I. Introduction

We often hear about the need for change in today's world. Many have written about this subject and have emphasized the need for love to be put into action, and that a society can change for the better when we all come together to bring about that change. To love and help others makes life more beautiful and peaceful. So, what is the message of Christ to the world He lived and moved in, and what are the implications for His disciples then and now?

II. Disciples follow and do what He requires...

Luke describes the Son of Man as someone who knew His context well, who understood the divisions in society, and knew the realities of the poor, oppressed, and the rich. He knew who followed Him, where they came from, and what they needed, which was to hear Him speak and to be healed from their diseases, as we read here in our passage. Luke also describes the Son of Man as someone who offered all who followed Him the compassion, love and healing they needed. In our passage we see they came from all over Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon. Though historically enemies of Israel (Isaiah 23 and Amos 1:9-10), Tyre and Sidon also received His love, forgiveness, and healing.

Luke describes how Jesus went out to the mountainside to pray all night. He spent all that time with God for guidance because He knew He would elect disciples, and future apostles the next day. He needed leaders who would speak about His message of love and compassion, and reach out to the poor, tax collectors and the Samaritans, folks who were seen and treated as the outcasts of society. He chose fishers, who were not from the upper class and a tax collector, who, because of his work, would have been despised by many. Later they would be persecuted, like Him for this message of Good News, which contrasted with the message of those in power. We see John and Peter arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin, because they spoke about the Resurrection of Jesus, and they healed the sick in the Name of Jesus Christ, and James was executed by King Herod Agrippa I for his actions.

III. Christ, the Poor and the Rich

After Jesus spoke to the crowd and healed the sick, He turned to His disciples and gave them these blessings in Luke Chapter 6, as part of the Sermon on the Plane. We see the longer version of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. He speaks of hope and blessings to the poor and the outcast, blessings of a better life and entrance into the Kingdom of God. He wants them to know that He understands their circumstances and that He sees their plight of pain, hunger, and suffering. He wants them to know that God sees it too and that God is for them, not against them as they have experienced by those who oppress them. God is love and God heals their wounds and comforts them.

To the rich Jesus is not that sympathetic. These are the ones who perpetuate the desperate situation of the poor. They are the ones who are full, and content, and look down upon the poor, the sick, the people with leprosy, the downtrodden. Woe to you, He says in verses 24 - 26, and warns them that their comfortable existence will change for the worse. Their sins are not because they are rich, but because of the way they treat the disadvantaged and laugh about it. Instead of laughing, they will mourn and weep.

IV. Conclusion

This message of Christ speaks to us today as His followers. It is a reminder that we must consistently discern right from wrong in our communities and the broader society, recognizing that issues such as poverty, disease, and social exclusion due to personal identity cannot be ignored. Neglecting to address these issues results in severe suffering, and a sense of hopelessness, which are not conditions that God will be satisfied with. Christ's message gives us the opportunity to reflect on what we can do and continue to do to turn situations and conditions around, so that everyone can have what they need, and feel they are enough as persons whom God created and loves. Christ's message is a call to follow where He leads us. May each one of us see and continue to see what that looks like for ourselves and may we all feel God's presence as we respond to our calling. Amen.