Sermons from Mission Hills UCC San Diego, California Rev. Dr. David Bahr [email protected] February 13, 2022 “Imagination or Aspiration” Luke 6: 17-26 - New Revised Standard Version Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. 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[a] on account of the Son of Man. 23 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. 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. This is one of those scriptures that should come with a warning label: This text may induce high blood pressure and blindness. One commentator warned pastors: speaking these words simply and straightforwardly in any worship gathering will get you accused of being a disloyal leftist engaging in class warfare. In fact, the governors of some states might create a tip line for parishioners who feel discomfort. If nothing else, this text is certainly unsettling. And that’s the point. Sometimes we hear Jesus and feel comforted. And sometimes we hear Jesus and not only feel discomfort, we feel offended. But is it ever the goal of Jesus to offend? Well, there were certainly times it seems like he intended to offend – or rather, provoke. You don’t call religious people hypocrites and broods of vipers as a strategy to make more friends. So, our first question might be: Is this unsettling scripture easy or difficult to understand? Mickey ScottBey Jones talks about Public Theology and asks some excellent questions that are perfect to ask about his text. A little about her: She has an incredible resume, but one thing I think many of you will find interesting: She was on the core team of The People’s Supper which, since the 2016 election, has gathered more than 10,000 people around tables for bridging and healing conversations. Jones calls herself a Justice Doula – helping people birth more love, justice and shalom into our world. Huffington Post named her one of the top Black Christian leaders changing the world. As we explore this text, these are some essential questions: Does our theology make sense to the “least of these?” Or for that matter, the rest of us. Is our interpretation linked with the pursuit of justice? Is this text about blessings and woes an agent of healing or harm? And, is its purpose a weapon or a source of healing? But first, a little more about today’s reading. It may sound vaguely familiar to a text we’ve heard before from the Gospel of Matthew, known as the Beatitudes. But there are some very clear differences. First of all, Matthew doesn’t include these woes. It’s all blessings, no woes. And let’s look at the setting. Matthew’s text is called the Sermon on the Mount. It evokes memories of Moses and the Law on Mount Sinai. In Matthew, Jesus sat down and began to teach. In Luke, this is often known as the Sermon on the Plain. Jesus was literally standing on flat ground and figuratively speaking to people on their own level. Picture the scene: He is surrounded by masses of people who are troubled or who had come to him out of desperation to be healed of their illnesses and diseases. Everyone was pushing in on him trying to touch him, believing he had the power to heal them. In the midst of the chaos of this human suffering, Jesus looked to the disciples and said, “Blessed are they…” Who are the blessed? Matthew and Luke have some similar but subtle and significant differences as to who is blessed. Matthew and Luke both bless those who are mourning or weeping. Matthew promises comfort. Luke promises they will laugh, but adds, if you’re laughing now, you will mourn and weep. I always wonder whether that’s meant as a threat. But here’s the significant difference: Matthew proclaims blessings on the poor “in spirit.” For Luke it is people who are literally poor. Matthew talks about those who hunger and thirst “for righteousness.” For Luke it is people who are literally hungry. Luke is consistent in this way throughout his gospel. He does not spiritualize poverty, which is why Luke is often considered the social justice gospel. When we spiritualize poverty, it’s easy to look at people who are poor with admiration and marvel at how well they navigate the challenges of their life or have sympathy but do nothing to change it. Luke is practical. With some of these contrasts in mind, what is the meaning of Luke’s text for today? As I said, in Luke’s version, Jesus is surrounded by people desperate to touch him. While he pronounces blessings upon the humanity pressing in upon him, I can’t help but imagine his eyes were filled with compassion, his heart full of love. The eyes of those he touched must have been overflowing with tears as well. Hopeful, grateful, humble. But Jesus was also always being observed by powerful people, some of whom were religious authorities, some of whom were representatives of the Roman Empire, tasked with keeping an eye out for dangerous radicals with ideas of revolution. I’m curious what they were thinking as all of this was playing out. What did they make of Jesus and his woes. Did they feel threatened? As we try to understand this text, one interpretative question we have to ask is about the tone of Jesus’ voice as he proclaimed “Woe.” Was it condemning, accusatory? WOE is you! Or were his eyes also filled with compassion for them, his heart full of love. As he looked over at the powerful did he pronounce woe… As in, I feel so badly for you. If you believe this is all there is for you… If you think this will ultimately satisfy you and make you happy, then woe is you. Don’t you understand? Poverty is not a curse and prosperity is not a reward. Grief comes to us all. WOE! Or woe… Our choice of what tone we think Jesus used matters. It will answer the question: Was he condemning the rich? Threatening them? Accusing them? Were they offended by him? Or maybe they heard his unsettling words and woke up. Do we realize: Jesus simply observes our reality and offers a new vision. It would be simple and simplistic to assume Jesus was condemning all wealthy people or wealth itself. Or maybe that’s a cop out by someone like myself with relative privilege and wealth in the context of the world. So that’s where I think Micky ScottBey Jones’ questions are important for a faithful response. Does our interpretation of this text make sense to the least of these? Is our interpretation linked with the pursuit of justice? Is our interpretation of this text an agent of healing or harm? Is this text meant as a weapon or a source of healing? Outside of a few strange culturally-influenced scripture texts, I don’t think any part of the Bible is meant to be used as a weapon or as an agent of harm. Of course, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been used in that way. Many of us have personal experience of scripture used against us or have seen cruelty justified by twisted interpretations. Often prefaced with, “Well, the Bible says…” Or, “scripture is clear…” Rev. Dr. Katie Cannon said, “I went to seminary, not as a born-again, God struck me dead kind of person. I went as an agnostic. I went to find out if Christianity is a slave religion, [and if so,] I wanted to be in the vanguard telling people, ‘We gotta get out.’ Our liberation, our freedom is worth more than being numbed out by this religion that’s keeping us from being free.” Poor and Black people have often been told, accept your suffering now because in the great hereafter you will receive an even greater reward. It was 1970 and the convergence of multiple movements toward civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, farmworkers, environmental issues. In the midst of all that, writers like Dr. James Cone were opening minds to the ideas of Black Liberation Theology, equating Jesus on the cross with Black bodies on lynching trees. He influenced students like the future Dr. Cannon, who said, “The hermeneutical principle we used in our three years at [seminary] was that when we read Barth and Tillich, and Schleiermacher [in other words, three dead white men] we always asked, “How is this relevant?” “So, we mastered that stuff, but we mastered it with a purpose, and we would go up for four and five hours at a time theologizing, tearing a text apart. In the end we concluded, ‘No, we don’t have to give up Christianity. What we need to be free is right here in this religion. It just hasn’t been unleashed, and that’s our job as liberating liberation theologians – to get the good news of the Gospel – to set the captives free.’” She said, “The call for me was to get the word out that Christianity is not a slave religion, but Christianity is a liberating religion.”[1] Is Christianity a liberating religion? With his blessings and especially his unsettling woes, I think Jesus offers a liberating vision of the world – for both poor and rich, for LGBTQ folks and straight, for People of Color and white. For you and for me. That’s because I think he invites us to imagine a new world, not accept the one we have. He speaks of that reversal of fortune, on earth as it is in heaven, upside-down world made right-side-up that his mother Mary sang about while he was still in the womb. He flips the tables on the idea that the poor should accept their suffering now because in the great hereafter you will receive an even greater reward. But not everyone will be happy with this vision. We see it play out time and time again. It always amazes, and saddens, me that when some form of equality is finally achieved, those with privilege now feel that such equality is persecution. And others will be unhappy because it questions a world where our joy doesn’t come through the accumulation of wealth and power but of increased equity and deeper relationships across our divides. Part of liberation is to recognize how captive we are to consuming as a measure of our happiness. But is Jesus simply inviting his followers to imagine a new world? What is our theology for? I’ve used this phrase before but, are we talking about “something sound on the ground while we’re still around, or pie in the sky by and by when we die?” Well, we might ask, what difference does it make in the life of those whom Jesus proclaimed blessed? To simply imagine a new world is to sing and pray and go home. “Blessed are the poor. One day they’ll know it.” To aspire to a new world is to sing and pray and get organized – to study the Bible until we are convinced and ready to use it as a tool of liberation. To not create wealth on the backs of the poor and then praise them for their bravery. To collectively use our wealth to alleviate suffering. And then to repair the damage that’s been done. And then to build a world that is open, inclusive, just, and compassionate and change the conditions for all of us, on earth as it is in heaven. Mission Hills folks: how does this apply to us? Is that the fantasy of imagination or the call of aspiration? Well, back to our original questions: Does it make sense to the least of these? I think so. Is it linked with the pursuit of justice? Absolutely. Is our calling to be agents of healing or harm? Like the prophets, we are called to be “repairers of the breach.” Is our religion a weapon for division or a source of healing? What would Jesus say? If we’re not participating in the healing of the world, then we’re doing it wrong and WOE is us! Or… woe, is us… But, with his eyes filled with compassion and a heart full of love, Jesus doesn’t threaten. He says to you and me, there’s another way. Come, follow me. [1] https://fteleaders.org/blog/rev.-dr.-katie-geneva-cannon-in-her-own-words
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