Blessings and Woes

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

St. Luke begins the Sermon on the Plain with a curious detail. He tells us that Jesus raises his eyes toward his disciples. This could only be possible if Jesus is seated or kneeling while his disciples are standing around him. This posture is interpreted by Scripture scholars as indicating that Jesus is demonstrating his "servanthood," reinforcing his message that he came to serve, not to be served.

The sermon continues with the four blessings and four woes: blessings for the poor, the hungry, the weeping and the rejected; woes for the wealthy, the full, the laughing, and those who are secure and insensitive to the needs of others. St. Luke's list of beatitudes is remarkably shorter than the list with which we are familiar from St. Matthew's Gospel and is followed immediately with the woes which come much later in St. Matthew's Gospel.

Not only is the list shorter, it is also much more direct, much less couched in qualifications. For instance, while St. Matthew blesses the poor in spirit, St. Luke simply lists the poor. It is important to remember that St. Luke is writing for the Gentile community, those who are on the outside looking in.

We are forced to ask ourselves where we stand in this list of distinctions. We are also forced to recognize that in many ways, Jesus is describing exactly what happened to him during his sojourn on earth. Do we stand with the Lord? Do we find our security in Jesus? Are we able to recognize the need expressed in the faces of those who stand before us?