Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets

 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:

"Blessed are you poor,
For yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
For you shall be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
For you shall laugh.
Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
For the Son of Man's sake.
Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

"But woe to you who are rich,
For you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full,
For you shall hunger.
Woe to you who laugh now,
For you shall mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
For so did their fathers to the false prophets."

- Luke 6:12-26

Yesterday, we read that on happened on a second Sabbath after the first Jesus went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  My study bible cites St. Ambrose of Milan, who writes that as Son of God,  Jesus does not pray as if to obtain grace or revelation from the Father.  Instead, as Son of Man, He prays as the Advocate for humanity (see 1 John 2:1).  St. Theophan comments that Jesus spent all night in prayer before choosing the twelve apostles in order to teach us that before choosing a candidate for any spiritual ministry, we should pray that God will reveal to us the one suited for the task.  Whatever the purpose, Jesus sets the example for all of us.  Disciples and apostles are often used interchangeably for these twelve.  They are both; a disciple means a "learner," while an apostle means "one who is sent out."  The names of these twelve aren't the same on all lists, because many people had more than one name.  Here, as elsewhere, the names are given in pairs, and they suggest those who traveled together on their first missionary journey (Mark reports they were sent out two by two; Mark 6:7).

And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.   What follows is called the Sermon on the Plain (as Jesus stood on a level place), and is similar in content to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), although not as extensive.  Clearly Jesus repeated many of His teachings over a period of three years during which He conducted His public ministry.  Here we see gathered people from every part of the Jewish community, even from the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon.  His power is distributed, as we are told that power went out from Him and healed them all.

Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now,  for you shall be filled.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."  Similar to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus seems to preach almost in riddles, but the teachings are actually promises of the Kingdom.  They emphasize, also, the difference between what is "worldly," and what is of the Kingdom.  He does not promise a "perfect" life on worldly terms, but one that is richly rewarding in spiritual understanding, meanings, fulfillment, and joy.

"But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  Woe to you who are full,  for you shall hunger.  Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.  Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."   In addition to that which is familiar from Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount, Luke reports four "woes" not found there.  Woe is an indication not merely of sorrow, but rather of unspeakable destruction (Isaiah 5:18-24; Amos 5:18-19; Revelation 12:12).  My study bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria, who writes that those who prize the vices listed here are liable to the "utmost misery."  But they find hope when they sacrifice earthly blessings in showing mercy to others.

We don't know how many times Jesus preached similar sermons, nor how many times He mentioned particular parables, or in what places and at what times.  But there is one thing we understand:  His messages sometimes overlap, are sometimes given to us with varying contexts or within various differing messages, but they all blend and harmonize and belong together.  One thing is not really separable from another; when we take His messages out of context, then we're not really a participant faithful to His ministry.  His ministry is of a whole, and it all belongs together.  The Gospels themselves may be picked apart.  We may point out that at one occasion it is reported that He said one thing, while on another occasion the thing He said looks similar but isn't exactly the same in one sense or another.  But to weigh this issue too greatly is to miss the ministry and to miss the point.  All things, when we look at them together, are in harmony with one another.  If He gives us "woes" He also gives us "blessings."  And if we look closely, these two lists of woes and blessings may seem to be antithetic to one another; one list looks like those who lose out in the world on all levels, and another looks like it is for all those who somehow "win" at life.  But this is a misreading, an immature understanding that does not take the Gospels as a whole as a context for this preaching.  He says, "Woe to you who are full," but we remember only recently that He attended a feast at the home of Levi/Matthew, who is a former tax collector.  We can suppose that Matthew was well-to-do, and that at least the banquet he gave had plenty of food at which people became full.  How are we to reconcile these two things?  What we understand is that Christ preached for people so that they would understand their circumstances in life, and most of all, so that they would have the ability, curiosity, and interest to participate in the Kingdom of heaven that He brought into the world.  His preaching was really teaching us about what matters the most, and giving us the why and the wherefore about what makes the difference in life.  If it is only being full, or only laughter, or only about consolation or being spoken well of, then we are going to be in for disappointments in life.  We are going to miss out.  But when the world disappoints us, and especially if this is so in pursuit of the Kingdom, if we are reviled for the sake of the Son of Man, then we are in a place to remember that we have something over which to rejoice.  When we hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6), then we are blessed because we can be filled.  If we stand for something, if we identify ourselves with His life and His Kingdom, then we may be in for some rough treatment, but then we share company with the prophets of old who did the same, for they served the Lord.  Everything has to be understood, not as something to be picked apart and pored over in isolation, but as a part of a whole, a wholistic package of life, of meaning, of joy, of what He has to offer us, of the life in which we may participate.  We mistake our religion if we accept in isolation only one part or one jot or one tittle (Matthew 5:18); then we don't get the big picture, and we fail to truly participate in the fullness that He's offering us.  This is why we keep going, keep learning, keep growing.  He opens the door, but He is the door (John 10:9), and this doorway is infinite and eternal, a journey without an end.  Let us cultivate a hunger and thirst for which only His eternity will suffice.