St Margaret's Church Prestwich

Rev Christine preached this sermon on Wednesday 11 September 2024. Here it is for you again:

The Beatitudes are something many of us are familiar with, but have probably never really looked at.

They are quoted in both Matthew’s Gospel (chapter 5) and as we have heard today in Luke.  Whilst there are similarities there are quite a few differences.

Matthew’s Beatitudes, which are all blessings, are spoken by Jesus on a hill or mount and we can be fairly certain that Matthew was directing this at mainly a Jewish audience making Jesus a bit more elite.  Whilst Luke’s Beatitudes are given on a plain and Jesus has gone down to be with the crowd and it is directed more at a Gentile audience, making Jesus more inclusive to everyone, but specifically for the disciples who needed reassurance.

I think we should also remember that Luke writes his Gospel from what he has been told and not as a witness to Jesus’ teaching, but nevertheless, because these two Gospels have the Beatitudes recorded in them we can safely assume that this sermon did take place and does it really matter if it was on a mount or on a plain?

I did wonder if the physician in Luke puts Jesus on a plain to make him more seem more equal with everyone, if that makes sense, a bit like a doctor’s bedside manner.

However, the Beatitudes are not just about the rich or the poor, the sad, happy or hungry, but more about how we may feel blessed in God’s presence.  Jesus is trying to reassure us that if we have problems with our lives, with our faith or are experiencing difficulties and woes, in God’s sight we are still blessed.

Many people feel that those who are rich or famous are blessed, but in many ways they are not.  They face the same difficulties and problems that everyone faces and the Beatitudes are a reminder that anything against God’s commands is never a blessing and everyone is equal.  We are all judged by our actions and are never out of God’s sight.

They remind us of the blessings we have, especially those we take for granted and the problems, difficulties we and others may face in our daily lives, which no-one is immune too.

We live in a world where suffering and exclusion is seen on a regular basis, but we know that it was also happening during Jesus’ time.  Jesus saw the suffering and hunger of the people when he was on his journeys as he passed through the villages and towns.  He was even used as a judge when a woman was brought before him and they wanted him to decide if she should be stoned or not.  I’m sure many of you will remember the story when he drew a line and asked anyone who had not sinned to be the first to condemn her and no-one crossed the line, so he forgave the woman her sins and she repented. (John 8: 12-11)

Luke Gospel shows Jesus’ most human side through his parables and teachings, Jesus knew people, he knew theirs and our needs.  He knew his disciples and he understood their need to be reassured that they were in God’s sight all the time, but he also wanted to strengthen their relationship with God and ours.

We shouldn’t see the Beatitudes as a judgement, but as an encouragement to develop our faith, hope, trust and love.  To use them to inspire us, to show us how we can be better people through our faithfulness to God and pray to make the world a better place for everyone, especially as we remember the events of 9/11.