Hearing God Voice
2/16/25
This week I will be looking at the Gospel passage found in Luke chapter 6 verses 17 - 26. To give the passage a little context, I will be pulling in some of chapter 5 as well. This passage in Luke is a summarized version of the Beatitudes found in the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew Chapters 5 -7. While Luke gives us an abbreviated version, it still packs a powerful lesson about human nature. Today’s passage is only the introduction to the message. In the passage, we see Jesus calling back to the prophets of old, laying out the path to blessings and curses. This passage is both an encouragement and a warning. While the message is divided into two sides, it has a single focus: to bring us into a relationship with Christ. Jesus takes on a tone that we have seen throughout the history of God’s messengers. From Moses and Joshua to Samuel and Isaiah, we have heard the message of two paths that are available to God’s people. The first path is the one laid out for them to follow and the second, broader path, is any turn to the right or left that leads away from God’s guidance.
Before we look at the passage for today, I want to look back at what has just taken place. In these chapters we see 3 groups of people around Jesus. Chapter 6 focuses on Jesus speaking to the crowd; however, chapter 5 and the beginning of chapter 6 are about the other two groups. In chapter 5 Jesus is traveling about the region teaching, healing and calling disciples to follow him. In chapter 6 verse 12 Luke tells us that Jesus withdraws from the crowd and takes his disciples into the mountains to pray. Here we see the second group--he calls them disciples. These are people who have either been called, like Peter, John and Matthew, as well as others who have chosen to embrace a more intimate relationship with Jesus without directly being called on. This smaller group goes with Jesus to spend a night in prayer. During this night of prayer Luke tells us that from this group Jesus calls out a smaller group of only twelve whom he refers to as apostles. This gives us our three groups. Jesus speaks to the crowd broadly, he spends time with his followers more intimately, and he calls the closest twelve to be his inner circle.
Now, coming down out of the mountain with his disciples and apostles Luke begins the narrative by noticing the crowd. He points out what they are doing as they press in to be near and hear the words and feel the power of Jesus. The crowd is described as a multitude of people from across the region. They are seeking relief from disease and suffering. They are experiencing a power from Jesus that is unlike any other teacher they have encountered. Jesus can see within the crowd the sick and the poor, as well as the wealthy and strong. He begins to speak to them by first pointing out the distinctions that exist between them. He has encouraging words for those who fall in the first group, but a warning for those in the second. I believe he begins this way because Jesus knows that our struggles can motivate us to seek support from a power greater than ourselves, but our satisfaction with trivial things can rob us of the desire for what is truly meaningful.
In his opening lines Jesus does not talk about what keeps us on the path rather than departing from it, although that is how he spends most of the time after these statements. Instead he talks about the people in the crowd, and the paths that they are on. First, he addresses the hungry and the hurting. He tells them that despite their situation, there is a blessing available to them. He is encouraging them that what they now have is not the end. He is preparing their hearts to hear the rest of his message that they can turn to the path of God’s plan and have the outcome that now seems out of reach. To the second group, the full and satisfied, he gives a warning. He is trying to alert them to the fact that the satisfaction they now have is temporal. That as it fades away they can face all the hardships that they believe they have escaped. I am sure that soon we will continue past this section and hear the teaching that can lead to the freedom of the path God sets for us, but today we are just going to pause here and look deeper into these opening lines.
It is important to understand that Jesus is not predicting the future. He is not declaring that the poor will all become rich or that the rich will all sink into hunger and suffering. He is saying that the poor can have hope and expectations for a different future. Just as the sick are being healed right now, by their action of pressing into the power of Jesus, the poor and hungry can be lifted up by following the path Jesus is going to give them. His words are meant to draw them, and encourage them to hope for a better future. His purpose is to bring hope. Oftentimes, when we are in hard times, we can not see an end. That feeling of hopelessness added to our existing suffering can crush our spirit and prevent us from taking actions that will make life better. Jesus is telling the hungry in the crowd that life can get better, that it will get better, if they hear his words and trust in his power to move them forward.
Similarly, Jesus’ words to the wealthy and happy are not judgment and condemnation. They are warnings. Sometimes, when things are going well, we can assume that they will always go well. We get comfortable and believe we have done enough, or that it is good enough to just continue in our creature comforts. We don’t realize that true joy and true wealth are deeper and greater than the comforts we have. As a result of this we are not aware of the voice of the Spirit in our lives guiding us to follow Christ. Our comfort can be the roadblock to the path that leads to deeper joy in life.
How do I know that these are words of hope and warning and not blanket statements about the future for these groups? The answer lies in chapter 5. One of the disciples that Jesus specifically calls is Matthew. Matthew is a tax collector. After calling Matthew to be a disciple Luke tells us that Jesus joined him at his home for a grand meal. Matthew, like most tax collectors of his time, was wealthy and well fed. He fell very much into the second group in Jesus’ opening statements. But still Jesus called him. What is significant is how Matthew responded. He followed. He joined with Jesus and invited his friends to join as well as they celebrated the presence and power of Jesus.
Next we see Jesus with his disciples, including Matthew, go out into the mountain to pray. Matthew, wealthy as he already was, saw the power of Jesus and knew there was greater joy to be found. While at prayer Jesus calls his central twelve and in that smallest group we find Matthew. Jesus did not cast him out because of his wealth. He called him as a follower and then selected him into his foundational team not because he was rich or poor, but because he was responsive.
No condition or circumstance puts us outside of the power of the Holy Spirit moving in our lives, just as no circumstance guarantees we will follow Jesus. The difference maker is the perspective we have about our situation, and most importantly how we respond to the Spirit. Regardless of our past or present situations, the Spirit is at work around us. We can miss it because we are drowning in hopelessness as easily as we can miss it because we are distracted by our earthly blessings. Jesus is trying to get our attention by bringing hope as well as warnings before he begins his teaching. Our responsibility is to not be controlled by either, but to ensure we are not held down by our struggles or blinded by our successes, instead always looking to the Spirit. God will not likely stand on a hilltop and give us lessons on how to live, but his Spirit is continuously speaking to us. Our responsibility is to listen. Our opportunity is to hear and partner with him, and that is how we know we are on his path. Jesus promises the best for those who listen and follow his teachings, but before we can follow, we have to hear them. We have to be aware of how God is at work around us, and we have to be able to move, as best we can at that moment, in the direction that he points us.
Thanks for reading.
David
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