The words of Jesus are hard words for us to hear today, especially in America. They call us to question our lifestyle choices, to turn from our pursuit of happiness, and to experience the gift of grace.
Sometimes a good prayer can ruin a good meal.
I remember officiating at a wedding where the bride and groom asked me to pray before the meal. I began with thanksgiving to God for the gift of marriage, and a prayer that God would bless this couple in their life together. Then, I prayed the Spirit would help the friends and family gathered here support them in their marriage. Then, I turned to bless the food. Here, I used the words of a prayer I have used for years. It is an old prayer, a good prayer, a beautiful prayer. But sometimes a good prayer can ruin a good meal. It begins, “Give food to those who hunger, O Lord, and to us who have food...” and then you ask a blessing.
“Give food to those who hunger, O Lord.”
Later, I stood in line at the buffet table and the woman across from me looked at me and smiled as she picked up a plate. Jokingly, she said, “Thanks for ruining a good dinner.” I looked at her and said “What?” and she said, “All that talk about starving children in Africa makes it hard to eat this food.” It took me a while to process it. I had not mentioned starving children in Africa, but that is what the Spirit had caused her to hear. “Give food to those who hunger, O Lord.” She heard those words and saw the faces of starving children in Africa.
And now, I looked up and saw something. I actually saw the food. Rolls and butter and salad and chicken and roast beef and green beans and pasta and potatoes and there, off in the distance, was a huge wedding cake and cupcakes and then a treat table inviting guests to put candy in boxes as a gift on the way home. It was an abundance of food, enough to feed a village, and here I was putting food on my plate to be polite because I had already eaten and was not hungry.
“Give food to those who hunger, O Lord.” Sometimes, a good prayer can ruin a good meal.
I thought of that experience when I read the words of Jesus today. Luke is giving us a version of the beatitudes. We are probably more familiar with these words from Matthew than we are from Luke, and that is a shame, because Luke’s words are perhaps better for us to hear in our American culture of consumption.
You will notice that in Luke’s version of the beatitudes, Jesus not only speaks words of blessing, but he also speaks words of woe. For every blessing Jesus utters, there is a woe He is compelled to share.
For every blessing Jesus utters, there is a woe He is compelled to share.
The blessings are grouped together, and the woes are grouped together, but if you read them closely, you can see a one-to-one correspondence. “Blessed are you who are poor,” is followed by, “Woe to you who are rich.” “Blessed are you who hunger,” is followed by, “Woe to you who are well-satisfied with food.” “Blessed are you who weep,” is matched by, “Woe to you who laugh.” “Blessed are you when people hate you,” is matched by, “Woe to you when all people speak well of you.”
Jesus is naming the stuff of everyday life: Riches, food, enjoyment, reputation. This is precisely what our culture craves. Think about how many TikTok videos and Instagram posts and Facebook reels revolve around riches, food, enjoyment, and reputation. Jesus has placed His finger on the pulse of our American life. Yet, He brings about a great reversal. He says a prayer that ruins a good meal. He utters a blessing which feels like a curse.
And that is good news. Because sometimes, like me at the wedding, we need to be awakened into life.
Jesus brings about a great reversal. His Kingdom upsets our status quo. Those who are satisfied with the way the world is, those who already have more than enough and yet are caught in the cycle of always needing more, they will be upended. They will discover that everything they have accumulated is not enough to bring them into the Kingdom of God. Riches, food, enjoyment, reputation, these are a poor substitute for blessedness in the Kingdom of God.
And with that warning is an invitation. It is an invitation to turn, to taste, to see, to live, to follow this Jesus. Jesus brings about a new work, a different work, a strange kingdom. The poor and the hungry, the mourning and the despised will find themselves loved into life by the grace of God. Jesus speaks a woe that calls the rich, the satisfied, the pleased, and the popular to cast aside their trappings and follow the One who had no place to lay His head, the One who did not have a spouse, who went alone in life, who hungered and thirsted for righteousness, and died to bring it all to realization for you. He exchanges His perfect life for your corrupted one, His embrace of poverty for your clinging to riches, His judgment for your forgiveness, and His experience of woe for your eternal blessing.
The words of Jesus are hard words for us to hear today, especially in America. They call us to question our lifestyle choices, to turn from our pursuit of happiness, and to experience the gift of grace. But sometimes a good prayer can ruin a good meal, because it calls us to an even more blessed one.
Blessed are those who follow Jesus and woe to those who live at ease in a kingdom where He is not enthroned.
--------
Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Luke 6:17-26.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Luke 6:17-26.
Text Week-A treasury of resources from various traditions to help you preach Luke 6:17-26
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
Lectionary Podcast-Dr. Arthur Just of Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN walks us through Luke 6:17-26.
