Woe!

Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The beauty of the waters, 
and yet the danger reminds us of the 
need to depend upon God in all things. 

Scripture:

Luke 6:²⁴ “But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

²⁵ “Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry.

“Woe to you who are laughing now,

for you will mourn and weep.

Luke 6:26   “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Observation:

In Luke’s sermon, the blesseds are all matched with a woe. This is a warning to those who live in abundance by the world’s standards, for there is no spiritual hunger. Everyone is in need of consolation, and yet, those who are wealthy utilize material things to try and fill the any void which may exist in their life. There is no room left in their lives to hunger for God.

Those who are throwing parties, laughing and mocking God’s people will eventually be a people who mourn and weep. When everything wears off, and when they come down from a high, the laughing will stop and depression will make itself at home. 

Look out when people gather around you and say all kinds of nice things about you, because they just may be wanting something from you. 

Application:

At the core, the warning of the woes is a life that has no space for dependence upon the Lord. Jesus would later declare that it was extremely difficult for a wealthy man to enter the kingdom of heaven. In wealthier societies we discover that we are surrounded by people who have filled their lives with activities and things that leave little room for God. 

The woes are about all the things that we seek after in this life: wealth, food, entertainment, and affirmation. When we look at this list we realize that these are things that Satan tempted Jesus with when he was in the wilderness…except possibly for the entertainment, but I would suggest that would have come with the earthly kingdoms. Jesus, through prayer, self-denial, and a life of studying the Scriptures, was able to withstand the temptation for he, himself, understood that all these things would stand in the way of him being blessed. 

It’s much harder to minister in an affluent society than one that is on the margins. Jesus understood that because he knew that those who had earthly wealth and resources would not believe that they were in need of blessings from God. This message of woe is for much of the first world today. It’s also a message to the church of the first world where we need to be aware that we may be allowing the things of this world to provide us comfort, instead of the Lord. 

Maybe we could translate this section in this way: 

Dear followers of Christ, be aware that when you become more secure financially, you may have the tendency to depend upon your own resources. Do not allow your possessions to lull you into a false sense of security, but always seek to find your security in God alone. Dear friends who find yourselves with plenty to eat on a daily basis, don’t forget who brought you that food. Eat spiritual food on a daily basis so that you can always be full. The junk food of the world will not satisfy. If you’re filling up your days with the internet or binge-watching on Netflix, be aware that all of this is empty and hollow. You will eventually realize that you have wasted hours of your life and received nothing. What Jesus has to offer is so much greater and provides eternal satisfaction. In the meantime, stop trying to get people to like your posts on facebook or twitter, or your photos on Instagram. The number of likes you get on social media has nothing to do with those who will stand by you when life gets rough. Woe, my dear friends, if you are depending on the things of this world to take care of your deepest needs. 

The structure of the beatitudes from the Sermon on the Plain leave us with sobering thoughts about how we should live our lives. Woe unto us if we leave no room for dependence upon the Lord.

Prayer:

Lord, I want to be dependent upon you. Help me to live a life of discipline and denial that rests in Your hands. Amen.