16th February 2025
Lectionary Readings: Jer 17:5-8; Psalm 2; 1 Cor 15:12,16-20; Lk 6:17,20-26
Theme: God’s kingdom for the poor
The words of this Sunday’s Gospel reading have not lost their provocative message till today. It is not the respectable people in society whom Jesus approaches and it is not the rich, the powerful and highly learned whom Jesus praises. On the contrary, he even admonishes them. Instead, Jesus turns to those, which every society likes to marginalize or even ignore: the poor, the hungry and those who weep. Jesus calls the poor blessed and promises them the kingdom of God. How can these words be understood, considering the Jewish context, where Jesus was preaching?
Who are “the poor” in the Bible? Poor people are also powerless people, and poverty is not glorified in the scriptures (see Deut 15:11). But God emphasizes again and again that he will take care of the needy and expects his people to do likewise (see Ex 22:22; Ez 34:29).
The Jewish notion of the kingdom of God has been manifold over the centuries, which cannot be covered in full here. The idea behind it includes the affirmation that God is the king of the whole universe, meaning God is in charge. It might not always look like it, but he is. A further important element would be Israel’s experience of the Exodus, the deliverance from slavery and transformation into a free people, living according to God’s Thora in the promised land. Later, during Israel’s time in exile, the term kingdom of God is closely linked to a longing of the people to return again to their homeland. So kingdom of God comprises a hope and a longing throughout Israel’s history for a life where God is in charge, where justice reigns, especially for the powerless. It can even be described as a messianic vision of a life without poverty, hunger and weeping – a vision of heaven.
The reality, where Jesus is preaching is looking quite gloomy. The crowd following Jesus and listening to his words are people suffering from the Roman occupation. Probably all of them were in fact poor, since the occupation exploited them not only physically but also financially. So, when Jesus is promising this crowd of the poor and powerless, the kingdom of God, he reminds them to hold on to the hope of their ancestors and their continuing expectation of the kingdom of God. By alluding to this term, he assures them, that God will again work on their behalf. Thus, Jesus encourages these poor to put their trust once more in their God, just as today’s reading from Jeremiah is saying (see Jer 17:7).
The unfolding of the Gospel will tell that the kingdom of God, which Jesus is preaching, does not manifest itself by force but by the spirit of love and by a new sense of community life. The Evangelist Luke gives us a glimpse how this new reality eventually would unfold, when he describes the first community of Jesus followers in Jerusalem: God’s people shared everything, so that “there was not a needy person among them” (Acts 4:34). Finally, the poor are taken care of, and a piece of heaven becomes visible on earth.
For Reflection and Discussion:Â 1. Where and how can I contribute to ease poverty? Â 2. Reflect upon why Jesus admonishes the rich so harshly.
Bibliography: Levine, A-J. and Brettler, M.Z., The Jewish Annotated New Testament, Second Edition, Oxford University Press (Oxford/New York: 2017)
This week’s Sunday Liturgy Commentary was prepared by
Barbara Kauffmann, Germany, Bat Kol Alumna 2010, 2011, 2012
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