospel.

Blessings and Woes

He’s going to begin this sermon with a series of Blessings and Woes

I think it would behove us to take a moment and discuss what we are about to look at.

B/c I’m sure your asking what are blessings and what are woes.

I want you to think about the blessings and woes falling into 2 categories.

Jesus is essentially telling us that there are two types of people.

Those who receive his blessing and those that have earned the wrath of God.

The blessings and the woes are a reflection of the spiritual life of an individual.

Those who receive blessings or are blessed are the object of God’s grace.

Those who are not blessed don’t receive the fullness of his divine mercy and will face the wrath of God eventually.

The one who is blessed is favored by God.

While the one who falls into the category of woes does not have God’s favor.

One thing to note as we look over these blessings and woes.

Is the woes are simply a warning.

The woes are part of a prophetic tradition of the coming condemnation one will receive if they don’t change their ways.

If they don’t repent.

You can read about some of the woes that prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah preach about in their books.

If they continue down the road that is described by Jesus then they will face the wrath of God.

But b/c of his mercy and grace they can become disciples and go from under a curse to under the blessing of God.

Another note, Just b/c you have the blessing or favor of God on your life does not mean that life is going to be easy.

Remember we still need to deny ourselves and pursue his calling.

And we will endure hardship if we are submitted to him.

In fact, as we look at these blessings and woes, we will see that the disciple of Jesus should expect hardship in this world.

Being his disciple inherently means that there will be hardship b/c we run counter to the world’s understanding of how life should be lived.

These blessings are also a form of encouragement from Jesus to his followers.

He wants those who follow after him to know that whatever happens in this life isn’t the end of the road.

That there is more to our existence than the troubles of this life.

The society and overwhelming teaching from American churches is that if you follow Jesus you will be blessed.

However, that usually plays out in the monetary and physical blessings of this world.

Or at least that’s what is promised.

However, what we have to understand is that the blessing we are promised from Jesus is not physical comfort.

Wealth, or the avoidance of trouble.

Instead we are promised more of him.

The blessing we receive is the blessing of his sufficient grace.

The blessing we get is that we are shaped and molded into a version of ourselves that reflects our savior.

We get to be molded and shaped into those who look, act, and live more like Jesus.

What could be a better blessing than that?

The aim and the goal of Jesus’ teaching is to help those who belong to him endure and persevere when it may feel like the world is crashing down all around them.

Luke 6:20–21 (CSB)

20 Then looking up at his disciples, he said: Blessed are you who are poor, because the kingdom of God is yours.

21 Blessed are you who are hungry now, because you will be filled...

Luke 6:24–25 (CSB)

24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort.

25 Woe to you who are now full, for you will be hungry...

Poor and Rich

One of the first things I want us to notice is that Jesus is addressing his disciples.

He knows the life that they are called to lead so he wants to encourage them with the blessings they receive by being committed to him.

So the blessings are specific to his people.

To those who are saved by his blood.

Not all who are poor receive the same blessing.

But those who belong to the Good Shepherd who are poor have God’s favor.

What does Jesus mean by poor?

Does he simply mean economically poor? or is there something more going on here?

The term poor has a few different levels.

Matthew’s gospel adds some clarification on this teaching where Jesus says “blessed are the poor in spirit”

However, we must also recognize Luke’s audience.

Luke is writing to the outcast and socially disadvantaged.

In addition, this teaching comes on the heels of his apostles leaving everything behind to follow after him

So the reality is when Jesus is talking about the poor he is speaking on different levels.

Yes, Jesus wants those who are economically disadvantaged and his disciples to know that their inheritance is the kingdom of God which is greater than any earthly treasure.

They can accept and recognize this b/c of their disadvantage.

Whereas the rich have the comforts of life.

They don’t want for anything.

Everything that they want and need is at their fingertips.

So they won’t seek what is greater, that is a relationship with God, b/c their needs are met and they are self-sufficient.

They believe that they have all they need, so they have received the comfort here today.

What happens is those who have all the earthly comforts forget about God.

They become callous to the things of God.

God is not needed any longer b/c they have all they need.

Or so they believe.

The callous rich also have a hardened heart to the plight of the poor.

They are unconcerned with the needs of others.

Therefore they don’t know, seek, or chase after the heart of God.

Now, I want to be careful here.

Not all who are rich are callous.

Not all who are rich are going to receive the wrath of God.

That’s not what is going on here in Jesus’ teaching.

Jesus is teaching and preaching against the tendency of the rich to rest on their laurels, pat themselves on the back, and never acknowledge their need for God.

Remember, one of the prerequisites for following Jesus is humility.

And those who have much can tend to lean towards a lack of humility.

While those who have little can tend to lean more towards humility.

But again rich and poor are both spiritual states as much as they are material ones.

This is true for all the blessings and woes.

So what we don’t need to do is walk around unthinkingly proclaiming

“Rich man bad” “Poor man good”

Rather like Jesus, we need to be looking at the heart of the person.

Personally, I have known men and women who have been very well off financially who know and love the Lord with all their heart.

While I have known those who don’t have 2 pennies to rub together that couldn’t have less to do with humility and loving the Lord.

So the warning that Jesus gives is that we need to check our hearts.

Where do we find satisfaction.

Do we find in the things of the world or do we find it in serving him.

Are we comforted by the kingdom of God or by the things of this world?

That’s the question we really have to ask ourselves.

If we are poor in spirit.

If we approach the Lord with humility and the realization that we need him then we have the kingdom of God.

I paired the poor and hungry together b/c they represent the same idea.

There will be some lack for some of Jesus’ followers.

There are some won’t have the riches of the world.

Or satisfied bellies.

But there is a promise and hope that Jesus will provide us with everything we need in the life to come.

That doesn’t mean that the trials of this life aren’t real.

For many of us there will be struggles.

Some will question where their next meal will come from.

Some will live in poverty.

However, our eyes must never be taken off the kingdom of God.

We must never abandon the promise of Jesus of the perfect life in his presence.

If we must hunger let us hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Let us chase after following Jesus regardless the cost.

We need to recognize that the promise of Jesus is more than enough to satisfy.

And that in his grace and mercy upon his people he will provide for us.

We must not take our eyes off the true prize of this life which is knowing our savior.

Loving him.

Trusting him.

B/c the last thing we need to do is trust in ourselves.

Which is exactly what the rich and full are doing.

They are trusting in their own wealth.

Trusting in their own provision.

Which may solve some problems temporarily, but eternally it will cause torment.

In the next verses, Jesus shifts gears a little to talk about weeping and laughing

Luke 6:21 (CSB)

21 ...Blessed are you who weep now, because you will laugh.

Luke 6:25 “... Woe to you who are now laughing, for you will mourn and weep.”

Weeping and Laughing

What are these disciples weeping over?

There are many options, but the one I find most compelling is they are morning over the brokenness of the world and the sinful state of humanity.

They see the pain caused by the suffering that a broken world causes.

Which then leads to weeping over their own sinful state.

They have recognized that they have violated God’s law and deserve his wrath.

Recognizing our sin for what it truly is will lead to a mournful state.

Remember, sin is a violation of the creator the universe.

We have been agents of suffering in the world around us.

Think about how weighty that is.

We have hurt those we loved.

We have neglected to the the right thing.

We have pursued selfishness and satisfaction at the sacrifice of others good.

Then we recognize the amount of bad we’ve done and can’t help but mourn.

Knowing that there are people all around us who we have done wrong too.

And we weep then b/c we have been forgiven.

We also know that the promise of the kingdom of God is that he is going to remake heaven and earth.

That the Lord is going to restore the world to it’s rightful state.

That’s why we can laugh.

That’s what can make us excited.

B/c our sin has been forgiven and we can rejoice in the promise of restoration and recreation.

Unfortunately this isn’t the only type of pain that we as disciples can face when it comes to following Jesus.

One of the realities is that when we start following Jesus there will be those who hate us b/c of what we stand for.

Jesus has this knowledge and addresses it as well.

Luke 6:22–23 CSB

22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you, insult you, and slander your name as evil because of the Son of Man. 23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy. Take note—your reward is great in heaven, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.

Luke 6:26 CSB

26 Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets.

Hatred and Acceptance

Jesus here calls his disciples favored by God or blessed when they are excluded, insulted, and slandered.

I want us to see though that this isn’t a blanket statement.

There is a caveat added to the end of that.

His disciples are blessed IF these things happen b/c of our devotion to him.

If you are excluded, insulted, and slandered b/c your are a jerk, you are not favored by God.

But if by adhering to his rule and reign you are excluded then you are blessed.

There are a lot of self-proclaimed Christians who cry out persecution when they are not being persecuted b/c of their devotion to Jesus rather they are just not pleasant people.

So we know that devotion to Jesus and the truth he shares will lead to persecution b/c we know that Jesus was persecuted what he taught and believed.

But we need to make doubly sure that the reason we are being persecuted is b/c we are living a life that honors God and not b/c we have sullied his name through our actions.

For those who are truly devoted to following Jesus, you will be hated by the world.

Maybe not everyone, but many will hate you.

Those who truly oppose God and all he stands for will stand against you if you stand for him.

This will not be a continual hatred, it will be occasional and that’s what these first century believers faced.

B/c of their devotion to Jesus they were cast out of the Synagogue.

This is a big deal b/c in the Jewish culture, the synagogue was central to business and commerce in these towns.

So for someone to be excluded meant that they were most likely going to loose their livelihood, their friendships, and even their family.

Their name was going to be drug through the mud.

They were going to endure hatred and spite from those who hated Jesus.

And Jesus is saying this shouldn’t surprise them.

It not a matter of “if” they hate us, but “when” they hate us.

This is something that I know we’ve talked about before, but devotion to Jesus will cost his disciples something.

If we truly follow after Jesus then we will face a world that despises us.

We may face a family who hates us.

Friends that abandon us.

Co-workers who think we’re crazy.

This is b/c as followers of Jesus, our lives are to look radically different from the world around us.

We are to stand on truth, love, compassion, mercy, and grace.

We are to confront evil no matter the cost.

We are to honor God in all our actions.

and when we do that, the people who hate God will hate us.

Nevertheless, we can rejoice.

Knowing that our treasure is great in heaven.

We can rejoice.

Knowing that we share in the same persecution as those who have gone before.

As followers of Jesus we should not seek out a cushy life where we seek to please everyone.

Especially if that pleasing of people runs contrary to the teachings of Jesus.

If we want to be people pleasers then we run the risk of sliding into the woe category of people.

Luke 6:26 “26 Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets.”

Jesus bringing up false prophets was no accident.

The false prophets walked around during Israel’s judgement saying everything’s fine.

God’s not judging us.

Only to then face his wrath and judgment.

The reality is we should seek to please God rather than man.

Which means that at times we will offend people by pleasing God.

But pleasing God brings eternal rewards.

while pleasing man brings eternal destruction.

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I want us all to pay attention to this one truth that Jesus promises here in these blessings and woes.

And it’s the contrast between our future hope and our present reality.

Depending on which category you fall into whether you are humble or haughty.

Whether you have responded to the gospel message or rejected it.

The truth is what we find satisfaction in today will help in determining our future.

If we are satisfied with the riches of the world today.

If we are satisfied with the consumption of food without giving thanks to God.

If we are satisfied with our blissful happiness today.

If we are satisfied that people like us today b/c we go around seeking for them to like us.

Then our reward will be temporary.

Yet if we are satisfied in the Lord and with the kingdom to come.

Then our reward is future oriented.

Our reward will not be the riches of earth.

The abundance of food.

The absence of pain

Or the acceptance of people.

Our satisfaction is in the Lord and his promised redemption.

Jesus puts it this way later on in Luke 12:34 “34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

What you treasure today will pay dividends in eternity.

And here’s the thing, the invitation is open to those who will believe.

Remember the woes are simply a warning.

A call to repentance.

A call to leave this life behind, submit, and follow Jesus.

The good news is you can go from be in the woe category to being in the blessed category.

All you have to do is turn toward Jesus.

Trust in him.

and he will save you.

Let’s pray.