All Saints Sunday
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18; Psalm 149; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31
This week I have been drawn to the verse that opens the gospel lesson (Luke 6:20). The biblical Greek idiom “ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς” – meaning to look closely and intently – is repeated only 4 times in the 4 gospels. The only other time in the gospel of Luke is when the rich man looks around and sees the distant poor Lazarus in the company of Abraham (Luke 16:23). It is somewhat intuitive to us that when Jesus turns his gaze to look intently at something or someone, in this case at his newly recruited first saints of the church (Luke 6:12-16), it has to be pretty important and profound.
And profound it is! The affirmations of fulfillment and desolation that follow still have the power to shake our belief systems. Everything the word deems successful and glorifying is turned upside down, and often we catch ourselves wondering about which column we belong to.
Then come Jesus’ ethical instructions, which extend beyond verse 31 all the way to verse 38. There we find “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,” “if anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also,” “give to everyone who begs from you,” and more.
We did a little experiment during our small group text study. We read Jesus’ instructions first and imagined a disciple back then, and more importantly, one today, following them to the letter. Then we read the blessings and woes, and the effect was, well, interesting. First, we concluded that completely adopting the way of life laid down by the Christ would cause one to live constantly against the grain of peers in real life. Second, all of us at the table confessed not living such a life. If we had more time, I suspect that we would also come to the conclusion that living such a life to its fullest would probably cause one to be excluded, reviled, and defamed. Perhaps, one would not be spoken well of.
And yet, here we are, saints of all times and places.
Bridging Faith 