THE RICH MAN, THE BEGGAR, JESUS, AND ME

After he chose his 12 apostles, Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place, where he encountered a huge crowd from Jerusalem, Judea, and the costal area of Tyre and Sidon. According to Luke, Jesus healed everyone who had a need and when he was finished, he looked up at his disciples and said, “Blessed are you who are (desperately) poor for yours is the kingdom of God.” In his better known Sermon on the Mount, Jesus lifted up those who were “poor in spirit,” but as he stood on the plain, he referred to the real poor and to those who were really poor. The Greek word for poor which is used here is the same word that Luke used to describe Lazarus, the beggar who laid and died beside a rich man’s gate, with running sores and nothing else at all. (Luke 16:19-31) It’s the word “ptochos” and it doesn’t refer to those who are just eking out a living, but to people who have absolutely nothing and count on the generosity of others for life itself. 

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.”  This was Jesus’ second point. If you are hungry now you will be filled in the kingdom of God! Not in the abstract, but in the concrete! If you’re starving now, you will eat your fill at the Great Banquet. You will be first in line, while there are still deviled eggs and the best desserts, and you will be fully satisfied when the meal is done. “Blessed are you- we note that Jesus is speaking directly to his listeners- who weep now (where the word “weep” means “sobbing” as Peter did when he denied Christ) for you will laugh.” Blessed are you who weep now for you will laugh.” It’s not easy to be poor. It’s not easy to beg and to stand in line for a hand-out. It’s not easy to worry about the most essential of things. It weighs on people. It breaks them down. If you’re sobbing now, you will throw you head back and laugh with joy someday. This is the promise!

Throughout his gospel, Luke focuses on an upside-down world where… sinners dine with Christ, unclean shepherds are the first to know that a Savior is born, children are welcomed by the Lord himself, women are included in Jesus' ministry and heard when they speak out, and foreigners are blessed. Luke’s gospel is filled with surprising grace, unexpected blessings, and radical challenges to conventional wisdom. In Luke’s view, those who are poor, oppressed, chained, overlooked, and silenced… are blessed by God… simply because they are poor, oppressed, chained, and abused during their lives on earth. 

The Sermon on the Plain is addressed to the those for whom life on earth is something of a hell. It’s hard to hear it differently, but Luke goes on, adding “woes” that weren't mentioned in his Sermon on the Mount. “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.” It’s radical message for a rich, mostly happy, and well-fed Christian like me to hear. It’s a tough message for a 21^st century American Christian to hear because most of us are rich and satisfied… but it’s a needed reminder for us to get busy and involved!

It’s not easy for a rich man to get into heaven because rich men (and women) cling to their money as if it was their god. They are tempted to hang on to their riches even if they pass by "Lazarus" every day... but it doesn't have to be that way! With God all things are possible and we have many, many opportunities to bless the poor (ptochos) with our riches. Instead of allowing our riches to be an obstacle to faithfulness, we can use them to minister in Christ's name. Riches, if they're shared, can feed and clothe people, provide shelter and opportunity, heal people and rebuild lives. 

If we won't share, if we’re full of ourselves and unconcerned about the sadness all around us, we’re on the wrong path. But it doesn't have to be that way! We can make it our business to serve Christ in every corner of the world we know. We can seek him among the least among us and we can serve him when we find him. One thing is for sure- Christ is among us. Somewhere, even now, he’s begging for food, seeking a drink of water, shopping for clothing, calling  for assistance, hoping that we’ll cross the road to help him up, or have the grace to look him in the eye. We’ll meet him in many forms. He will be an old man in overalls, an old woman in rags, a young woman with too many tattoos, a person who's numb with rejection and grief, a teen with disabilities. According to the Bible, he will be among those who are in need and it’s our calling to meet His need, in ways big and small. It’s as simple as that! Amen.