Reading: Luke 6-7, Psalm 115

We continue today in a series of confrontations. Who exactly is confronting who is a little hard to tell. It is easy to see these stories from Luke as the religious leaders confronting Jesus, and his repeated smack downs of their attempts to trip him up. On the other hand, Jesus seems to be in another way the instigator of the confrontations but continuing to do what he does best: bring the Kingdom of God right into the broken creation by healing the sick, restoring the deformed, and raising the dead. Then there is the even less obvious confrontation between the worldviews held by those who consider themselves righteous, and those who know they are in desperate need of a savior. We see the “righteous” religious leaders accusing the hungry disciples of eating on the Sabbath. We see them make use of a man with a deformed hand in a plot to discredit Jesus. We see one who is less combative (Simon the Pharisee), very concerned that Jesus know what kind of person is touching him- “if he knew she were one of Those People, he wouldn’t allow it.”

Consider how Jesus’ responses speak not only to the person in need of healing and the Jewish leadership, but to the surrounding audience. It is easy to forget that in just about any conversation we there are silent participants. We may manage to placate opposing sides at times, or strongly take one side over the other, but in doing so alienate the silent audience. Jesus is always aware of this silent audience. When he tells the Pharisees off with the story of David eating the consecrated bread, he addresses the poor who have felt guilt and shame about gleaning on the Sabbath, though they have little choice. When he heals the man with the withered hand in the synagogue, he addresses the hope of those who are physically broken, and tells them that God cares more for their wholeness than their adherence to a code of conduct. He lets them know that the Sabbath was intended for doing good, not restricting it. When he raises the only son of a widow from death, at least some of the people in the audience get the message: God has visited his people. When he accepts the actions of the sinful woman who washes his feet, he tells the most sinful person there that grace abounds even to the greatest of sinners.

This all comes together in Luke’s record of Jesus’ most famous sermon. This is a much reduced version from what occupies three chapters in the book of Matthew, but it carries essentially the same message. Here Jesus sets four blessings against four woes. The blessings are for the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and the hated and persecuted. This is, of course, the inverse of what would be thought of as blessing. The woes are for the rich, the full, those who laugh, and those everyone speaks well of. Which is a pretty good list of what one might expect to define blessings. Remember back to what Jesus said about why he hung out with sinner: I have come not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Jesus was drawing a line between those able to hear his message and those not able to hear it. I do not believe Jesus is saying it is inherently good to be poor, hungry, weeping, and hated. He is saying that those in that condition are more capable of seeing the good news he brings. They are the ones who have accepted the message of John the Baptist: Repent! Flee from the wrath to come! The woes are similarly not saying that it is inherently bad to be rich, full, laughing, and well spoken of. Those in that condition in life have not been awakened to the message of John. They do not see their need to repent and believe in a savior.

Jesus continues with another great inversion: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Note that this is addressed to those who hear. There are all kinds of problematic applications of these ideas coming from those who do not believe they need to repent and believe in a savior. But these words are not for them. They are for those who have accepted the message of John. Once again, we see that you never get the message of Jesus without first coming through John. Repentance always comes before salvation and a new kind of life. There is a great deal more to say about this sermon, but I’m working on limited time and space here, so that will have to wait.

I do not believe it coincidental that soon after this John reenters the picture. Jesus has been speaking to those who accepted his message, after all. Where is the man himself? He is in prison at this point, so he sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the Messiah or if they are still waiting. Even John was a bit impatient. Jesus responds with the evidence of his actions. the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and good news is preached to the poor. What do you think?

But then Jesus turns to the crowd around him and starts talking about John. He winds up his interpretation of John’s life with a real humdinger. Among those born of women, none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he. Wow! Let’s just sit with this a minute. Jesus, who we have been told is the fulfillment of the Messianic hopes of Israel, the Son of God, and the hope of the nations, just called John the Baptist the greatest man who ever lived. Unless you can find someone not born of a woman. Good luck. Of course he then turns a says that the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he. John was entrusted with the message of repentance. As we will see, those following Jesus are entrusted with a much more interesting message, though it always includes the message of John within it.