March 1 - Lenten Devotional

"Then he looked up at his disciples and said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 6:20)

"But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation." (Luke 6:24)


Like in Matthew Jesus follows up the choosing of the twelve with beatitudes at the beginning of a sermon. Like Matthew the sermon will touch on the character of discipleship. Jesus will take the "laws" of the Pharisees and their to-do lists and turn them upside down in an invitation to a way of life rather than mere commandment keeping. However there is a stark difference in Luke from Mathew - and it lies here at the beginning. The beatitudes themselves in Luke (only 3) seem not about character at all (the character comments come later as we will see throughout this week) but about wealth and life situation. And each of the beatitudes is matched with a woe.

Blessed are the poor... woe to the rich.

Blessed are the hungry... woe to those who are fed.

Blessed are those who are reviled... woe to those who laugh.

And finally: woe to those who people speak well of, for that is what they did of the false prophets.

Luke's take on Jesus ministry pushes hard on what is often called God's "preferential option for the poor". In a world where justice seems fleeting God sides with those who are oppressed... who have little or nothing at all. The "widows" and "orphans" of the world. And to push even further Jesus here pronounces woe on those don't fit those categories. Here God not only sides with the poor, but ONLY with the poor.

So what do those of us who aren't poor do with this word?

I think in other places there are "ways" out of the dilemma... Matthew obviously gives us that when he says the "poor in spirit". Even the much remembered "camel passing through the eye of the needle" leaves room for the rich man - albeit some fancy physics is necessary. But here? Woe to the rich, you have received your consolation.

I think two things: I image that the text... especially in light of where it is going in the rest of the chapter, leaves open the idea that its not all bad news for the "rich" so long as they use their money in aid of those who have none and in way that we do not imagine getting rewarded for it. Just as God has preferential option for the poor, so should we - and in doing so the way out of "woe" is opened.

Secondly I think that the text is meant to unsettle. Its meant to say - take care with wealth, with being fed, with good times and good opinion. Take care: because being consoled by these things is way to stray from God... for our consolation is to be in God's grace - not the "stuff" of this world.

Where do you find your consolation? Where do you place your trust? In your journey of discipleship are you putting your gifts to the service of God's kingdom - in the "way" that God is calling you to use them?


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Unsettling God, your word pushes us to places of dis-ease and dis-comfort. Your word convicts and challenges. Help us to see in such words the good news... the way of discipleship... the calling you placing on our hearts. And help us trust that word enough to share it with others. Amen.