Perspective: Those Other Beatitudes

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Those Other Beatitudes

Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who are hungry now,

for you will be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

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.

Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Luke 6:20-26 (NRSV)

In my own little world it hardly ever rains

I've never gone hungry, always felt safe

I got some money in my pocket, shoes on my feet

In my own little world: population - me

From "My Own Little World" by Matthew West

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that, one day, a massive crowd gathers around Jesus.  He hikes up a mountain and begins to preach.¹  The sermon that follows, aptly called the Sermon on the Mount, is the most famous of Jesus' discourses.²

The Sermon on the Mount begins with a series of blessings commonly known as the Beatitudes.  Jesus announces blessing upon "the poor in spirit," mourners, people who are meek, people "who hunger and thirst for righteousness," merciful people, pure-hearted people, people who work for peace, and people who suffer for doing what is right.³  One commentator describes the Beatitudes as "Jesus' surprisingly countercultural God-bless-yous to people in god-awful situations."⁴

In the Gospel of Luke, we read that, one day, a crowd gathers around Jesus, not near a mountain but "on a level place."⁵  Again, Jesus begins to preach.  The sermon that follows, called the Sermon on the Plain, is very similar to the sermon we read in Matthew's Gospel, but it is much shorter.⁶

Like the Sermon on the Mount, the Sermon on the Plain begins with a series of blessings upon people whom we would not normally consider blessed.  Jesus announces blessing upon people who are poor, people who are hungry, people who are weeping, and people who are hated, excluded, reviled, or defamed.  Interestingly, in the Sermon on the Plain, the series of blessings is followed by a series of woes.  Jesus announces woe upon people who are currently rich, well-fed, laughing, or well-liked, suggesting that a reversal of fortune is in their future.

What are we to make of this surprising series of woes?  Is there something inherently wrong about being wealthy, being well-fed, laughing, or being well-liked?  Are these not things that most of us want in life?

I do not think that Jesus is suggesting that there is something inherently sinful about living an enjoyable life.  I believe that life is meant to be enjoyed.  What's sinful, I think, is having a lifestyle that anesthetizes oneself to the suffering of others.

Later on, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells a story about two men.  The first was very wealthy.  He dressed in fine clothes and enjoyed a gourmet feast every day.  The second was a poor man named Lazarus.  He was covered in open sores that attracted unwanted attention from dogs, and he wished that he could eat what fell from the rich man's table.  Both men died, and, in the afterlife, they experienced a reversal of fortune.  Lazarus was carried by angels up to heaven, and the rich man faced a fiery judgment.⁷

I do not believe that the rich man was punished because he was a man of means or because he enjoyed good food and nice clothes.  I believe he was punished because he had become the kind of person who could walk past someone like Lazarus every day without being moved to compassion.  He did nothing to help Lazarus, even though he had the means to do so.

Life is a precious gift of God that is meant to be enjoyed.  If life is meant to be enjoyed, then nobody is meant to suffer through life.  We must take care to not contribute to the suffering of others, and we must not numb ourselves to the suffering around us, especially if we can do something to alleviate it.

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For more thoughts on the Sermon on the Plain, see my perspective "Hallmarks of a Hypocrite."

For more thoughts on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, see my sermon "The Chasms Between Us."


Notes:

1. Matthew 4:25-5:2
2. For the entirety of the Sermon on the Mount, see Matthew 5:3-7:27.
3. Matthew 5:3-12 (NRSV)
4. Frederick Dale Bruner.  Matthew, a Commentary: The Christbook, Matthew 1-12.  2004, Eerdmans Publishing Company.  p. 165
5. Luke 6:17-20 (NRSV)
6. For the entirety of the Sermon on the Plain, see Luke 6:20-49.
7. Luke 16:19-31

The painting featured in this perspective was painted by Fyodor Bronnikov in 1886.