Kneeling Power Punch

Luke 6:17-26

Jesus Ministry Explodes

            If you thought that Jesus was up to a lot last week, this week the ministry explodes!  Get ready for a whirlwind.  Jesus moves throughout the villages and towns of the Galilee.  He heals a leper.  This may not sound so significant at first pass.  However, some of you spent a few weeks this past January looking at the Holiness Code contained in Leviticus 17-26.  The Holiness Code lays out how the Israelites shall be a holy people.  How each person is to be a priest before God.  Each and every Israelite is to stand before God bringing the people of the world to God and bringing the word of God to the people of the world.  Not just a select few but all Israelites.  In the chapters of Leviticus presiding the Holiness code,  many verses are devoted to leprosy and how to become holy after a cure.  Not only can people have leprosy but dwellings can have leprosy as well.  Think molds and mildews for the homes and think about anything that causes a skin rash or discharge for leprosy – this is not our modern disease by the same name.  It was any infectious or viral process in or on the skin.  The significance of the cure was to make the person holy to God so that the person can act as a go between God and humanity, or a priest, small “p”.  Think Jesus’ very touch brings holiness to the person.  

The healing of leprosy spread Jesus’ fame.  Attracting greater and greater crowds.  He withdraws to pray.  Having rested, Jesus returns to his active ministry.  Preaching, teaching.  Then we have the story of four friends letting down through a roof a paralytic friend.  Jesus uses this healing to teach about the forgiveness of sins and steams the religious authorities.  The scribes and the Pharisees did not know what to think of Jesus’ ministry to this point. Now, the controversy with the scribe and Pharisees heats up.   For them, no one but God can forgive sins.  

Jesus needs additional help.  He calls a diverse group of disciples to his side.  He already has Peter, James and John with him. They may be connected with radical anti-Roman factions known throughout the Galilee.  Jesus now calls Levi (Matthew) to follow him.  Levi is not just a Roman sympathizer he collects taxes for the Roman government.  Jesus accepts an invitation to eat a meal at Levi’s home.  Eating at the home of a Roman official and tax collector, publicly dramatizes Jesus’ radical ministry of inclusiveness.  Jesus reaches out to people in low and in high places, people who are powerless and powerful.  For the religious leaders, they only see Jesus eating with sinners.  Their disdain for Jesus deepens.  Jesus uses their disdain to teach them a lesson about his ministry, “those who are sick need a physician, not the healthy.”

Walking through a field on the Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples pull grain and eat it.  Pulling grain from a wheat stalk constitutes “work”.  Jesus performs work on the Sabbath and receives rebuke from the religious leaders.  Again, Jesus uses their rebuke to teach about the role of the Sabbath, how it was made for humanity not humanity for the Sabbath.  What makes Jesus point crystal clear is that he heals a man with a withered hand on the same Sabbath as “working” in the fields.  Healing is considered work as well.  Jesus gets two demerits for violating Sabbath rules.  He makes fewer and fewer friends among the religious establishment. Controversy grows with the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus takes a break.  

Jesus calls his disciples to his side and goes to a mountain to pray.  Which mountain he went to is not recorded by Luke.  However, anytime one goes to a mountain in the scripture something God size takes place.  Here on the mountain something God size takes place.  Jesus calls his disciples to himself and from the disciples he selects twelve apostles.  For the first time, we have the twelve listed by name.  

Why twelve?  In the Bible twelve plus one communicates completeness like the number seven. Think about the twelve tribes of Israel based on the twelve sons of Israel - Jacob.  What’s the plus one?  How do you get there?  Joseph is subtracted from the named tribes and his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh receive named tribes and tribal lands.  There are twelve plus one judges in the bible.  There are twelve judges in the book of Judges and Samuel, the greatest judge, gets two books all to himself.  Twelve male Israelites and one rabbi, teacher, make the smallest unit for a synagogue to be established. Jesus gathers his own synagogue and names new tribes of faith.  Jesus fulfills all that which has gone before him.  

Jesus Steps Down on the Level

            Take a breath, because all of this brings us up to date with the story read for you today.  Jesus and his newly minted synagogue of apostolic leaders come down the mountain and stand on a level place. Luke says, “With a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.” What Luke wants to make clear from the get go, is that the Jesus phenomenon is never about saving the lost of Israel – that’s Matthew’s niche.  Luke wants to be sure that we get the international, cosmopolitan, nature of the crowds coming out for Jesus.   Luke doesn’t talk about valleys.  Luke doesn’t describe a geographic location or formation, Luke’s language of “a level place” refers to equable standing before God. To use a sporting cliché, Jesus has leveled the playing field.  All are on equal standing before God with Jesus!! What!?!  All Jews, Samaritans, Syrophoenicians, Gentiles, decedents of the Philistines,  and other remnant Canaanite peoples have equal footing with Jesus plus twelve. There is no hoarding the grace of God here.  

            All of Jesus’ actions have purpose.  No trivial actions and no mis-steps here.  The crowds come with full expectations.  People came to hear, to be healed of diseases, to be cured of unclean spirits.  Luke tells us “He healed all of them.”  What!?! “…for power came out from him and healed all of them.”  Jesus makes everyone whole and holy!  Though I am entirely wrong, I think of superheroes in contemporary movies that do that knee-drop-fist thing and you see waves of power moving out in concentric circles to lay waste to enemies.  Jesus doesn’t lay waste to anyone.  In fact, when Jesus knee-drops, everyone gets healed.  Everyone gets whole and holy.  

Blessed, Blessed, Blessed, Blessed, Woe, Woe, Woe

            Last week, Jesus preached and underscored his preaching with a miracle.  This week, Jesus miracles come first, followed by preaching.  His sermon changes; however, from the sermon we heard in Nazareth.  To summarize his new sermon, he said, “Blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed, Woe, woe, woe.” In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus words are recorded differently.  There words in Luke are the words that one preaches to equal partners in the Kingdom of God.  There is present tense, and present progressive tense to this message.  There is no shading of meaning.  There is only the good news of the Kingdom of God.  

The present tense of the Kingdom of God:  “You who are poor, you own the kingdom of God.”  No doubt there were many poor in the crowd. If they could afford a physician in the city or towns, do you think that they would have risked a journey into the wilderness to take a chance on being healed by Jesus?  The poor are whole and holy before God. 

What goes with poverty? Hunger.  The future perfect tense of what happens because you have the Kingdom of God is you get to eat.   “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.”  The Kingdom of God is here, let’s eat!  The hungry are whole and holy before God. 

I often cry at this one. It’s another present tense promise. Think of the loved ones you have lost and still cry over.  Think of the families of our brothers and sister in Ligonier who lost a total of five people due to weather related accidents.  Think of the family of Jolene, the 15-month old baby that died of cancer this week.  “Blessed are you who weep now, for laughter is yours.” The joke is on death, says the resurrection and life.  Those who mourn are whole and holy before God.

With future perfect tense, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.”  These people in this expectant crowed are hated for following Jesus.  These people in this expectant crowd are drawing the ire of their churches.  These people are getting defamed and reviled because they follow Jesus.  Are you one of these?  Your reward is not great when you get to heaven.  Your reward is great, now!  Because you are persecuted for the sake of Jesus, you are whole and holy before God.

Wait for it.  Not just the poor came to hear and to be healed and to be cured by Jesus.  The rich came out as well.  The rich were made whole and holy just like the poor.  “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”  You’ve got yours.  Now it’s time to share. 

Not just the hungry came out to hear and to be healed and to be cured by Jesus.  The well fed also came out.  The well fed were made whole and holy just like the hungry.  But, “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.” Because what fills you does not satisfy.

It is not just those who mourn that came out to hear Jesus to be healed and to be cured.  Those who were heartless and had no compassion for the suffering of others were also there.  They, too, were made whole and holy before God.  ‘Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.”  Their hearts now break for the suffering of others. 

Not just the persecuted ones came to hear Jesus, to be healed and to be cured.  Those who sought to please others rather than God came out.  These people pleasers were made whole and holy before God.  “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”  Now, their hearts seek God’s heart.  

Come Out onto the Level.

Come out to the level place and be made whole and holy before God by Jesus power. Come out and be healed.  Come out and be cured.  Come out and be fed.  Come out and laugh. Come out and rejoice. 

Prayer

Bring healing to all wounds, make whole all that is broken, speak truth to all illusion, and shed light in every darkness, that all creation will see your glory and know your Christ. Amen.