Luke 6:17-26
A. INTRODUCTION
1. Us
There is a tendency to see things, and talk about things in terms of two extremes. We talk in terms of black and white; rich and poor; the able and the disabled; the haves and the have nots. And the tendency is to talk as though there is a great divide between things, with nothing in the middle.
Of course, we all know well there are all sorts of shades in between. So, in a sense, dividing things into two distinct extremes doesn’t always make sense. And it doesn’t necessarily always give us a clear picture of reality either. On the other hand, talking and thinking in terms of opposites can be very helpful as a means to clarify the issues; it can make things easier to understand and to explain. Because if we include all the ifs, buts, and maybes—and all the shades of grey in the middle—we can end up with a very confusing picture, indeed.
2. Jesus
And one of the masters of talking in terms of black and white, was Jesus. And the particular emphasis he took was in terms of those who had faith and those who hadn’t; those who believed and those who did not believe; those who were saved and those who were lost. And he talked in terms that there were no shades in between. And this passage from Luke is a good example of Jesus doing exactly that.
B. GOSPEL
1. The Assembling Of the People (17-18a)
Now, the story begins with the assembling of a large crowd of people at the bottom of a mountain. Jesus had just been up on the top with his disciples, where he had made a special appointment of twelve of his followers to be his disciples. Then as he came down off the mountain, the crowd gathered around him. And as they gathered, that crowd would have included at least three distinct groups of people: the twelve apostles; the remaining disciples (who were a large crowd in themselves); and a substantial crowd of people, who at that point had made no commitment to Jesus whatsoever.
Now, what they had gathered for was primarily to hear Jesus speak. Jesus’s reputation, of at least being a great speaker, had spread far and wide, and people had come to listen to what he had to say. However, there were some who had heard about his healing powers too. And they had the superstitious belief that if they could only touch Jesus they would be healed of their diseases.
2. Jesus’s Response – Actions (18b-19)
Now, what happened next is interesting. Because despite the fact that people had come primarily to hear him talk, that’s not what happened first. The first thing that happened was that those who had come for healing were healed. In other words, God honoured their superstitious beliefs.
Indeed, before any of the talking began, Jesus demonstrated the practical working of the gospel. He showed them something of what it means to have a relationship with God, and the need to care for one another.
3. Jesus’s Response – Words (20-26)
And only after he had healed everyone who was in the need of healing, did he begin to speak. And he spoke, very much, in terms of black and white.
a) To the Disciples
Because, in speaking to the crowd, he began by focussing on his followers—what it meant to be a disciple, and what it would mean for anyone who wanted to join in.
And the general thrust was that his followers would have to face many hardships simply because they had chosen to follow him. Being a disciple was not a recipe for an easy life. But in a sense that didn’t matter because any follower of Jesus would be well and truly compensated by God. They would be given the divine gift of salvation; they would have the religious joy that only faith could bring; and that God would bestow on his faithful followers many other blessing besides.
Indeed, more specifically:
Those members of the faithful—who in this world had nothing to fall back on and who put their total dependence on God, or who were looked down upon by the world because of their commitment to Jesus—their reward was that God would come to their rescue. They had the promise that God would be with them now and throughout eternity.
For those members of the faithful—who were hungry in either physical or spiritual terms, and who again put their total dependence on God—their reward would be that God would make sure that their needs in both areas were satisfied. Indeed, the idea was that they would join in the messianic banquet—the great feast where the faithful would have fellowship with God at his table—at the end of the world.
And for members of the faithful—who were filled with mourning and sorrow, including sorrow for the things that they’d done wrong or sorrow regarding the state of the world—their reward would be that God would provide a future when all the causes of sorrow would be removed, and laughter and joy would be the order of the day.
Now, what Jesus was saying—to his disciples and to the rest of the crowd—was that discipleship would not be easy; that there would be many hardships. However the rewards—the blessings of God—would far outweigh all the negatives. And it was time now for them to respond.
However, before people responded by committing themselves to be his followers, they needed to know what the cost of being a disciple would be. And that would involve having to put up with being poorly treated by those who opposed God; and it would involve (at least) facing hatred, social ostracism, being confronted with face-to-face insults, and being defamed.
But regardless of that, Jesus said, any disciple should still be joyful because, in the big scheme of things, those hardships would be nothing. Because, in the end, those who did such things would face their own judgement. Indeed, the faithful would be vindicated, and there would be a great reward for the disciples in heaven.
And there was no doubt that this first part of Jesus’s message was aimed fairly and squarely with the idea of comforting and reassuring his existing disciples. And it would have had the added bonus of challenging any unbeliever to become a disciple too.
b) To the Crowd
However, having tried to comfort his disciples, Jesus then turned around, and focussed the rest of this part of his address on the unbelievers in the crowd. On those who had come to listen but had not yet made any commitment to him at all; on those who were in spiritual danger of missing out on salvation. And in contrast to his previous message, Jesus spoke out regarding the only alternative to belief and discipleship that he knew. And he spoke in terms of divine judgement, and a number of woes that they would face if they remained unbelievers.
And, more specifically, Jesus said that those who didn’t believe—those that thought they had enough resources on their own, those who depended upon no-one but themselves—that they had already received their reward. They had received all they were ever going to get. There would be no divine consolation for such people. And whilst they may be satisfied with their wealth in this world, it would not be enough to secure for themselves treasure in heaven.
For those who didn’t believe, and felt that they had enough food—both physical and spiritual—yes, they may be satisfied with their lot, but it wouldn’t help them in the future when they would have to endure the pangs of hunger.
For those who didn’t believe—who looked down on the fate of their enemies, particularly followers of Jesus, and who just laughed at their fate or become boastful, self-satisfied, or indifferent to the needs of others—in the end the tables would be turned, and in the future it would be they who would be reduced to weeping and mourning.
And if all that was not enough, for those who didn’t believe—who used their positions to lead people astray, turning people away from God or discouraging people from adopting the Christian faith—they would face nothing less than God’s divine judgement.
c) Comment
There’s quite a contrast then in Jesus’s talk between his description of what it means to be a disciple and what it means not to be a disciple. Yes, before he spoke he looked after the people in practical terms and provided the healing that they needed—and in that he didn’t discriminate between people who believed or people who didn’t believe. However, in regard to the talk itself, it was very much one of contrast, black and white with no room for grey in between.
But then, he’d, firstly, focussed on the disciples and the call to discipleship, and in what it meant in terms of hardships a believer would face in this world and in what it meant in terms of God’s blessings that they could expect guaranteed. But then, secondly, he’d focussed on the unbelievers and the benefits they receive now. But at what cost for the future?
Now we don’t know what effect this rather black and white talk had on the crowd—the Bible doesn’t say. All we know is that after he had said these things, plus a few other things besides, he then then moved off to Capernaum. However, I can’t help feeling that at least some in the crowd would have been aggrieved by his very direct approach. After all, Jesus had just criticised and torn apart their existing lifestyles and motivations.
C. IMPLICATIONS
And on that basis, what we have before us is the question, ‘What do we do with Jesus’s talk to the crowd today? Indeed, how can we apply the events of that day—the things that were said and done—to our own situation?
1. Action First
Well, I think the first thing we would do well to remember, is that before Jesus gave a lengthy speech he demonstrated his care for people’s needs. He healed people of their diseases and he drove out the unclean spirits.
What this should remind us then is the importance of not only saying that we care but demonstrating that we care too. We need to put our words into actions.
Now I’ve been to many churches where there has been a concern for getting more people into church. However, in most cases the motivation for doing so has had a lot to be desired. As a consequence, if we want more people in church so the church looks fuller or so that there will be more people to put money in the plate, then I’m afraid we’ve got the whole thing terribly wrong.
Rather, we should care because that was part of God’s original intention for us all. Indeed, it was part of God’s purpose for us in creation that we should all care for one another. But we should also care because we are excited about what God has done for us, and because we want others to share in God’s salvation.
And the reason that care comes first, before words, is because, as James puts it: ‘Faith of itself without works is dead’ (James 2:17). Furthermore, we cannot expect someone to be truly listening to whatever number of words we deliver, if their basic physically needs remain unmet.
2. Words Second
The second thing we would do well to remember is that Jesus didn’t just leave it there, with just his actions. Yes, he demonstrated God’s love in a real tangible way first. But then he followed that up by explaining it in terms of the gospel. And, as a consequence, he challenged people to have faith. Physical healing was fine but people needed spiritual healing too.
Now some of us may be good at the practical help, and others might be better at the words. But they are not mutually exclusive. Providing for someone’s needs is only the first part of the equation, and we need to follow that up with an explanation of what it’s all about. We need to offer people the opportunity for spiritual healing too.
3. Responding to the Message
The third thing that we would do well to remember is that Jesus’s words were words of encouragement and challenge. They were words of encouragement to the disciples to remain in the faith. And they were words of challenge to the non-believers in the crowd to respond, by giving their lives to God
And just as they were an encouragement and a challenge then, so should they be an encouragement and challenge now.
For those who already believe —and may be facing hardships or things getting in the way of a fuller relationship with God—these words should provide hope, to stick with it and to remain faithful. And for those who are simply enquirers, they are a reminder that in life we have a choice: continue to live life in the same way now—and know that the only rewards are the ones that can be enjoyed now—or take the path of faith and discipleship (with all its hardships now), and reap God’s rewards not only in this life but in the life to come as well.
And the words of encouragement and challenge should be heard loud and clear even in our own situation.
4. Exclusive Religion
And the fourth thing to remember, is just how black and white the gospel really is.
Now, as I said at the beginning, generally we talk about extremes, knowing full well that there are shades of grey in between. However, when it comes to the Christian gospel it’s a different matter altogether
In this story, Jesus talks very much in terms of black and white, with no room for shades in between. And this is not the only place where Jesus (or even the Bible) talks in terms of the gospel in only black and white terms. In fact Jesus and the Bible consistently talk only in black and white terms.
For example: The first commandment that God gave Moses was ‘I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. You are not to have any other gods besides me.’ (Exodus 20:2-3). One of the most commonly read passages (at least at funerals) is a passage in John’s gospel where Jesus is engaged with Thomas in a discussion of the afterlife. And Jesus words are quite clear ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6). And, when it comes to the picture of judgement day itself. The image of the Son of Man coming in glory with all the angels and sitting on his throne in heavenly glory (Matthew 26:31-31-46), as recorded by Matthew is just the precursor to the striking image of him dividing people into two groups (and two groups only): the sheep and the goats. Those who have been faithful followers and those who have not.
Whilst many people would like there to be more shades of grey—and even live on the basis that there are—when it comes to the Christian gospel it is a simple matter of black and white. Christianity is an exclusive religion. You either believe or you don’t; you’re either in or you’re out. There are no shades of grey. And as a consequence, if we provide for someone’s needs and then talk to them in terms of the challenges of the gospel—and of discipleship in particular—then we would be in error to suggest that there are any other ways or other variations available at all.
D. CONCLUSION
So, in this world in which we live we generally see things and talk about things in terms of extremes. And in regard to most things that is probably a helpful way to examine the different attributes, rather than be confused by all the variations in between. However, when it comes to the Christian gospel there was a reason that Jesus spoke in terms of black and white. And that is, because people are either disciples or they’re not.
Now there were three groups of people eagerly listening to Jesus’s every word. There were the twelve apostles; there was the larger crowd of disciples; and there were the others who had made no commitment to Jesus whatsoever—those who had simply come along to listen and to have their sick healed.
Now if we had been there ourselves that day, to which of these three groups would we have belonged? Would we have been among the disciples and heard Jesus words of encouragement, or would we have been among the unbelievers listening to Jesus’s words of challenge? And, more importantly, what do we do with Jesus’s words of encouragement and challenge today?
Posted: 9th April 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au
