Blessed and Cursed

Did you, like me, have to memorize the Beatitudes in Sunday school? You know: Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled….” and so on. Or maybe you’re a fan of David Haas’ song “Blest Are They,” based on Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes. The heating vents at Bond Chapel at the University of Chicago Divinity School are inscribed with the Beatitudes, so that the congregation literally breathes in these words.

The Beatitudes rank among the most popular of Jesus’ teachings. Maybe it’s because we assume that, even if we are not literally poor, Jesus is still speaking to us in a spiritual sense.

But this Sunday, we read Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. Luke doesn’t allow us that “spiritual” reading. When Luke’s Jesus says Blessed are the poor, he is only talking to people who literally don’t have enough money. More than that, Luke drives home the point by following the Beatitudes with a series of “woes.” Woe to you who are rich … Woe to you who are well fed… and so on. 

So, if we’re not poor, are we cursed? Are we doomed? What if we’re middle class, for crying out loud? 

This Sunday, we wrestle with Luke’s blessings and curses — and, yes, we will connect them to our ongoing Spiritual Growth series Won’t You Be My Neighbor. What can the Beatitudes teach us about how we should be better neighbors?