February 16, 2025
Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany (Septuagesima)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Los Alamos, NM
[NOTE: Reading for this Sunday follows the Sermon]
+ In nomine Domini. Amen.
I begin with an Excursus this morning. Today is the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany; but, it is also (for those of us who have been around for the Common Service Book (black and blue), the Service Book and Hymnal (red) before the Lutheran Book of Worship (green) and the present Evangelical Lutheran Worship (cranberry) — Septuagesima Sunday.
There are three “gesima” Sundays: Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinqagesima — meaning 70 days before Easter, 60 days before, and 50 days before.
We are now officially 70 days before the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord. (Actually it works to “64” days, but — that takes another Excursus and we don’t have time.]
[You are very welcome to follow along in the Bulletin Insert this morning, which has two maps focusing on the place where the Gospel Reading for this Sunday and next took place.]
If you travel to Israel and go to the the city of Capernaum [כְּפַר נַחוּם in Hebrew, which means “Nahum’s Village”] you will be standing (as it were )at the very top of the Sea of Galilee [also called the Sea of Gennesaret or Kinneret (כִּנֶּרֶת) in Hebrew]. It is actually a freshwater lake covering 64 square miles, is about 140 feet deep, and is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth — about 700 feet below sea level. It is fed partially by underground springs, but mostly by the Jordan River which flows through it from North to South. To the East of the Lake is the Golan Heights. To the West is the region of the Galilee with places like Nazareth and if you travel all the way West in Israel you come to the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
Now from Capernaum if you were to go up and to the Northwest of the city just a bit, you will come to a church on the top of a large hill overlooking Capernaum, with a beautiful view of the Sea of Galilee to the south. That church is called the Church of the Beatitudes, because this is traditionally the site of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount.
Standing outside the entrance to that church is a rather stern looking nun. Beside her is a pile of shawls which she will give to any woman wanting to enter the church, but who is not dressed appropriately according to local custom — meaning that if that woman (or girl) is wearing a sleeveless shirt or in any way has her shoulders bare then Sr. Forcefulness will announce with spiritual intensity in a variety of languages, “Cover yourself!” And then she will hand over a shawl, which of course has been worn by countless women over the years. When we were there a number of years ago, we noticed many women with bare shoulders chose not to wear a garment worn by others instead opting for a very quiet and satisfying cappuccino at the Coffee Bar located next to the Church.
Outside the Church and looking down the hill to the right (if you face the Sea of Galilee) is a natural amphitheatre. Local wisdom has it that it is there where Jesus spoke his words to the crowd. The people climb up the hill a bit, sit themselves down on the grass and listen to Jesus standing at the bottom of this naturally carved out spot whereby they can hear his every word because it is an amphitheatre.
“Remember,” someone told us, “It says, ‘he looked up at his disciples and began to speak.’” All of which makes sense, except that that sentence is not from the Sermon on the Mount as we read and hear it. That Sermon is in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5; and we this morning are reading the Sermon as recorded in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 6.
Matthew’s version is the more familiar; Luke’s is probably the earlier version. There are differences between the two accounts, which I will allow you to compare and contrast this afternoon as you go home from worship, have some brunch and then wonder to yourselves, “Now how will I spend an hour this afternoon, having heard Pr. Larzelere preach this morning? Aha! I shall open my Bible and read Chapter 5 of Matthew and Chapter 6 of Luke.” 😊
Also, today, this is not the Sermon on the Mount, it is the Sermon on the Plain (or the Sermon on the Level Place). Look again at your Insert: you will see to the west of the west shore of the Sea of Galilee the words: Plain of Gennesaret — it is in the Gennesaret where Jesus performed many miracles and other deeds among the people.
My personal opinion is that is where Luke’s account of Jesus speaking to the disciples took place. Luke says, “ἔστη ἐπὶ τόπου πεδινοῦ” [he/Jesus] “stood on a level place” in other words (as we would say) “a level playing field” — meaning Jesus is not elevated as a ruler (like Caesar Tiberias, who was ruling the Roman Empire at this time); nor a despot like Herod Antipas, who was ruling the Galilee at this time — Jesus is a different ruler — he does not rule — rather he is: One who Teaches with Love and Compassion.
So — picture now the scene: Jesus, surrounded by his disciples, and yes a lot of other people as well. They watch, they listen, they hear, they hope. What will this prophet say? What makes him different? Why should they pay attention? Is he just some new renegade who promises to restore things as they were? What is the difference between Jesus and Herod. Herod uses power, the Roman Army with all of its cruelty and destruction to oppress the people, while he himself became endlessly rich in the process. He wants, that is, to “Make Judea Great Again”.
The difference is what we read in the story we have before us this morning: Part One of the Sermon on the Plain; or as I call it: “Jesus’ State of the Union Address.”
The words are very personal — intimate and not distant. He begins with the word: Blessed. Luke writing in Greek renders it Μακάριοι “Happy” in the plural. When the Bible is translated from Greek into Latin, the word becomes Beati(from beatus, which is where we get the “Beatitudes). Jesus most likely spoke it in Aramaic אַשְׁרֵי (ashrei) from the root יָשַׁר ashar) meaning: “to let yourself be on the right way for the right goal, to turn around, repent; to become straight or righteous — to be happy.”
This is no pie in the sky, happy hereafter, you will get your reward in heaven speech. I’ve heard too many sermons proclaim just that. No, this is not passive, it is active. Jesus insists that God is a God of the people and God will see them through whatever is to come and especially what is happening right now.
The message is so essential as a message of hope in the 1st Century CE; and I believe it speaks today. No matter which Caesar claims the throne, or which Herod sends in the forces of evil and destruction, or which pretender pretends to have the truth, God has the immediate and final word of hope.
As Norman Beck, recently retired Professor of Theology and Classical Languages at Texas Lutheran University1 translates these words of Jesus this way:
20 Blessed are you who are oppressed, because soon the kingdom of God shall be established for you here in this land. 21 Blessed are you who are hungry for food and for a political system that is just and fair, for soon you shall have this here in this land. Blessed are you who are weeping now, because soon you shall be laughing.
It is the exact opposite, the diametric of what is expected. And, it is for the moment, for the people, for those who wonder and watch and hope — often with quiet desperation. He goes on:
22 You are going to be blessed when the Roman oppressors hate you, and when they separate you from your families and abuse you and treat you as if you were dangerous criminals, for the sake of the Son of Man.*
[*A footnote here from Dr. Beck: The writer of the Gospel According to Luke could not explicitly identify the Romans as the oppressors of the early Christians for fear of causing even greater reprisals, since nearly all of the early Christians lived within the Roman empire, but we can identify the Roman oppressors now.]
23 Rejoice when that happens and leap for joy; for behold the Lord God of the heavens will reward you greatly. It will be just as it was when evil people did similar things to the inspired people who lived long before you lived.
And now comes the warning, in Jesus’ State of the Union Address. The word in Luke’s Greek is: οὐαὶ [it’s the same in Aramaic, and it’s pronounced “oy!” Think Yiddish here and you have it.] Beck continues to translate:
24 But woe to you who are wealthy because you cooperate fully with the Roman oppressors. You have already received all the pleasures of life that you will ever have.
[*Another footnote from Dr. Beck: In Israel at the time of the public activity of the Jesus of History, the only Israelites who were wealthy were the tax collectors, priests in the temple, and others who did business directly with the Roman occupation forces. It is not surprising that they were so bitterly castigated in these “woe” sayings in Luke.]
And the final two verses of Part One, again from Beck’s hand:
25 Woe to you who have more than you need to eat now. You will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now. You will mourn and weep! 26 Woe to you when all peoople who are powerful speak well of you. Powerful people in the past spoke well also of the false prophets of that time.
Oy! Indeed.
My Rabbi friend once asked me, “If you are a ‘follower of Jesus’ as you say, then who is Jesus to you?” A good question. I answered, “I am a Follower of Jesus because Jesus (for me) is the closest touch I have with God. I follow Jesus to God. And what I find is God loves and forgives me and puts inside me a power from which I have tried to run, but cannot. It is a power to go beyond myself and love others in this world. Beyond that — mystery. But I embrace the mystery.”
I always look for the hidden things in the Gospel Readings, the verses that we just read and pass over without comment. There is one such verse this morning, upon which I believe hinges the whole Sermon of Jesus — it is verse 19:
“And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.”
We try to understand Jesus, we try to touch him. We try to grab the hem of his garment in our desperation to understand, we seek to cling to a word that he speaks in our effort to find comfort, we attempt to bring him into our world of need.
But what happens is just the opposite — he touches us! Martin Luther got it right back in the 16th Century when he insisted that God comes to us clothed in the presence of Christ, in the Word (the Story) and in the Water (Baptism) and in the Bread and Wine (the Eucharist) and in each other. That is where we meet Jesus.
We think we’re in charge, that we have the power by our own making. We think that we were the ones who got ourselves out of bed this morning, got dressed and purposely made our way to the liturgy, the worship, the community of song and story, of bread and wine. But no, said Luther, it’s not that way at all— God summons us, calls us together here, even though we are not aware of the call. Why? Because God wants to do it! Then what? Jesus touches us and we are healed of our many illnesses and power goes out of him into us so that we can turn to one another and embrace in love and forgiveness and move into the world to do the same for the very ones Jesus listed in his State of the Union Address: the poor, the hungry, the sorrowful. The Sermon works because we get to be the ones who do it — we become (as Luther put it) “little Christs to our neighbors, whomever they are, wherever they are.”
And, says Jesus, it is all in the hands of God — not the hands of any Caesar (past or present), not the hands of Herod (ancient or contemporary) not Pontius Pilate (the historical one or those who seem to act that way), not anywhere, not any one, but God.
Brothers and Sisters, it is so easy to be comfortable here, in this sanctuary, in this place, among each other. I love it! You do as well. But, Jesus interrupts all of this and pushes and pulls us out into the world in love, so that we can love. And that is next week’s Sermon: Part Two of the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus’ State of the Union Address.
And let us all say: Amen.
1The New Testyament: A New Translation and Redaction. Norman A. Beck. 2002
17 Καὶ καταβὰς μετ’ αὐτῶν ἔστη ἐπὶ τόπου πεδινοῦ, καὶ ὄχλος πολὺς μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πλῆθος πολὺ τοῦ λαοῦ ἀπὸ πάσης τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ τῆς παραλίου Τύρου καὶ Σιδῶνος,18 οἳ ἦλθον ἀκοῦσαι αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰαθῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν νόσων αὐτῶν· καὶ οἱ ἐνοχλούμενοι ἀπὸ πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων ἐθεραπεύοντο.19 καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἐζήτουν ἅπτεσθαι αὐτοῦ, ὅτι δύναμις παρ’ αὐτοῦ ἐξήρχετο καὶ ἰᾶτο πάντας.20 Καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἔλεγεν, Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί, ὅτι ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ.21 μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες νῦν, ὅτι χορτασθήσεσθε. μακάριοι οἱ κλαίοντες νῦν, ὅτι γελάσετε.22 μακάριοί ἐστε ὅταν μισήσωσιν ὑμᾶς οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὅταν ἀφορίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ ὀνειδίσωσιν καὶ ἐκβάλωσιν τὸ ὄνομα ὑμῶν ὡς πονηρὸν ἕνεκα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου·23 χάρητε ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ σκιρτήσατε, ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ γὰρ ἐποίουν τοῖς προφήταις οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν.24 Πλὴν οὐαὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς πλουσίοις, ὅτι ἀπέχετε τὴν παράκλησιν ὑμῶν.25 οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, οἱ ἐμπεπλησμένοι νῦν, ὅτι πεινάσετε. οὐαί, οἱ γελῶντες νῦν, ὅτι πενθήσετε καὶ κλαύσετε.26 οὐαὶ ὅταν ὑμᾶς καλῶς εἴπωσιν πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι, κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ γὰρ ἐποίουν τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν.
17 He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
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.
26 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Nota(ble) Be(n)e 