A level place

On a Level Place
Luke 6:17-26
Jesus Teaches About the Kingdom of God
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206%3A17-26&version=NRSVUE
 
Prior to this passage, Luke tells us that Jesus “went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer.” (v.12) He prayed about whom to call as his apostles, the first followers to take Christ’s message into the world. He then called the twelve, and “came down with them and stood on a level place” (v.17). Jesus is high on a mountain alone, he calls the apostles to join him, and then they come down together on a level place. They were equal and balanced with Jesus. What drew my attention was the logistics, really, and how these details communicate Jesus’ upcoming teaching.

This passage also tells us that they stood “with a great crowd of disciples,” and a “great multitude of people” (v.17). There is a distinction between the people on this level place. The crowd of disciples are followers who chose the way of Jesus, yet there are others there, Jew and Gentile, who came to hear Jesus and to be healed. Some may have come to hear this great preacher that they’ve heard so much about. Some may have come just to be healed or blessed. Some may have come to see the spectacle of it all. Some were there because they had decided to drop everything and follow Jesus. Even though there are differences in why people are there, there is one unifying aspect: “All were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all” (v.19). Christ’s healing presence knew no distinction. It didn’t matter why they were there. They showed up and received healing by being in Christ’s presence.

After this, Jesus teaches the disciples about the kingdom of God, and the life-changing work they were embarking on. Scholars refer to this teaching as the Sermon on the Plain, as they were on a level place, and well, Jesus speaks plainly to his disciples. Verse 20 tells us that “Jesus looked up at his disciples and said…” This teaching was not for the multitude of people, but delivered specifically to the disciples, the ones who would be doing this work. Jesus sat down when he preached, so this might explain why he looked up at his disciples. They were probably standing around him, and he lowered himself to them when he “leveled with them.”

Jesus did not mince words and tells them exactly the kind of work they will be doing. They are disrupting the status quo of their hierarchal structure.  To carry out the message of Christ’s love will go against the world’s values and hierarchal structure, particularly Rome’s since that was their current political power. Rome valued wealth and did not value nor take care of their poor. The poor were exploited and ignored. The hungry, the widows, and the orphans were not valued nor seen, as caring for them would take away from Rome’s stockpiling. The Roman soldiers were not afraid to use violence to yield their power, so if someone went against them, they could lose their life. The people may not want to do something that would make someone hate them. It would be much safer to lay low, keep their head down, and their mouths shut. Choosing to follow in the way of love instead of the way of Rome would be very risky, yet Jesus promises that they will be blessed in God’s kingdom.

God’s way of seeing the world is different from how we see it. What the world values is different from what God values. The pursuit of happiness usually means striving for and gaining material wealth, which purchases possessions that we think make our lives more comfortable and easier. There are those who get rich over night, but most of us spend our whole lives producing and accumulating. During that time, the changes in our hearts are subtle. Then, one day, something happens, perhaps the loss of our stockpile, or our ability to provide for ourselves, and we realize that we’ve put our trust in ourselves. Jesus said that the poor, hungry, and grieving are blessed because they trust in God to provide. They have tried to overcome their situations to no avail, and have learned that God is the only one who satisfies their needs.

Author and public theologian, Brandon Robertson, said, “The way God sees and has organized the world gives blessing to the humble, those who serve others, those who walk with others through dark valleys. As subservient as it sounds, those are the only ways to experience the life we were created for.”[1] Jesus levels himself with the disciples as he invites them – and us -- to join with him in the leveling of a more equitable kingdom. This is the life and work disciples were created for.
 
Reflection Questions
Where do you see yourself in this passage? Are you in the crowd of disciples or the multitude of people? Does that matter? 
How do you understand the paradoxes of Jesus’ blessings and woes?
Rewrite a modern version of the “Blessings and Woes” that is relevant in our culture today.
Where might Christ be calling you to create a more equitable community as part of your discipleship?

Pray:
Give us the strength, O God, to continue your work to offer compassion to those whom society overlooks, even in the face of conflict and outrage.

Action:   
Do one thing this week that blesses someone who is woeful.

*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 
[1] Disciplines: A book of daily devotions 2022, Upper Room, 62.