The Kingdom of God in the Consolation of Man
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Introduction
Introduction
As we begin this section of Luke, we are coming to what is commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Plain. That comes from the text we read last week when we saw that Jesus came down from the mountain and stood on a level place. It could be that Jesus spoke in a plain or what we would consider something like a prairie, but it is more likely that he was still somewhere near the bottom of the mountain on what is called a steppe.
Some believe that this sermon is the same sermon known as the Sermon on the Mount while others say it’s different. There are similarities between the two sermons, but there are a lot of differences as well, and I think that there are enough differences to be comfortable saying these are different sermons that have some of the same content. Pastors and speakers often will use the same content in their sermons and it is easy enough to see Jesus doing the same.
That being said, we come to Luke’s account of the Beatitudes. And what often happens is that commentators, pastors, and those just studying their Bibles will look to Matthew when approaching them. Matthew’s are more drawn out. They are worded a bit differently than Luke’s. And therefore since there is more content, they must have the meaning. Luke’s aren’t as long. They can appear to be more cryptic. And usually, when you find a confusing passage, the rule of thumb is to find a similar passage to help you understand. So it is natural to go to Matthew to help you understand Luke when it comes to the Beatitudes.
But if these are different sermons with similar themes, then it could be a mistake to immediately go to Matthew, especially if there are clues in the text itself that help us understand it better. So as we open up the passage, we are going to let Luke speak to us as he has written what Jesus spoke in this sermon. And incidentally, this is not the entire sermon that Jesus spoke. As Chuck Swindoll pointed out, if it was, it would have taken about five minutes to give.
Over the next few weeks, we are looking at these Beatitudes a little differently. In Luke’s Gospel Account, we have both a blessing and a woe that correspond to each other. So, we will be looking at one blessing (one Beatitude) and its corresponding woe. And this morning, I want us to see that for every believer there are two ways to live. And it has to do with where one finds his or her comfort. Jesus presents us with two options: Will you find your comfort in the kingdom of God or the Currency of Man? Again, is it God’s Kingdom that comforts or consoles you or is it Man’s Currency? After presenting these options, I want to give two quick case-studies that the Scripture gives of each.
The Kingdom of God
The Currency of Man
The Case-study of Scripture
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God
The first option with which Jesus presented his disciples as to how they will find their comfort is that which involved the kingdom of God. It is important to see that Jesus was speaking not to the crowds, but to his disciples. These were not casual observers; these were those who had committed themselves to follow Jesus. It could have only been to the twelve that Jesus was speaking to, but it is more likely that it was to the larger set of disciples mentioned in verse 17. But regardless of which set they were, Jesus was speaking to them.
And I say that it is important because of the words that came out of Jesus’s mouth immediately after lifting up his eyes on his disciples. “Blessed are you who are poor.” Jesus was not making a blanket statement about those stuck in poverty. Jesus was not saying that poverty, in and of itself, is more virtuous or blessed than those who are rich. What he was saying was that those who were following him—those who were his disciples and poor—were more blessed than those who were following him and rich.
But before we get into why the poor disciples are so blessed, we need to establish what it mean to be blessed in the first place. First, it doesn’t mean that you’ve been given stuff. I have a house and a car and family that loves me. I’ve been blessed. We use that word as if it means we’ve been given stuff. Or at very least, this stuff has made me happy.
If you’ve ever heard a sermon on the Beatitudes, you’ve probably heard that is what blessed really means: to be happy. And in some translations, they have actually translated the word as “happy.” Now there has been a lot of talk over the last couple of decades about the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is short-lived, they say. Joy is lasting. But if that’s the case, then we can’t possibly get the right understanding of the Beatitudes that Jesus had in mind. If “Blessed” means “Happy” and “Happy” is fleeting, then Jesus promises only fleeting happiness. But if “Blessed” means something more than mere “Happiness,” then we can get a better understanding of what Jesus meant when he gave us the Beatitudes.
So then what does “Blessed” really mean? It’s actually in the word that we use to describe this section of Scripture: The Beatitudes. Contrary to popular belief, The Beatitudes are not telling us what our attitudes ought to be. It comes from the same word that we get Beatific. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Beatific Vision. To Protestants, the Beatific Vision is the return of Christ. When every eye shall see him. Now imagine what emotions would be welling up within us.
The Bible presents the Church as the Bride of Christ. What are the emotions of a bride on her wedding day as she enters the aisle and sees her groom standing there? I think The Men’s Wearhouse had one of the greatest ads in history back in 2013, when they said, “On your wedding day, when everyone is looking at her, she will be looking at you. So rent your tuxedo at Men’s Wearhouse and look almost as good as she does.” The inner happiness, the inner joy and excitement, is difficult to describe, but it’s there. It’s beatific. It’s blessed.
And Jesus said that this is the state of those who are following him and are poor—economically/financially poor. Now what on earth could ever make a poor disciple of Jesus feel that inner joy and excitement? I’m glad you asked because Jesus gave the answer.
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
That word “for” means “because.” And as we have seen over and over again, the word “because/for” is important in our understanding passages of Scripture, including this one! The word “because” gives us the reason; it gives us the cause of what came before. What on earth could cause a economically destitute disciple to have such inner joy and excitement? What reason is there for a poor follower of Jesus to be happy? Jesus said, it is because yours is the kingdom of God.
Notice that Luke used the word “yours”—not “theirs.” Matthew used the word theirs in his telling of the Sermon on the Mount, but in the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus is recorded as saying “Yours” as if he was indeed speaking directly to those impoverished disciples that he’s lifted his eyes to look upon. “Yours is the kingdom of God.” It’s not a hypothetical; it’s reality. It’s not an impersonal somebody out there, but a personal, “you who follow me.”
And what does the Kingdom of God entail? It entails everything that is God’s. It begins with the gospel, but continues with endless blessing.
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
In other words, God gave us his greatest gift of his Son. Why would he withhold anything that would be for our good and growth to be more like him? But there is something more specific that Jesus is getting to when he says that “yours is the kingdom of God.” And that is eternal consolation. Let me explain why I think this is really what Jesus is getting at here. There are three reasons.
Jesus is the consolation of Israel. If we go back to when Jesus was presented in the temple, we find there a man by the name of Simeon. And we’re told that he had been in the temple and was promised that he’d see the consolation of Israel. That’s who Jesus was. He was the paraclete, the comfort, the consolation.
When Jesus gave his first recorded sermon in Nazareth, he described himself as that consolation. Again, if the word consolation means bringing comfort and to alleviate the suffering of people, then what we find in Jesus’s sermon to proclaim good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to the captive and oppressed, to give sight to the blind, and declare the favor of the Lord—all in all ushering in the kingdom of God is by very definition consolation.
Lastly, when we get to the corresponding woe we’ll dive in further, but we see that the corresponding reason that the rich are given the woe is because of where their consolation lies.
Thus, when Jesus states that the destitute disciples have an inner joy and excitement, it is because their consolation comes from the kingdom. Their comfort is not based on what money can buy; it’s not based on the influence that riches bring; it’s not about acquiring and keeping all the stuff this world offers, but it is based on the present, ongoing reality (yours is the kingdom of God) that the God of all the universe is their king and as their king he will provide.
While I think most believers today would certainly see the God of the universe as their king, they are more interested in providing for themselves, rather than seeking the king to provide. We live in a state of self-reliance. We go to work. We make money. We buy needs and wants. We go to the fridge to grab some food of which we have many options. It’s not a condemnation; it’s just a statement of fact. And if we were honest, most of us would say that we like this kind of lifestyle.
The Currency of Man
The Currency of Man
And so most of us Westerners are not so much reliant upon the Kingdom of God. Most of us have chosen the second option. We either can be a poor follower receiving the consolation of the kingdom, or we can be a rich follower receiving the consolation of money—the currency of man. And with the advent of credit cards, this would include even those who are poorer but can rely upon their credit to get by. Our hope isn’t spiritual. Our hope is material. Our comfort isn’t heavenly; it is earthly. And that is a sad state of affairs.
These woes that accompany the Beatitudes are one of the main differences between the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain. And there is a particular meaning behind the woes.
Unfortunately, we tend to associate woes with judgment. We associate them with condemnation or threats. And it’s understandable. When we read the word “woe” in the Bible, it’s almost everywhere associated with something bad happening. For example:
Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”
That sounds ominous, doesn’t it!? But this isn’t a threat. This is a reality of what is about to transpire, and this reality is supposed to bring a woeful response. In other words, it is to bring a deep sorrow. It should make us sad to hear such news.
Let’s look at two more.
Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Notice that those in heaven are to rejoice, but those on earth and sea are called to woe—called to be sad.
And then:
And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.
They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”
Those words, “Alas! Alas!” are the same Greek word for “woe.” The weeping and wailing for Babylon is spoken of in terms of woe. The judgment is mournful for them.
So when Jesus says “woe are you who are rich,” he is not condemning them or judging them. He is showing the contrast of emotions that the rich have versus the poor. The poor are blessed—deep down joy and excitement. The rich experience woe—a deep distress of sadness and sorrow. They don’t have the comforts of a warm, loving kingdom; just the comforts of cold, hard cash. And most of us in the West—in American Christianity—want it this way! We are independent and in don’t want to rely on others.
And Jesus isn’t talking about minimalism here. There is a popular TEDTalk that was given by Graham Hill back in 2011 in which he explained that less equals more. Less stuff equals more happiness. But that’s not what Jesus was talking about at all. Instead, what Jesus was talking about was the inability for the rich to stop trusting in their wealth. They look for comfort from their wealth, their currency, rather than from the Kingdom. Money equals security. Money equals power and influence. Money equals comfort; it equals consolation. There’s no denying that those things are true! What most people don’t understand is that those things are inferior to the consolation that the Kingdom of God can give.
And there is no reason to think that Jesus went from speaking to his disciples to speaking to the crowds. Thus, those who are following him and are rich, he presents as living in a saddened estate. But why? The answer is simple:
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
Whereas the poor look to God’s kingdom consolation, the rich look to their money’s consolation. And therefore, they’ve received their consolation already. The word for received actually means to receive in full. It’s full payment. So if you have a car loan and you make your final payment, you have paid it in full. It is from that time forth completely paid off. There’s no more to give. That’s what Jesus is saying about those who rely upon their riches. They’ve received their payment of consolation in full.
If you’re familiar with these types of sermons of Jesus, it will sound an awful lot like when Jesus said not to give to the needy in order to be seen or to pray in order to be heard because your reward is given in this life rather than the next. This is the same concept. The rich who depend upon their currency have forfeited the comforts of the kingdom in this life. They will never experience the love of their brothers and sisters who gather their resources to help their poorer brother out. Paul experienced this while in prison. The church in Jerusalem experienced this while in famine. No one seeks to show this kind of love to the rich because they can buy their way out of the crisis. They have already received their payment of consolation in full. No wonder Jesus found this to be a woeful place to be. They miss out on the consolation of the Kingdom.
Later in Luke we find two stories about the rich. The story of the rich man and Lazarus, in which the rich man relied upon his wealth, but forfeited eternal life. The other was the rich young ruler who seeking salvation left very sad because of his great wealth. How difficult it is to seek our consolation in Christ when we can find it in going out to eat or going shopping or surfing the internet on our smart phones! We comfort ourselves in food, in stuff, in amusements and entertainment; but we do not find comfort in the Kingdom.
C. S. Lewis said it best:
If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
Two Case-studies from the Bible
Two Case-studies from the Bible
Let’s look quickly at two case-studies we find in Scripture. One dealing with being blessed though impoverished. The other being in a state of woe due to wealth.
Look with me at an example of this kind of blessedness.
“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
“ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
Those in Smyrna—an extremely wealthy port city—are suffering from poverty. It’s the same root as the word “poor” in Luke 6. Yet, Jesus said they are in fact rich! They are suffering. They’re being thrown into prison. Some may die. They don’t have the money for good lawyers. They have no way of defending themselves. They have no influence that money can buy. Instead, they have the promise of the kingdom. They have the promise of the crown of life. Jesus’s promise of the crown is the consolation of the kingdom.
Now look with me at an example of woefulness.
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
“ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!
So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
These followers of Jesus could not see how impoverished they were. They thought themselves rich because they had money, power, influence. But in that state of being, they had given up the consolation of the Kingdom. Here Jesus is calling them to repentance. He is calling on them to cease the self-reliance and to seek his kingdom. Those who do will sit with him on his throne.
Conclusion
Conclusion
So we’ve taken a look at the first beatitude and its corresponding woe. Neither of these are speaking about salvation, but about our state of being as followers of Jesus. Is there a deep joy and excitement or a deep sadness and sorrow? Is there a looking to the kingdom of God or the currency of man? Because that will determine what we are experiencing here and now.
If you are about to walk away thinking this was a sermon on the virtues of poverty or minimalism and the evils of money and being rich, you’ve missed the point entirely. The main question is where do our souls look for consolation: the kingdom or the currency (or credit card)? If we are well to do, but do not seek security, reward, comfort, in our riches, but instead in the kingdom of God, then there is a blessedness that we can and do know. But if we are poor and seek not the comfort in Christ’s kingdom, but in our own hard work and ways, then we are to be mourned. Or perhaps being poor, you still do not seek the consolation of the kingdom, but long to be rich so you can enjoy all that currency can give you, woe to you as well.
May our riches be found in Christ and may we not be far too easily pleased.