A Word from Joel - February 19, 2025
“He came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples… Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’”
Luke 6:17, 20
Welcome to Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, lesser known than the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew’s Gospel. There Jesus plays the role of Moses, speaking a new law from the mountain. In Luke, Jesus comes down the mountain to be on the same level as everyone else, but even that’s not quite right. Luke tells us, “Then he looked up at his disciples,” which means he’s sitting while they’re standing. In other words, Jesus doesn’t talk down to us. He purposefully takes the lower position. The one in authority speaks to us from the humble place, lowering himself, and thereby putting us on a higher plane. It the exact opposite of what we expect.
Jesus’ whole ministry is paradoxical. Our world is full of social hierarchies, where those in power are given deference by those beneath them, but Jesus is the great leveler, raising up that which we think is dishonorable and cutting down to size what we think is so great. This vision of leveling, he learned from his mother Mary, who sang, “God has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. God has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:52-53). If that’s who God is, then it should come as no surprise when Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” In Luke, it’s not poor in spirit but just plain poor. Jesus blesses the things we most want to avoid: poverty, hunger, grief, and exclusion. No one wants those things, and Jesus isn’t saying that we should seek them out. Nevertheless, they are part of life, and they do not preclude you from God’s grace but surprisingly give you special access to it. Notice that poverty, hunger, grief, and exclusion are all states of vulnerability, and nobody likes to be vulnerable. We prefer to be strong and independent, to not need anyone’s help. That was true 2000 years ago, and in our hyper-individualist culture, it’s still true today. But Jesus demonstrates time and again that it’s only when we are vulnerable that we can receive the grace of God.
There’s no shame in needing help. In fact, the only shame is thinking that we don’t. We come into this world totally vulnerable, in need of other people’s care to survive. For a time, we become those giving care, but eventually, we all end up in the place of vulnerability again. That’s not a mistake or a flaw in the system but an opportunity to receive the gift of care. There are blessings within the experiences we’d rather avoid if we are open to them. That’s where grace finds us.
One Struggle to Love,
Rev. Joel A. Esala
Luke 6:17, 20
Welcome to Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, lesser known than the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew’s Gospel. There Jesus plays the role of Moses, speaking a new law from the mountain. In Luke, Jesus comes down the mountain to be on the same level as everyone else, but even that’s not quite right. Luke tells us, “Then he looked up at his disciples,” which means he’s sitting while they’re standing. In other words, Jesus doesn’t talk down to us. He purposefully takes the lower position. The one in authority speaks to us from the humble place, lowering himself, and thereby putting us on a higher plane. It the exact opposite of what we expect.
Jesus’ whole ministry is paradoxical. Our world is full of social hierarchies, where those in power are given deference by those beneath them, but Jesus is the great leveler, raising up that which we think is dishonorable and cutting down to size what we think is so great. This vision of leveling, he learned from his mother Mary, who sang, “God has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. God has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:52-53). If that’s who God is, then it should come as no surprise when Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” In Luke, it’s not poor in spirit but just plain poor. Jesus blesses the things we most want to avoid: poverty, hunger, grief, and exclusion. No one wants those things, and Jesus isn’t saying that we should seek them out. Nevertheless, they are part of life, and they do not preclude you from God’s grace but surprisingly give you special access to it. Notice that poverty, hunger, grief, and exclusion are all states of vulnerability, and nobody likes to be vulnerable. We prefer to be strong and independent, to not need anyone’s help. That was true 2000 years ago, and in our hyper-individualist culture, it’s still true today. But Jesus demonstrates time and again that it’s only when we are vulnerable that we can receive the grace of God.
There’s no shame in needing help. In fact, the only shame is thinking that we don’t. We come into this world totally vulnerable, in need of other people’s care to survive. For a time, we become those giving care, but eventually, we all end up in the place of vulnerability again. That’s not a mistake or a flaw in the system but an opportunity to receive the gift of care. There are blessings within the experiences we’d rather avoid if we are open to them. That’s where grace finds us.
One Struggle to Love,
Rev. Joel A. Esala
Posted in Belonging, Differences, Leaders, Messiah
Posted in grace, Vulnerable, ministry, shame, level, opportunity, gifts, gift
Posted in grace, Vulnerable, ministry, shame, level, opportunity, gifts, gift
Recent
Archive
2025
January
2024
June
July
August
September
October
November
No Comments