Then he (Jesus) looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."
Luke 6:20 (NRSVue)
Luke gives us the Sermon on the Plain which is named from Jesus coming down to a level place in verse seventeen. After healing the crowds, he begins to teach them.
This is a bit shocking to our sensibilities. How in the world are the poor blessed? The Contemporary English Bible translates it as "Happy are you who are poor, because God's kingdom is yours."
Some have said that God favors the poor over those who have enough. This also goes against the grain that God loves everyone equally. It would be like a parent saying, "Well, this child is my favorite." That makes us feel bad for the children who are also plying for their parent's love and are coming up short.
I'm reminded of the story of the little girl with the cleft palate who had multiple issues including a crooked nose, lopsided teeth, a misshapen lip, and difficulty hearing out of one ear. She didn't believe that anyone outside of her family could love her - or even like her. They had a whisper test in her elementary school and Mrs. Leonard, her teacher, would whisper something to the student that they would have to repeat back. The little girl who may have been the least popular child in her class waited to go last. She wondered what her teacher would say to her and she said that God must have surely put the seven words into her mouth that changed her life. Mrs. Leonard whispered to her, "I wish you were my little girl."
Would you say that it was wrong in that moment that she was favored by her teacher?
When Jesus says, "Blessed are you who are poor," it may be God saying to them, "I know you have a lot of issues. I know that you are not seen by others. I know that you are not given dignity or respect much of the time. But you are important to me. All that is mine is yours."
We live in a world today that is vastly different than that of Jesus. But it also has some very fundamental similarities. I think about how I see others and wonder if I make some of the same mistakes that they did in Jesus day. I don't do is consciously. When I consciously think about others, I can apply respect and dignity. But subconsciously, I'm sure that I fail much of the time.
Maybe that means I have to make up for that overtly at other times. Maybe that's what Jesus means by this Beatitude today. As we move toward the cross this week, that may not be too much to ask.
Prayer for the day: God, I thank you for all of the blessings I have received through my years here on this earth. I have more than I need and yet, often feel lacking in this or that. Help me to see that the lack I feel is an illusion. And as I see other people, let me look beyond the superficial and see them as you do. May we all share in your kingdom in this way, as they invite me in. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Photo by Luis Felipe Salas via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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