Woe to the Rich

We continue our series on Luke 6 and Jesus’ blessings and woes by looking at three woes. Woe to the rich, the full and those who laugh… I read this and I wonder, is Jesus pointing a finger at me?

Do you ever feel this way? After all, even if we don’t consider ourselves to be rich, in comparison to the poor in Jesus’ time most all of us probably are!

Now, I’d like to think that my ponderings on this subject are not simply about getting more comfortable by pointing Jesus’ finger in a different direction. If I need to turn my act around, then I should pay attention. Still, I don’t think Jesus is saying that we should all strive to be poor. Certainly Jesus, Paul and the early apostles had rich benefactors who gave much support to their movement. So, what is he saying then? What are these woes all about?

The first thing I want to be clear about is that these are not curses! Jesus is not cursing people who have money, enough to eat and are joyful.

So, what is going on? First a reminder that Jesus is addressing these remarks to his apostles and disciples – his inner circle – NOT the crowd that is around him. As we talked about the last two weeks, in the “blessings” Jesus reminded them that, while the religion they grew up with told them to stay away from the kind of people they were now surrounded by, God loves all people. Even more than that, God wants all people to know equality, inclusion, and to live in a just world. Then Jesus made it clear that it was the job of the disciples to get up, get going and do something to help make that happen. This turned upside-down what the disciples had been taught, and how society treats and feels about the poor.

Then Jesus turns to the other half of the equation: the rich, the full (satisfied), and those who are joyful.  It stands to reason that God loves all these folks, too. So why the “woes”?

What if his intent here is to once again turn our ingrained and societal views upside-down? If we distance ourselves from the poor, hungry and weeping, obviously we envy and want to be like and be with the rich, the full and the laughing (who doesn’t, right?) But Jesus offers a different viewpoint. He laments, he is sad for the folks who seem to have it all. Woe to you who are rich, full and laugh. Taken at face value there seems to be nothing more to say. But I don’t think it is that simple. Let’s dig a little deeper.

Woe to the rich isn’t really about having a lot of money, what is it about?

I believe it concerns an attitude about money. Remember, Jesus is being harassed and is eventually persecuted by the wealthy who value their privilege, their status, their elitism. But he seems to feel bad for them. Woe to those who worship money, those who are greedy, think that money will buy happiness, don’t appreciate what they have, aren’t generous and don’t use their money to help others. They may think that their money comforts them and brings them happiness, but they will eventually find out that without a deep connection to the Divine and others, it is very shallow.

Woe to the full (or satisfied) isn’t about having enough food, what is it about?

Once again, having enough, or more than enough, does not satisfy a deeper hunger: a hunger for love, for relationships, for depth of spirit. Materialism will not satisfy or fill you or sustain you, it is an illusion that you walk on solid ground.

Woe to you who laugh, is not about condemning joy or having fun, what is it about?

Jesus was known to enjoy gatherings and weddings. Many of his parables are very tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at differing people. Certainly, he had a sense of humor. But he never laughed at anyone in a derogatory way. Perhaps this is what he is referring to. Woe to you who believe you are above others, who sneer at those you believe are beneath you, who believe you are untouchable. Sadly, you don’t fully understand your connection to everyone and everything else.

When these woes apply to us, and only we can judge for ourselves, we have lost the path and so lost much of what is truly meaningful in life.

Love & Light!

Kaye

PS – I told two really good stories in the message today, so check out the video if you want to hear them.