Weal & Woe

We live in some distressing times; times in which God’s faithful people are saddened, befuddled, and angry because of the way Western culture is racing toward its destruction. When we read or hear the news, many times we think, “How can things be so upside down?” When lawmakers of a state cheer a law that permits infanticide, we wonder, “What are they thinking?” When a church called “The United Churches of Christ” has a service of blessing for a Planned Parenthood Clinic in Milwaukee, WI, blessing abortions in the name of Christ, we are befuddled and angry that they are so upside down in representing Christ.[1] When it is pushed on us that we must accept that there are more than two sexes, male and female, and people are promoting this as the new normal, we think, “How could thinking be so backward?” When Christian denominations start to warm up to the idea that sexually perverse lifestyles are just another valid expression of “love,” we wonder, “What is going on?” Even more conservative Christian denominations are becoming more comfortable with monikers such as “gay Christian.” Not only are people believing and acting this way, but they seem to be prospering.

Those of us who oppose such things are seen as backward, unloving, and behind the times. The world is upside down to us. We don’t fit in. We mourn the developments and wonder in prayer, “How long, O Lord, before you vindicate your truth?”

This is not a new situation for God’s people. The Psalms are full of cries from the faithful who suffer in and mourn over the overwhelming wickedness that surrounds them. Sin consistently turns the world upside down, and we, God’s faithful, want to see the world right side up.

Jesus says to his disciples that if you are part of his people who loathe the upside-down-ness of the world, then you are blessed; that is, you are in a happy, favored position before God. This is what the Beatitudes are all about.

In Luke’s record of the Beatitudes, he sets in contrast those who are “blessed” over against those who are under “woe” (cf. Lk 6.20-26). The blessed are the poor, hungry, weepers, and those persecuted for the sake of the Son of Man. Those upon whom woe is pronounced are the rich, full, laughers, and those of whom all men speak well. We must take care in reading Luke’s account lest we slip into thinking that Jesus is merely speaking of some type of socio-economic class warfare. The poor-hungry-weeping-persecuted are not righteous because they lack and are treated poorly by the rich-full-laughers-of-whom-all-men-speak-well. Jesus isn’t proclaiming a reversal for reversal’s sake. If simply being poor, for example, is equivalent to being righteous, then why would Jesus want to make them evil by being rich?

The blessed ones are those who are longing for the kingdom of God and living in a world that opposes it. Jesus is speaking directly to his disciples at the time and referring to their relationships with Israel and, possibly, the Roman Empire. Jesus and his disciples are facing opposition and will continue to face opposition. At times, I’m sure, it will seem interminable. Where is God? Why isn’t he intervening? Where are his promises? Jesus gives them hope that will strengthen their hearts while they wait for the fullness of the kingdom.

As has been true about the saints of all ages and Jesus and his disciples in the first century, so it remains true with us today. Jesus has established the kingdom. He sits at the right hand of the Father until all of his enemies are made his footstool, but that work of making a footstool of his enemies is not yet complete. We are waiting, longing, and praying for the fullness of the kingdom and all the promises of God that accompany it.

Consequently, we are in an analogous position to our fathers and mothers in the faith. We are living in a world that opposes the kingdom of God in many places while we long for it. Our socio-economic conditions vary, but these Beatitudes still apply for all those who wait for the kingdom. We may be monetarily poor because our commitment to the kingdom, but we may also be monetarily rich yet poor because the full riches of God’s kingdom are not a reality. We may be physically hungry because we suffer for Christ, or we may be completely sated physically but starving because we hunger and thirst for the fulfillment of God’s promises, his righteousness (cf. Matt 5.6). We may be weeping because of the losses incurred because of our faith, or we may be laughing while still mourning because of the prevalence of sin all around us. We are blessed, not because of a socioeconomic status per se, but because we are loyal to Christ Jesus and participate in his poverty, hunger, weeping, and persecution as we wait for the fullness of the kingdom. If we suffer with Christ in these ways, we will also be glorified with him (cf. Rom 8.17). That is a happy position to be in.

So, continue to pray the Psalms as we watch sin turn cultures upside down. This backward condition won’t last. A great reversal is coming. All things will be made right, and those who stand with Christ now will experience the fullness of blessing later.

[1]https://www.ucc.org/news_united_church_of_christ_clergy_hold_service_of_blessing_at_planned_parenthood_06232019 accessed June 26, 2019.