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Jesus came down with the twelve apostles and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
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. 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.
"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."
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This is the Gospel selection to be read aloud by a priest on the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow a reading from Jeremiah, where the prophet wrote, “Blessed are those who trust in Yahweh, whose trust is Yahweh.” That will be followed by a singing of Psalm 1, where David wrote: “For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed.” That pair will precede an Epistle reading from First Corinthians, where Paul wrote, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.”
This reading from Luke needs to be read as two readings connected together. Verses seventeen through nineteen need to be seen as a set-up, similar to that told in Matthew’s fourth chapter, at the end (verses twenty-three to twenty-five). When Matthew changed chapters, telling of Jesus speaking from the mount [erroneously called “The Sermon on the Mount,” because Matthew’s fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters tell of many sermons spoken from the same location]. That location is established here in the first three verses (as well as Matthews last three verses in his fourth chapter).
Relative to what Luke wrote in verses twenty through twenty-six, this equates to that told by Matthew in the first ‘sermon on the mount,’ which has generally been termed “The Beatitudes.” The Beatitudes are found in Matthew 5:3-12, where they all begin with the Greek word “Makarioi,” all capitalized, meaning this is a divine level of “Blessing,” not some ‘run of the mill’ speaking of words at a grocery store checkout [“Have a blessed day!”]. I have written a quite in-depth analysis of Matthew’ account of ‘the Beatitudes,’ which can be found at this link. I recommend reading that to get a deeper perspective of what I will assume is common knowledge in this observation I am about to make. However, this view of Luke’s recall of ‘the Beatitudes’ is not as long as that written of by Matthew, and Luke wrote also of the “Woes” (which Matthew did not).
Because the “Woes” make a connection to a reading in Amos, Jesus would have spoken of that on a Sabbath when the lesson for the people [normally read in a synagogue, from scrolls] was from that prophet's scroll. Here, one should see that Jesus addressed a reading lesson on one Sabbath, which would have been a separate ‘sermon’ from his ‘church’ on the mount-by-the-sea. One should also see that the mount did not afford Jesus a secure place to store ancient scrolls, from which he could ceremoniously have an attendant pull one from each Sabbath and hand it to him. Because Jesus was the Son of Yahweh and had the Mind of Christ, Jesus spoke as the scrolls had all been written in his heart [i.e.: soul]. Finally, the “Woes” can be seen as a prophecy of condemnation given to the self-righteous; and, that can be an explanation for why Jesus moved to a hillside that overlooked a flat plain by the sea, rather than go to a synagogue in a nearby town. When Jesus took to the mount it was for two reasons: First, it could accommodate a larger crowd; and, Second, Jesus had been rejected from entering the synagogues, because he spoke words explaining Scripture that no one had ever heard spoken before.
One of the elements of divine Scripture – that of the New Testament, written in Greek – is the marker word “kai.” This word simply translates as “and” and is sometimes translated as that, or as “also,” or totally ignored and tossed out like Yahweh’s leftover garbage. In Man’s self-imposed god-like state, where Man gets to tell Yahweh what Yahweh meant, the ‘low priests’ of translation slither up to the church leaders [who are not literate in Greek or Hebrew, or Latin, wishing English to be the one language of God], hissing, “God stutters a lot through His prophets, so we struck out the stutters and made up some stuff. Believe it.”
The reality is “kai” comes in two forms: capitalized as “Kai,” and in the lower-case “kai.” The first means “Great importance to follow,” with the second meaning “importance to follow.” This means that every use of the word “kai” denotes key elements of any dogmatic rule of canon law that needs to be followed. If those markers of importance are not followed, then one will end up lost on the path to religious belief. Being lost on that path means one can only be found when some saint wanders along and says, “You need to learn how to read the roadmap to heaven” [divine Scripture]
In the three verses above, which is the set-up to the 'divided-in-two sermon’ that follows, Luke wrote the word “kai” ten times – the first capitalized and the rest in the lower-case. This says the capitalized “Kai,” which begins these three verses, is what sets those verses apart from the verses that follow. The nine internal uses of “kai” are then fully supporting that capitalization that begins these verses. In the above NRSV translation, there are eight translations of “and,” with one of them capitalized (not the one capitalized by Luke). The only thing all those uses of "and" tell a reader or listener is only this: Luke sure wrote “and” a lot. No importance is noted. However, when the remaining seven verses are read [in Greek], there are only five uses of the same word (a decrease in usage), with the word beginning the ‘Beatitudes’ also being a capitalized “Kai,” followed then by four internal uses in the lower-case. At all times the word "kai" should be read more like punctuation to follow and not like some poorly educated lad has fallen in love with saying, "You know," in between the limited thoughts that come into his mind.
In the three verses of Matthew's Greek, at the end of chapter four [the equivalent of Luke 6:17-19] those verses begin with a capitalized “Kai,” with another capitalized “Kai” beginning the last verse [25]. There are then fourteen other uses of the lower-case “kai.” In Matthew’s listing of “the Beatitudes,” he used the word “kai” only four times, all in the lower-case. This quite obvious ability to not say “and” proves every word of Scripture is written with purpose, from divine insight, with all coming from Yahweh through a prophet. When Jesus said he did not come to change one iota of Scripture [that written prior to the New Testament], one should keep that in mind when getting on one’s knees and praying to English memorizations (that are little more than paraphrases that have thrown the baby of truth out with the dirty bath water of translation) is a profession of ignorance, refusing to take any responsibility to understand the truth.
Here is verses seventeen through nineteen properly translated into English – literally:
17
Kai having descended in company with of themselves , he made a stand on the basis of an area flat , kai the common people many of learners of the same [as him] , kai an assemblage often of this people [laity] away from all this Judea [Place Of Jews] , kai Jerusalem [Teaching Peace] , kai this by the sea of Tyre [Rock] , kai Sidon [Fishery] ,
18
who came to have heard of himself kai to have healed from of those maladies of themselves . kai those disturbed away from spirits impure were served .
19
kai all this the common people were desiring to lay hold of of the same [of him] , because might [or strength] in the presence of of himself was going out [or coming out] kai healing everyone .
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When one realizes the use of “kai” is as a marker of importance, One can then see that the four capitalized words found in segments four, five, six and seven – which appear simply as names of places – are all marked as importance to be realized in that which follows. That marker says it is important to look at the meaning behind the names. Thus, one can see how Luke told: 1.) The assemblage was for Jews only; 2.) The purpose for the assemblage was the truth of what a synagogue should do for Jews, which is Teach the Peace of Scripture; 3.) The assemblage of Jews being taught by Jesus was by the Mount [a Rock] beside the Sea of Galilee; and, 4.) The purpose of the assemblage of Jews by the mount by the sea was to fish for the souls that were lost and seeking to be found by Yahweh [thus not a synagogue, but a Fishery].
In all of this three-verse selection, the words “autou” [“of him”] “autōn” [“of them”] are found, written three times and once respectively. The root word “autos” can equally mean: “self, the same, or he-she-it-they.” When one realizes Jesus spoke more to souls than brains, the aspect of “self” is more intended to be seen from those uses, because a “self” is a “soul.” Thus, the use says the common people (who were all Jews) were drawn to Jesus so they could be “the same” as his soul [himself]. This simple pronoun is completely unseen as such, when the truth is right before one’s eyes to see … when one is led to see it and one’s soul has divine assistance to see.
In verse seventeen, where the aspect of illness is seen, it is important to realize that Jews with physical maladies – those visible to others – were kept out of synagogues. A large open area that was flat, with excellent acoustics, where hearing did not require shouting [a wind-aided phenomena], all could gather without punishment from the rabbis and leaders of Jewish worship rules. Still, many “maladies” were unseen, as spiritual famine was the cause. The two marks of importance in verse seventeen combine to say the “maladies” of sin were due to demonic possession [unclean spirits], which (by coming close to Jesus and hearing his word) were chased away. Thus, simply from having access to Jesus on a Sabbath, seeing and hearing Jesus speak cleansed the souls of those impure.
Verse nineteen then states the importance of this healing's lasting effect. The souls of the seekers were not only touching the essence of Jesus once for cleansing [like a baptism], but in addition, the soul of Jesus replaced the demon spirits with his own spirit [a divine possession]. Thus, those who were cleaned by him “took hold of his spirit-soul,” which was “going out” from Jesus and “coming into” those who sought salvation. This was a “healing” that was not just for a few who were sick, lame, or infirm. It was for “all” who sought spiritual “healing.” Jesus was indeed the food of heaven that starving souls needed to feast upon.
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Now, in verse seventeen, in the third segment of words, Luke wrote the word “mathētōn,” which has the same root word meaning as does the word written in verse twenty: “mathētas.” That meaning is this: “a disciple,” implying “a learner, a pupil.” When verse seventeen attaches that word to “many common people” or “a large crowd,” this is different than verse twenty, where the implication is more quaint. Verse twenty states Jesus spoke to “the disciples of him” [again finding that pronoun “autou,” meaning the spirit of Jesus was permanently attached to their souls … "the same of him"]. While what Jesus then spoke, relative to the ‘Beatitudes,’ is a truth for all “students” of Jesus and would have been heard by all within the acoustics of the mount, the reality is many are called, but few respond when called. One must seek to be found and one must knock for a door to be opened. Therefore, verse twenty’s address to “the disciples" is more associated to the twelve then; although it applies equally to all who ever become Saints.
In my linked commentary about Matthew’s account of ‘the Beatitudes,’ I made it be clearly stated that “Blessed” means one who has been “Blessed” by Yahweh, therefore one filled with His Spirit and made a Saint. The Latin word “beatitudo” means “happiness, blessedness,” which is the Roman Church’s way of translating the capitalized word written by both Luke and Matthew: “Makarioi.” That Greek word (commonly in the lower-case) means, “blessed, happy,” implying “to be envied.” The capitalization divinely elevates the usage by Luke and Matthew to a state of being that can only be brought on by Yahweh. Thus, ‘the Beatitudes’ are Jesus stating the ways to determine who are Saints [and thereby who are not].
Because all of the “disciples” (other than Judas Iscariot) became Apostles, therefore Saints, it is easy to see Jesus talking to them directly. However, any number of Saints walked the earth after having come in touch with the voice of Yahweh, spoken as Jesus in a Saint. A Saint, like Jesus, is a soul married to Yahweh, having been Anointed by His Spirit [baptized], so His Son is then reborn in countless bodies of flesh. Many Saints have spread Christianity around the globe, most of whom were never recognized by that title, awarded by the religious organization established in Rome [et al].
To understand what Luke wrote about the “Blessed” Saints, I refer the reader to the commentary on Matthew. I will now more closely examine the “Woes” recalled by Mother Mary, which Luke recorded in Scripture.
The Greek word written by Luke that is translated as “Woe” is “Ouai.” That word is written in the capitalized form three times, with the first time written being in the lower-case. The lower-case usage follows the capitalized first word of verse twenty-four, which is “Plēn,” meaning “Yet, Except,” implying in usage “However, Nevertheless, But, Except that, Yet.” The capitalization of a conjunction means the divine elevation is an “Exception” to the divinely elevated meaning of “Blessed.” Thus, “ouai” meaning, “alas! woe!” becomes elevated divinely as an explanation of what transpires when a soul is not “Blessed” [by "Exception"]. The “Exception” is “woe!,” which Luke then later capitalized, to show a divinely elevated state of “Woe.”
Here, it is again worthwhile to dissect the three verses telling of “Except woe!” and “Woe,” as I did to the first three verses of this reading. In this, one will find the presence of “kai” is diminished greatly (only once appearing); but there is a shift in focus placed on the presence of capitalized words, which can easily be ‘lost in translation.’ That dissection is as follows:
24
Except woe! yourselves they wealthy , Because you are holding back this calling to aid one of yourselves .
25
Woe to yourselves those having been satisfied in the present , you will desire earnestly . Woe those smiling in the present , Because you will feel guilt kai lament .
26
Woe whenever well-perceived ⇔ of yourselves command all these human , According to these of them indeed they made those false prophets them fathers of themselves .
I believe when these verses are read this way, it is easy to see verse twenty-four pointing to those who find their souls in bodies of flesh that are surrounded by plenty (not severe shortage of necessities). That comfort then keeps those souls from seeing a need to marry their souls to Yahweh and help their own souls [“one of yourselves” who are “wealthy” materially].
In verse twenty-five, it is easy to see the repetition of “now” or “in the present” being the inability to see the future. When wealth has brought one comforts that seem secure, they are hindered by not knowing the need to desire spiritual food, seeing its lack as important to seek it to become plentiful. When those are finding comfort in Scripture allowing them to cheat others for their own personal gains [“God wants you to be successful” bullshit, which Jews worship in the god Mammon], the time will come when Judgment will be the time for balancing the scales. At death a soul who neglected other souls, through self-worship, will feel immense “guilt,” with it important to see how their “lament” will not be temporary, but long-lasting.
In verse twenty-six, it is easy to see the “⇔” symbol of Greek text, which is completely erased in the NRSV English translation. That is a mathematical symbol that is called a “left right arrow.” The symbol is placed in divine Scripture [New Testament] when the words written can be either true or not true. The symbol means that stated before [left arrow] is true if that written to follow [right arrow] is also true. If the two are not equally true [the equal mark in between the arrows], then that written is false. In the text above, the statement of truth says, “If one is well-perceived and speaks highly of oneself among other humans,” then the truth speaks of one who is self-centered. One who is “self-centered” can never submit one’s soul [a soul is a self] to Yahweh; so, one’s fate will be based on how well others of the human race accept one’s commands as a god of the world.
When this is seen, it becomes a statement of truth that follows, where Jesus said the judgment of humanity can be swayed by people of importance on earth. Their desire to have their egos stroked will lead translators of Scripture to say everything good is deserved by the great human beings on earth. They, of course [and unfortunately], will need to live forever (as do the true gods), so a higher Judgment will never come to them. As the “father” of their own self-worth, the true Father will deny having ever married that soul; so, Judgment will be harsh.
When all of this is tied together, so Jesus created a place with no ups and downs of religious rules and by-laws to contend with are present [a "flat area"], and with no expectations to learn Scripture without explanations made possible [seekers receiving the Spirit], the Scriptures in four Gospels become the “assemblages” of Jesus’ lessons. The lesson today is one that teaches a soul is either a Saint [those “Blessed” by Yahweh] or one that ain’t [those who mope around on Judgment Day saying, “Woe! is me.”].
As a reading selection to be read aloud by a priest on the sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, the danger is not laying back in your pew [the one marked by your ever-present scent, with pillows and tissues kept in a pew to ward off anyone else from daring to ever sit there] and thinking, “Thank you God for making me be beatified.” True Saints rarely sit in pews, because they are either standing in front of them [a true priest of Yahweh, reborn as Jesus] or one is trying to teach the truth of Scripture in the real world; all while being stoned to death by the rocks thrown by those Woe! people. Even while being stoned to death, the Saints look up to Yahweh and Jesus, saying, “Forgive them Yahweh, because they do not know what they are doing.”