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Luke
6:20-31
With thanks to page sponsor:
Rev. R. Karl Watkins
and First United Methodist Church,
Sheffield, Iowa USA
(Oct 07-08)
 | Reading the Text:
|
| Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
 | The
Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto. |
| Primary comparative texts of Rabbinic Wisdom from Mahlon H.
Smith's Into His Own: Perspective on the
World of Jesus, Rutgers University. |
|
Chapter II, The
Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians,
Polycarp of Smyrna (c 115). |
|
Chapter XV,
Chapter XVI,
The First Apology of
Justin
Martyr. (c 150) |
|
III.XIV.3,
IV.XIII.3, Adversus
Haereses,
Irenaeus of Lyons.
(c. 180) |
|
Chapter
XVIII, On Baptism,
Tertullian
(c. 198) |
|
Chapter X, Exhortation
to the Greeks,
Clement of
Alexandria (c 200) |
|
III.12, Paedagogus,
Clement of Alexandria (c 200) |
|
II.18,
III.4,
IV.6, Stromata,
Clement of Alexandria (c 200) |
|
Chapter VIII,
On Patience,
Tertullian (c.
202) |
|
Chapter XXXV,
On the Soul,
Tertullian (c.
210) |
|
IV.14,
IV.15,
IV.16,
IV.27, Against
Marcion,
Tertullian
(c. 210) |
|
Chapter XII, On
Idolatry,
Tertullian
(c. 211) |
|
Chapter
IX,
Chapter
X, Scorpiace,
Tertullian
(c. 213) |
|
Chapter
XI, On Monogamy,
Tertullian
(c. 215) |
|
On the
Lapsed --
Cyprian of
Carthage (c. 251) |
|
Epistle LV
--
Cyprian of Carthage (c.
252) |
|
Chapter
14, On Cleaving to God,
Albertus
Magnus, c. 1275. |
| Commentary on a Harmony of the
Evangelists, John Calvin, 1558:
Matthew 5:1-12/Luke 6:20-26. |
| From the Geneva Notes.
 | "Christ teaches against
all philosophers, and especially the Epicureans, that the greatest
happiness of man is laid up in no place here on earth, but in heaven,
and that persecution for righteousness' sake is the right way to achieve
it." |
|
| From
Matthew
Henry's Commentary (c. 1700).
| "All believers that
take the precepts of the gospel to themselves, and live by them, may
take the promises of the gospel to themselves, and live upon them." |
|
| From
Wesley's
Notes.
John Wesley
(1703-1791).
| "Happy are ye poor -
The word seems here to be taken literally: ye who have left all for me." |
|
| From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
| "In this form of the
discourse, then, our Lord seems to have had in view "the poor of
this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God hath
promised to them that love Him," as these very beatitudes are
paraphrased by James (Jas 2:5)." |
|
| From The
People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
| "These four woes are
addressed to four classes: (1) Those who worship wealth; (2) those
satisfied with their present life; (3) those who live for present
enjoyment; (4) those whose aim is human praise and adulation." |
|
|
| Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
|
Luke 6:20-31,
Comments (commentary) and
Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), All Saints C, Chris
Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal. |
|
"Love of
Enemies," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible
Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed
textual notes. |
|
"Global Poverty: Beyond Utopian Visions," study guide for
adults, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at)
"Global Wealth," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2007. |
| From Luke: The Gospel of the Gentiles
by Robert Deffinbaugh at the Biblical Studies
Foundation:
| "Defining
Discipleship" (Luke 6:12-26)
| "Life involves choices. We must
choose what in life to pursue. Every choice has both benefits
(blessings) and a price to pay." |
|
| "Tough
Love" (Luke 6:27-49)
| "We are to do what
no one else will do—love our enemy. We are to do so because God
has loved us while we were His enemies. We are to do so because God
is the One who will bless us for obeying His commands." |
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| Articles & Background:
|
"Sermon on the
Plain," wikipedia. |
|
"Honoring the Dishonored:
The Cultural Edge of Jesus' Beatitudes," Jerome H. Neyrey, S.J., 1995. |
|
"'Love Your
Enemies,' the Golden Rule, and Ancient Reciprocity," Alan Kirk,
Journal of Biblical Literature, 2003. (Links one long
.pdf file of entire Winter 2003 JBL volume. Expect long
download times over slow connections.) |
|
"Attitudes to the Poor
in New Testament Times," Jerome H. Neyrey, S.J., University of Notre
Dame, 2002.
| "When taxes were so high, life for
peasants was at best “subsistant,” i.e., they had only several months of
food stored. The wolf was always at the door. And there was no
unemployment insurance, no social security, no medicare. The state took
the surplus of peasants and gave them nothing in return." |
|
|
"Blessings
and Boundaries: Interpretations of Jesus' Death in Q," by David Seeley, Early
Christianity, Q and Jesus, Semeia 55 (ed. John S. Kloppenborg; Atlanta: Scholars Press,
1991) 131-46.
| "This article maintains
that Q 14:27 is the earliest interpretation of Jesus' death in Q, and
that it functions in accordance with the pattern of the philosopher's
noble death. The noble death is held in both Cynic and Stoic circles of
the first century CE as a model to be re-enacted imaginatively by
students of philosophy. Those who do so gain the strength to re-enact it
literally. If one is capable of dying for one's philosophy, then one has
become a true philosopher...The reference to prophets in 6:23c is shown
to be a transitional phase between the noble death and the later,
deuteronomistic-prophetic outlook." |
|
| "Blessed are the
NonViolent," by John Dear. From The Other
Side on line.
| "As we let nonviolence
fill our inner life, and as we walk the way of the Beatitudes, we see
God at work. We are filled with hope because we know God is leading us
and transforming humanity into God's reign of peace." |
|
| "The
Tension between Poverty and Possessions in the Gospel of Luke,"
John Sheila Galligan, Spirituality Today, Spring 1985.
| "No fanatic about renunciation
of possessions, Jesus nevertheless warned us that they could hinder
our being open to the Kingdom and that we have to use them for
others welfare." |
|
|
"Jesus,
Apocalyptic, and World Transformation," David B. Batstone. Theology
Today, 1993.
| "It is often overlooked how
ideologically explosive the notion of the kingdom of God was within
Jesus' own social milieu. In first-century Palestine, it did not
have the same metaphorical and strictly religious connotation that
makes the term so safe within our own theological world. In fact, it
evoked the memory and visionary impulse of Yahweh who acts to
deliver Yahweh's 'chosen ones' from occupation and oppression at the
hands of alien nations. Intrinsic to that symbolic universe is the
conviction that the chosen suffer and the unjust prosper in the
present day only because history stands at the brink of a great
reversal." |
|
|
"Jesus'
Death in Q," by David Seeley. From NTS 38 (1992) 222-34.
| "Steck has argued that,
by the first century CE, two important ideas had coalesced: 1) a belief
that prophets were habitually killed by the recalcitrant Israelites; 2)
the deuteronomistic view of Israel's repeated disobedience against God's
laws./4/ Steck has termed this coalescence the deuteronomistic-prophetic
view. According to it, the Israelites would sin, God would send his
messengers to admonish them, and the people, compounding their sin,
would kill those messengers." |
|
|
| Reviews: |
| Articles in
ATLAS Journals. (Direct link when you are
subscribed and logged in to
ATLASerials online collection of Religion and Theology Journals.):
| Burghardt, William, S.J.,
"Gospel Joy, Christian Joy," The Living Pulpit, 1996. (see
Joy issue focus of The Living Pulpit 5.4, 1996.) |
| Kirk, Alan,
"Some Compositional Conventions of Hellenistic Wisdom Texts and the
Juxtaposition of 4:1-13; 6:20b-49; and 7:1-10 in Q," Journal of
Biblical Literature, 1997. |
|
| Sermons:
|
"The Third Way,"
Dr. Walter Wink, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 1993.
|
|
"Prayer:
Connecting to the Divine Presence," the Rev. Arthur Cribbs, 30 Good
Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2002.
|
|
"Saints, All of You,"
and
"Blessing and Curse," Dean William Willimon, Duke University Chapel Sermon Archive,
1998. |
|
"Is the
Communion of Saints a Community of Losers?"
John Jewell, 2001. |
|
"The
Paradox of the Beatitudes," Paul Tillich, from The Shaking of the Foundations,
1955. At Religion Online. |
|
| With Children:
|
| Drama:
|
"God Is On Our Side," from A Certain Jesus by
Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez Vigil. Ideal for catechetical and liturgical
dramatization of today's gospel. Claretian Publications. |
|
"The Fire
and the Flood," Glenn Hascall, dramatix. |
|
"Persecution of the
Church," Melissa Denny, dramatix. |
|
"The Persecutor,"
David Marriott, dramatix. |
|
"The
Sanctuary," Richard G. Huxley, dramatix. |
|
"Bygones," Erina
Caradus, dramatix. |
|
"Super
Secret Sisters," Glenn A. Hascall, dramatix. |
|
"To Be Or
Not To Be (Kind, That Is)," Kelly Gross, dramatix. |
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| Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
|
Luke 6:17, 20-26,
Luke 6:20-26, Liturgical Drawing, Maria d.c. Zamora,
Claretian Resources, Philippines. ("Download and use
these for free.") |
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| Hymns and Music: |
| Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's
Art Index: |
| Movies scenes with the following themes,
listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance: |
|
Find Worship Resources & Suggested Other Readings for use
with this text:
|
| Resources for the
Matthean Beatitudes
|
| Study Links and Resources for the Book of Luke |
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