October 13

Luke 6

1. Happy Thanksgiving! Reflecting on my life in Canada and in our church since 2023, I can't help but thank God for this incredible journey. God’s love allowed me to believe in Jesus, even though my family wasn’t Christian when I was a kid. Without His mercy and grace, I might never have met my wonderful wife or welcomed my beautiful daughter. And if God hadn’t led me to see that Yorkton Alliance Church was seeking a pastor, I wouldn’t have made the move here to Yorkton.

2. We have wonderful traditions like Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, and New Year. Through these, we remember God’s mercy, love, and protection. When we follow traditions with the right purpose, they help us reflect on our lives. But if we lose sight of their meaning, traditions can become rigid, and we can lose our way. Today, I want us to reflect on the purpose of tradition and how we can keep them centered in the Lord. Let’s read Luke 6:20-26.

Luke 6:20–22 (NRSV)

Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “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. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.

Luke 6:23–24 (NRSV)

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

Luke 6:25–26 (NRSV)

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

3. Today’s passage is a well-known text for the Christian life. After calling His disciples, Jesus taught them how to live as people of God. However, we should not overlook the preceding verses, 1 to 11, which discuss the Sabbath. While Jesus and His disciples were walking through a field, the disciples picked some grain to eat. Due to Jesus' growing fame, a crowd, including religious leaders, had gathered around them. When the religious leaders saw this, they were displeased because the disciples had not followed Sabbath regulations, which included over 30 specific rules outlined in their teachings.

Luke 6:1–3 ESV

On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:

Luke 6:4–5 ESV

how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

4. When I was in Toronto, the church I served was located in a Jewish community, so I had the opportunity to meet many rabbis and see several synagogues, which are places of worship and gathering for the Jewish community. One Saturday, when I arrived at church around 5 a.m. for early morning prayer, I couldn't turn on the light near the pulpit. After the prayer meeting, the senior pastor and I contacted an electrician, who discovered that the building had originally been a synagogue. It was equipped with an automatic switch that turned off lights from Friday evening to Saturday sunset, as Jewish tradition prohibits work during the Sabbath. Additionally, I noticed there was a synagogue every 800 meters in the community. When I asked a rabbi about this while on a bus, he explained that Jewish law restricts walking more than 1 kilometer on the Sabbath, so synagogues are placed within a 1-kilometer radius for convenience. 

5. At the beginning of this sermon, I mentioned the word tradition. According to Merriam-Webster, tradition is defined as 'an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (such as a religious practice or social custom).' It also describes tradition as 'the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction.' This definition emphasizes a way of life shaped by shared values, beliefs, and practices, rather than tradition for its own sake. When tradition serves a meaningful purpose, it can enrich life and bring freedom. However, when it becomes an end in itself, as can be seen in some aspects of the Jewish community in Toronto, it can become burdensome and restrictive.

6. The reason God established the Sabbath was not to create burdensome rules, but to provide freedom and rest in Him. God desires to bless His people, so He set an example by resting first, showing them the importance of rest in their own lives. Jesus did not focus on the traditions surrounding the Sabbath, but on its true purpose—restoration of life. The true meaning of the Sabbath is to enter into the full restoration that comes from God.

7. Jesus then taught His disciples how to live. In Matthew 5, He preached the Beatitudes to the crowds, whereas in Luke 6, He delivered them directly to His disciples. Matthew records eight blessings, while Luke includes four blessings and four corresponding woes. I believe Jesus wasn’t establishing a new set of rules; rather, He wanted them to live under God’s blessings. His goal was not to create a religious atmosphere but to encourage a life of freedom in God.

Luke 6:20 (NLT)

Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.

8. The first blessing is for the poor. In Matthew 5, he adds 'in spirit,' suggesting that whether people are literally poor or spiritually humble, they are blessed, for the kingdom of God is theirs. Why, then, did Matthew include 'in spirit' while Luke did not? There are many possible explanations, but we don’t know for sure. One thing we might infer is that there was a shared understanding of 'in spirit' in the first century, and, understandably, people wouldn’t aspire to be literally poor.

9. When someone spoke of doing something 'in the spirit,' it often implied approaching it with humility. The poor, for instance, can’t simply buy or do things immediately; they have to carefully consider their resources. When I was a child, my sister and I wanted sweet and sour pork, but it was expensive. My mom hesitated to buy it because, if she did, we might not have enough to get by for the rest of the week. This experience exemplifies humility: the awareness that even if we want something, we may have to forego it—or if we truly need it but can’t afford it, we may need to seek help. This is the essence of humility: accepting our limitations and recognizing our dependence. If we are not poor or 'poor in spirit'—that is, humble—we may not enter the kingdom of God, for the kingdom of God is, at its heart, a kingdom of humility.

Luke 6:21 (NRSV)

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Matthew 18:4 NRSV

Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

10. Understanding the Beatitudes is not difficult because Jesus introduces an "Upside Down" perspective. While the earthly view emphasizes pursuing wealth and possessions, the Beatitudes teach us to focus on others. Where philosophy often centers on self-importance, the Beatitudes remind us that God is the true center of our lives. Have you ever seen photos of the first Thanksgiving in North America? Historically, the first Thanksgiving celebration in Canada took place in 1578 in Newfoundland. I found some pictures on Google.

11. In this picture, we see Indigenous people, settlers, and immigrants gathered together to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, giving thanks to God as one community. This scene teaches us about true humility: embracing others and welcoming them into our group. Humility means setting aside our own things to make room for others. Can you hold the hand of the person beside you right now? Doing so is the start of humility, because only by opening our hearts and letting go of what we hold can we reach out to others and welcome them into our lives.

12. Therefore, the Kingdom of God is not defined by power but by humility, for God Himself is humble. The Kingdom is not political but harmonious, as God brings reconciliation. So, it is fitting for us to be humble, following the way of Jesus. With the help of the Spirit, we hold the responsibility to maintain this reconciliation. Humility, then, is the way to embrace and sustain God's blessing within us and to live out the Beatitudes that Jesus taught.